but here is mine: If the app does
not do something your users will
want to avail themselves of at least
once a week, just go with a mobile-
optimized website.
Many of the apps reviewed had
little to no ratings or reviews, which
means that either people are not
using them, or they are not down-
loading them for that reason. Apps
can be costly, unless you have an
over-eager summer intern with a
background in computer science,
you probably do not have the time
to expend building and running
your own app. Some firms have
had their apps built for them, but
there is still the issue of running
and resolving app bugs and glitches
when there are more pressing mat-
ters in the office. Most importantly,
Mazzone urges you to know the
target market for your app. Per-
sonal injury lawyers may find more
success with an app, as they can
draw many parallels from popular
insurance company app features,
such as photo uploading, and docu-
ment scanning components. The
exciting thing about apps is that
the opportunities are endless, and
your app could be the next innova-
tive legal trend. If you are still on
the fence, checking out a couple
of your competitors is as easy as
a search in the App Store. If you
end up deciding against developing
your own app, I would still suggest
downloading the top hit returned
from searching “law firms” which
is a game called “Escape the Me-
sothelioma Law Firms” and is sure
to give you a laugh.
▪
From the
Board
The Atlanta Lawyer asked the Editorial Board and the Atlanta Bar
Board of Directors this question: "Now that the I-85 bridge is up and
running, can you give your hindsight view of life when it was col-
lapsed and/or how does it feel now that the bridge has reopened?"
Here's what they said:
Hon. Diane Bessen
"For us I-75ers, not having I-85 traffic headed into town was
fabulous. Felt like ATL did in 1980’s."
Hamida Jackson-Little
"I live and work in Alpharetta. I avoided driving any further
south than Buckhead for the time being."
Maggie Vath
They say necessity is the mother of invention. The I-85
collapse forced many of us to rethink our daily commutes
and to get creative. I worked remotely, commuted off
hours, and learned some new short cuts.
Megan Hodgkiss
"I am so glad that the I-85 bridge has re-opened, and
ahead of schedule. Atlanta traffic is bad enough; all of
the extra congestion made for even longer commutes
and traffic headaches.."
Micha el Jablonski
"I try not to drive as a general rule. Two years ago I started
using a bicycle for most trips. The I-85 problem has had
minimal impact on my commute."
Richard Caplan
"I am one of the too few, the proud, the MARTA riders. So
while the train was sometimes more crowded because of
the bridge collapse, my commute was largely unchanged.
Thus, my answer is essentially the same to the unasked
question of how my commute changed after the Great
Atlanta Ice Storm of 2014: not much.."
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER
17