More and more often, we’re hearing questions along the lines of “Can I use TurboLaw on my PocketPC?” And the answer to this question is “Yes, and No.”

Yes, you can take your TurboLaw documents and edit them on your PocketPC by using the “pocket” versions of Microsoft Word and Excel (these typically come with any new Windows-powered PocketPC). Remember, TurboLaw documents are just Word (and occasionally Excel) documents – so once TurboLaw has created them, you can do whatever you like with them.

The “no” part of the answer comes from TurboLaw itself – there is no PocketPC “version” of TurboLaw that you can run on your PocketPC. So you can’t create new forms on your PocketPC – you can only edit existing ones. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, however – merging information into documents is a job for a full-fledged computer, not a tiny device with a 3 inch screen and no “real” keyboard to speak of. While you might want to occasionally enter client information into TurboLaw from your PocketPC, you would never want to make a habit of it. Imagine trying to fill in one of the Case Interview Wizards, while typing all of that information on a tiny “thumb” keyboard. Your thumbs would fall off after just a few screens!

However, since the documents are really the “heart” of TurboLaw, you’re not losing out on much by only having the documents on your PocketPC. With the right attachments (e.g. a small hand-held printer), you could make changes to a motion right on your PocketPC and print it out right in the courtroom – and it would certainly look better than a hand-written motion! Never mind that you could do the same to a financial statement, a complex court form, or really any other document that TurboLaw provides.

If you have feedback regarding your own experience with TurboLaw documents on your handheld device we would love to hear from you. Just e-mail: keith@turbolaw.com.