Tag Archives: compatibility

Research Add-ons Chart for Lawyers Using IE, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

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Posted in Add-on, Business Information, Canada, Case Law, Evernote, Firefox, Google, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Search, U.K., U.S. and tagged , ,

This page was inspired by a recent conference presentation I saw that focused, like much of this blog, on extensions and tweaks for Mozilla’s Firefox or Google’s Chrome Web browsers.  The legal profession is predominantly using the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, however, probably at even greater levels than the general population.  It is sometimes hard to determine what add-ons or extensions work for Microsoft Internet Explorer, because there is no comprehensive central marketplace for available resources.

Here is a chart with a list of free extensions that can help your online research and the browsers for which they are available.  It’s not comprehensive, but it has a number of resources that are available to 3 or more browsers.

I have made a selection for each category and browser but there may be other options.  Keep in mind that the add-on may be for a particular version of the Web browser or require a particular operating system, so they may not install for the version you are running.  You can also go directly to sites like IEAddons.com for Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Add On site, Google’s Web Store (or the old extension site), Safari Addons, and the Userscripts.org site to find tweaks for all major Web browsers.

Feel free to add your own favorite research-related extensions or add-ons in the comments!

  1. Click the icon that matches YOUR browser to go directly to an available extension.  If the icon is grayed out, then I didn’t provide a link.
  2. Hold your mouse pointer over the icon before you click it.  I have added a tool tip for each icon to try to help you before you click away.
Access Internet Explorer-designed Sites without Internet Explorer IE Tab 2 Add-on for Mozilla Firefox IE Tab Add-on for Google Chrome Not available for Safari
Block Ads IE Adblocker Adblock Plus Add on for Firefox Adblock Add-on for Chrome AdBlock for Safari
Bookmark Synchronization XMarks Add-on for Internet Explorer Bookmark synchronization is built in to Firefox browser Bookmark synchronization built in to Chrome Web browser XMarks Add-on for Safari
Case Law Citation Locator UK ONLY: Justis J-Link Add-on for Internet Explorer US ONLY: Jureeka Add-on for Mozilla Firefox Not available for Google Chrome Not available for Safari
Citation Management with Zotero (free) Not available for Internet Explorer Zotero Citation Management Add-on for Mozilla Firefox Zotero Alpha Add-on for Google Chrome Zotero Alpha Add-on for Safari
Diigo Web Highlighter and Research Manager [FLI post on Diigo] Diigo Research Manager Toolbar for Internet Explorer Diigo Research Manager Toolbar for Mozilla Firefox Diigo Research Manager Add-on for Google Chrome Not available for Safari
Evernote Web Clipper [FLI post on Evernote]

Evernote Add-on installed with Evernote for Windows

Evernote Add on for Firefox

 Evernote Add-on for Chrome Add-on for Safari installs with Evernote for Mac
Google Search Result Term Jumping / Highlighting Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer supports term highlighting and jumping Search WP Add-on for Mozilla Firefox Word Highlight Add-on for Google Chrome Not available for Safari
Google Scholar Star Pagination for Cases [FLI post on pagination] Not available for Internet Explorer Not available for Firefox Google Scholar Star Pagination Add-on for Google Chrome Not available for Safari
Greplin Personal Cloud Search [FLI post on Greplin] Not available for Internet Explorer Not available for Firefox Greplin Add-on for Chrome Not available for Safari
Instapaper Deferred Reading Instapaper Bookmarklet defers reading for Internet Explorer Instapaper Bookmarklet defers reading for Mozilla Firefox Instapaper Bookmarklet defers reading for Google Chrome Instapaper Bookmarklet defers reading for Mac
Readability Not available for Internet Explorer Arc90 Readability Add on for Mozilla Firefox Arc90 Readability Add-on for Chrome Not available for Safari
Surf Canyon Personalized Search Results Surf Canyon Personalized Search Results for Internet Explorer Surf Canyon Personalized Search Results for Mozilla Firefox Surf Canyon Personalized Search Results Add-on for Google Chrome Not available for Safari

Online File Conversions Make Files Accessible

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Posted in File Management and tagged , , , ,

There has been some recent chatter about Web sites that convert files.  You may have been in the predicament of having a file in one format (say, WordPerfect 6.1) and being unable to open it in another program.  These online sites can help you by making the conversion for you.

The site choices are overwhelming so here are just a few that have been mentioned recently and seem to have good options for source and destination formats:

When you find a file in a format that either you cannot open or do not want to use as a permanent storage format (like Wordperfect or a video or image format), these online services can be great resources.  Some of them enable you to copy and paste the URL of the file to be converted, so that you do not have to first download the source file, then upload it, then download the converted file.  This is similar to a recent Google improvement, where you can load a Microsoft Word document from a Web site directly into a Google viewer, avoiding the download step.

As with any online service, be aware of what you are converting.  These services require you to upload the original, source document.  That document is stored on some server, somewhere.  The converted document may be mailed to you or a link to the converted document may be mailed to you.  If you are not comfortable with that content being available on a remote Web server (confidential, trade secret, whatever), you should probably either purchase a secure online conversion tool or purchase software that keeps the content on your machines.

[ Thx to Lee Rosen for tip on Zamzar ]

The Mobile Legal Researcher: Apps and Sites

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Posted in Android, BlackBerry, Canada, Case Law, iPhone, LexisNexis, Mobile, U.S., Web Browser, Westlaw and tagged , , ,

Law firm library use is down, according to the latest American Bar Association Legal Technology survey.  It will be interesting to see if the increase in availability in mobile applications has any additional downward pressure on firm libraries.  There has been some initial development in legal research mobile apps but it’s clear that the legal publishers are still trying to figure out how to handle their mobile audience.

This uncertainty is perhaps clearest with the Westlaw mobile resources.  Or perhaps it’s not so much uncertainty but that they are trying to be careful to tailor their resources.  As this post says, Westlaw is trying to make its content available to all mobile devices, via the wireless.westlaw.com and next.westlaw.com sites.  While there is a lot of hype about Apple iPhone apps, Research in Motion’s Blackberry remains the handheld device of choice in law firms.  Using mobile Web sites instead of operating-system-limited apps is probably a smart move.  This may be especially sensible if the Google Android mobile operating system gains additional ground on smart phones and tablets.  Westlaw will be releasing an iPad app later this year so they have all of their bases covered.

Fastcase.com is the other legal publisher that has made great strides in mobile support.  In fact, their mobile apps are particularly inviting because they offer free access to the Fastcase.com case law service.  Their iPhone app is free to download and offers a “[f]ree, searchable library of American cases and statutes”.  How can you go wrong?    Unlike many of the other apps that are available, dictionaries and copies of rules, Fastcase’s app takes advantage of network connectivity to access their database of cases.  Like Westlaw, they are developing an iPad app that will be released soon.

LexisNexis has an iPhone app and some Blackberry support, BNA has a tax reference app, and CCH is providing e-mail updates combined with search on specific content with products like Employment Law Daily.  Other legal publishers seem to have avoided the mobile issue so far, and this may not be a positive position to be in.  Many of the current legal research Web sites do not render properly in handheld devices, because they have  been built either with a specific Web browser in mind (not one available on a handheld device) or with other technical requirements that some handheld browsers do not replicate in the same way.  Mobile apps sidestep that issue, but mobile Web sites are probably the best investment in the long term unless a publisher knows it has a large customer base on a particular device.

If you are contemplating how to do more legal research from your mobile device, your threshold question should be whether you need an iPhone to do the research you want to do.  That’s where the app development is currently happening.  The alternative is to make sure your handheld or tablet device can render the legal publisher Web sites.

Westlaw Canada Fails to Load

Westlaw Canada Fails to Load

LexisNexis Quicklaw Failure on Mobile Device

LexisNexis Quicklaw Failure on Mobile Device