Hi there. My name is Jeff Richardson, and this is my website for lawyers who use the iPhone, the iPad, and related devices.
I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, received a B.A. in Political Science with Highest Honors from Emory University, and received my J.D. with High Honors from Georgetown University Law Center. I was an active member of the debate team for Isidore Newman in high school (first place in Louisiana in 1987) and for Emory in college (fifth place at NDT in 1991), and I always enjoy hearing from other former debaters. I live in New Orleans with my wife and two kids (one in middle school, one in high school). I love to play the piano, although life is so busy that it can sometimes be difficult to find time to do so.
I have been an attorney since 1994, and I practice law in the New Orleans office of Adams and Reese LLP. My practice areas include appellate litigation and representing defendants in class actions and complex litigation. I am an Appellate Practice Specialist, certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization, and I am currently one of only 13 attorneys in Louisiana with that certification. Most of my law practice is in Louisiana, but I am also licensed in Florida. I am the chair of my firm's technology committee, and I am also one of the attorneys in charge of new business acceptance at my firm.
I have been using computers since my parents bought me a Sinclair ZX81 back in 1981, and after that I was an avid user of the Commodore 64 through my freshman year in college. My first Apple computer was a Mac Plus that I bought in college in 1988, and I have been a Mac user at home every since: Mac Plus, Macintosh LC, Performa 450, Performa 6360, iMac DV, iMac G3, iMac Core Duo, iMac Core 2 Duo, iMac 5K 4-Core i5, an iMac 5K 8-Core i9, and currently a Mac mini with an M2 Pro processor. I also used many different types of Macs at my law firm from 1994 to the early 2000s. My law firm was one of the last large firms in the country to use Macs, but like so many other large firms, we eventually switched to Windows because of the limited law office software on the Mac (something that is now much less of an issue thanks to cloud-based software). I currently use a Dell laptop at work.
My love of the iPhone can be traced back to the late 1980s, when I first started using handheld devices. I was happy to upgrade from my old Sharp organizer to a Palm III in 1998. I then used Palm products for many years, including a Palm IIIc, a Palm Tungsten T2, then a Palm Treo 650, plus some BlackBerries and a Good G100 along the way. I kept using that Treo long after I was ready to move on mostly because of rumors that Apple would come out with its own mobile phone. So you can imagine my excitement when Apple announced the iPhone in 2007, soon followed by my frustration when I learned that the original version did not support corporate e-mail using Microsoft Exchange. When Apple added that support, I tried to buy an iPhone 3G the day it was released on July 11, 2008 — only for my local AT&T store to run out of stock after just a few people entered the store. My iPhone 3G arrived on July 22, 2008, and since becoming an iPhone owner, I feel that I have finally found the device for which I had been searching for 20 years. I have upgraded my iPhone every year, and so far I have used the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, and I currently use an iPhone 14 Pro.
I started using an iPad in 2010, the same year that device was first introduced. Over the years, I upgraded to the iPad 2, the iPad 3, the iPad Air, the iPad Air 2, the first three generations of the 12.9" iPad Pro, and now I use the fifth generation 12.9" iPad Pro (the one released in 2021). I also used a first-generation iPad mini; the screen was too small for me to use it to get my work done, but it was fun to have such a nice, small device. I can understand why many people consider the iPad mini to be their favorite iPad, even though the bigger screen of the iPad Pro is much better for my law practice. As much as I love the iPhone, the iPad has become in integral part of my law practice, and it is also a device that I enjoy using for entertainment when I am not working.
I started wearing an Apple Watch the day that they went on sale on April 24, 2015. I wear it every day, and I do my best to get all three of my activity circles every day. The models that I have worn over the years are the original Apple Watch, the Series 2, the Series 4, the Series 5, and the Series 7 (all of which have been the largest model in stainless steel). My main watch bands are Apple's Milanese Loop (which I wear at work), Apple's Sport Loop band, and Apple's Solo Loop band.
I started iPhone J.D. on November 17, 2008, which makes iPhone J.D. the oldest and largest website for attorneys who use the iPhone and iPad. The focus of this website is how attorneys can use Apple's mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. However, many of my posts are relevant to anyone who uses an iPhone or iPad to get work done, and I know that lots of non-lawyers are regular readers.
On May 26, 2021, Brett Burney and I introduced the In the News podcast, which is sort of like the director's commentary to my posts on iPhone J.D., especially the In the News post that comes out on Friday. Plus, we end every podcast with an "In the Know" segment in which Brett and I recommend an app, website, service, or something else worth checking out.
Have a suggestion, comment or question? Send me an e-mail at [email protected]. My Twitter name is @jeffrichardson, although I haven't been using Twitter very much since the site banned third-party apps such as Tweetbot. If you want to get automatic Twitter updates of every new post on iPhone J.D., follow @iphonejd. If you want the same for the In the News podcast, follow @InTheNewsShow. Instead of Twitter, you are more likely to find me nowadays on Mastodon at @[email protected]. And you can receive new iPhone J.D. posts on Mastodon by following @[email protected]
