Our top 5 software programs for lawyers

Here are our top 5 picks for software for lawyers.*

1. Ultimate Vocabulary

It may surprise you that our top pick is this popular vocabulary-building software, Ultimate Vocabulary. But it should be no surprise. Words are a lawyer's main tools; and good lawyers must have good vocabularies:

"[B]y far the greatest proportion of the lawyer's product, the commodity in which he deals, the thing which he sells, if you please, is the written word … To that end the lawyer should have a good vocabulary, not necessarily a large vocabulary, but a discriminating knowledge of the utility and value of a sufficient number of words—preferably simple words—which will enable him to use the right word in the right place and the most effective word for the place." (Harold G Pickering in George Rossman (ed), Advocacy and The King's English, 919, 932).

At a minimum, a "good vocabulary" means (1) knowing enough words; and (2) knowing precisely the different meanings of those words. And, according to lawyer and judge, the late Sir Norman Birkett QC PC, really good lawyers also know something of words':

"history; their sound, their meaning, their associations, and, above all, the use that has been made of them by the great masters of the tongue" (Norman Birkett in George Rossman (ed), Advocacy and The King's English (1960) 3, 19).

We have tried Ultimate Vocabulary and it really can improve your vocabulary.

The software comes with audio pronunciation by a real person (not a computer-generated voice); it links to an etymology database that provides the history of the word you are learning; and it also lets you see words in context by listing many example sentences. Uniquely, Ultimate Vocabulary also comes with the optional "Word Messenger" feature, which periodically reminds you of the words you want to learn.

If you can command words, then you can influence people. And if you can influence people, then you can influence outcomes. That's why we recommend Ultimate Vocabulary as the number 1 software for lawyers looking to win more cases.

• Read a review of Ultimate Vocabulary »
• Read Why Do Lawyers Need a Good Vocabulary? »

2. StyleWriter

Although lawyers need a good vocabulary, this does not mean lawyers should necessarily use big words. The most persuasive style is short, simple, understated prose.

Good writing style also helps lawyers persuade judges by boosting the advocate's credibility (see Step 10 of The Lawyer's Toolkit).

Software such as StyleWriter provides a quick and easy way for lawyers to improve their writing style.

StyleWriter works by analysing documents for jargon, clichés, grammar mistakes, and needless words, among other writing flaws. StyleWriter then suggests replacing these writing flaws with better English.

If you can improve your writing style, then you can increase your powers of written persuasion, which makes StyleWriter one of our highest recommended pieces of software for lawyers.

• Read a review of StyleWriter »
• Read Why is Writing Style Important for Lawyers? »

3. Copernic Desktop Search

We didn't know much about desktop search programs, or their advantages, until we had to search through 5000 pages of court transcripts. Then we discovered Copernic Desktop Search.

In The Lawyer's Toolkit, we suggest that "For each statement of fact, include a reference to the record" (See Step 10.1(a)). Then we quote Jason L Honigman from "The Art of Appellate Advocacy" (64(6) Michigan Law Review 1055, 1061):

"A factual statement … does not carry conviction if the judge notes the absence of a record page reference in support of the particular claim."

Yet we also note that the biggest deterrent to good legal writing is lawyers' shortage of time (see INTRODUCTION » The Problem).

Copernic Desktop Search went a good way to solving the problem. A client of ours had to incorporate extracts of witnesses' testimony into a persuasive Statement of Facts. The client had a vague recollection of witnesses' testimony, but with the help of Copernic Desktop Search we could quickly find the relevant extracts.

We scanned the testimony as searchable PDFs, placed them in a specific directory, and used Copernic Desktop Search to retrieve the extracts we wanted. It saved us the time of thumbing through 5000 hard copy pages and meant our client could point the judge to pinpoint page references to support every factual claim the lawyer made.

Lawyers have to deal with lots of information. The time-saving benefits of Copernic Desktop Search make it one of our top 5 pieces of software for lawyers.

4. MindManager

We talk a lot in The Lawyer's Toolkit about "thinking tools" and brainstorming — brainstorming facts, areas of law, causes of action, sources of information, and so on.

One of the best thinking tools for brainstorming involves creating a mind map. Legal writing guru Bryan A Garner calls these mindmaps whirlybirds. You can see a hand-drawn whirlybird or mindmap at Wikipedia.

In The Winning Brief (2 ed, 2004) at 32, Garner says:

"Although I was skeptical at first about this type of outlining — in fact, I refused to try it for more than two years I now use it for almost every writing project. And I teach it to thousands of lawyers every year, many of whom are just as surprised as I was about how extremely useful it is."

Lawyers can use mindmaps to structure arguments, match evidence to facts, match facts to issues, and a lot more. Search Google for "lawyers and mindmanger" to see why MindManager is being regarded as the best mind-mapping software for lawyers and comes in at number 4 in our list of the best software for lawyers.

5. Visual Thesaurus

In Legal Research (1993) 28, David Stott says:

"The importance of developing an accurate and creative list of key words and phrases to use in all index searches cannot be overestimated."

To develop an accurate and creative list of key words and phrases, you must use your imagination. As we mention in Step 4 of The Lawyer's Toolkit, many guides suggest the "cartwheel" method for expanding your imagination.

The Visual Thesaurus performs a similar function to the cartwheel method.

The software creates an animated display of words and meanings. The software places your main keyword in the center of a "cartwheel", connected to related words and meanings. You can then click on these words to find synonyms, antonyms, and broader and narrower search terms.

Its usefulness for brainstorming keywords, and its sheer coolness, place the Visual Thesaurus in 5th spot in our list of software for lawyers.