5 Things to Help Make You a Mobile DUI Lawyer

Ever want to be able to pick up and go wherever you want, whenever you want (assuming you don't have court)? Well, it's possible. All it takes are some systems set up to make sure everything runs smoothly while you are out on the road. To help you identify these systems, I'm going to talk about 5 things to help make you a mobile DUI lawyer.

Before you get started on your quest for mobility, it's important to understand that you are going to have to try some new things and implement some new systems in your criminal defense practice. For many people, change is an unnerving thing. But it doesn't have to be, if you are prepared for it. Now, let's get right into these five things that can help make you a mobile DUI lawyer.

1. Dropbox

The most important factor in creating mobility is having access to your files anywhere at any time. In the old days, this was an impossible thing to comprehend. The technology just wasn't there. But today things have changed. And they've changed in a big way.

With cloud computing, you can have access to your files anywhere you have an internet connection. The way it works is, you save all of your files on a server that is located somewhere out there on the world wide web (as opposed to a closet in your office). All of the grunt work is done by others, and they give you space to store your stuff. As employees come on, you can give them access to the folders you want, and they can then modify or change documents as needed. 

So, for example, if you had someone helping you, every day they could take your physical mail, scan it, and put it in drop box (as well as email it to you) and you'd have your mail every day.

2. Email

It goes without saying that you need email today whether you are going to be a digital DUI attorney in Seattle or not. People are more and more comfortable with communicating by email every day. It's an easy way to exchange documents and discuss issue in depth. If you don't have email, get it. Nuff said.

3. Portable Phone Number

If you've got a business phone that you can't easily pack up and take with you wherever you go, you are living in the stone age of DUI lawyers. Phone.com, google voice, and many other companies provide services that give you a static phone number, one you can have forever, combined with the luxury of being able to forward it to any number you want, quickly change voicemails, and set a forwarding schedule so calls go where you need them to go.

Imagine being able to answer phone calls to your firm while you are sitting by the pool. This is possible with these phone numbers. Oh, and the other great thing about them is that voicemails are transcribed and sent to your email as the transcription and as a voice file, so you're never missing another message again.

4. Laptop

This one might seem obvious, but you can make yourself completely mobile without much effort. What I mean is, I don't have a desktop. I only have a laptop. In my office, I have it set up so my laptop sits on a dock that then connects to two monitors, a printer, and a scanner. So, where ever I go, I have everything I need to work (basically an office on wheels is what it's like). This is helpful even if I'm not going long distances. 

For example, lets say, as a DUI attorney, you have a hearing across town at 9:30 and then another one at 1:30. Instead wasting an hour driving back and forth from your office, you can just take your laptop and do all the work you need right there. It's a ridiculously convenient system.

5. iPhone

I know I probably shouldn't be pushing a specific product here, but I can't help it. The iPhone is far and away the best phone I've ever had. It has all kinds of crazy good features and the applications make wasting a couple of minutes here and there a breeze. It can sync up your email and calendar no matter what type of email you use (I use Google Applications) in about 30 seconds. You can't go wrong with this.

It may seem like a pain to put together a mobile office. But once you have everything set up, you'll wonder how you ever functioned without it. Trust me, your DUI practice will only get better with a set up like this. Now, get out there and do it!