Alan Cohen writes an interesting article dated today for The American Lawyer titled "Is the iPhone Ready for Law Firms?" Cohen quotes law firm IT directors at firms where lawyers have been using iPhones for a while, and other IT directors who were reluctant to let their attorneys use iPhones before iPhone Software 3.0 and the iPhone 3GS because of security concerns, some of whom are still cautious today. "Tech directors who have already embraced the iPhone say it's ready, now
more than ever. Those who haven't say that even with its enhancements,
the platform still isn't quite there yet. Our verdict: The pro-iPhone group is starting to make the better case." Cohen also includes a few short quotes from me. The article is an interesting follow up to a similar article that Cohen wrote seven months ago on iPhones in law firms.
Law firm IT directors are right to be conservative when it comes to security, and I would agree that the original iPhone released in 2007 was not ready for law firms. But Apple has added important improvements to the iPhone to ensure that it works well in a corporate environment, and I have no doubt that today the iPhone is ready for law firms. When you consider how much power the iPhone puts in the hands of lawyers, law firms that don't allow their attorneys to use iPhones are putting their attorneys at a competitive disadvantage.
