FRCP by Cliff Maier was
found to be unacceptable.
I would not purchase this app
because I found three mistakes in the first rule I spot
checked, which was Rule 41. The three problems were:
1. Rule 41(a)(1)(A)(i) is
supposed to read: "a stipulation of dismissal signed by
all parties who have appeared."
But this app reads: "a
stipulation of dismissal signed by all parties who have
appeared. based on or including the same claim, a notice
of dismissal operates as an adjudication on the merits."
2. Rule 41(a)(1)(A) is
mistakenly referred to as: Rule 41(a)(a)
3. Rule 41 was last
updated effective December 1, 2007. While this version
is up-to-date, it refers to the last update as December
1, 1991.
As the
cliché goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand
grenades. While these mistakes are not major, there should
be no mistakes in an app reciting the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure. The fact that I found three mistakes in the very
first rule I checked, led me to not review this app any
further. Cliff Maier has many legal
apps on iTunes and I have no idea whether the FRCP app is
indicative of his other apps. I hope it is not and the good
thing about apps is the app maker can correct errors and
post an updated version of the app on iTunes. I expect
these problems to be corrected in a future edition.
Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure by PDA Wizard, Inc.
Pros
Did not find
any mistakes in the rules I spot checked.
Landscape mode available.
Ability to bookmark
rules available.
Appendix of Forms included,
but they appear to be scanned in and are not as
readable as they should be.
Contains the Supplemental
Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture,
which The Law Pod app (discussed below) does not contain.
Major cons
"Notes of
Advisory Committee on Rules" are not provided, but
these "Notes" are
provided on The Law Pod app.
Minor cons
The search engine will
sometimes fail to include the plural form of a word in the
search results. I searched for the word "stipulation." In
Rule 29, the words "stipulation" and "stipulations" appear
-- and both terms are highlighted when you search for
"stipulation." But Rule 16, which only contains
the word "stipulations," does not appear in the search
results.
Other comments
This PDA
Wizard app and The Law Pod app (discussed below) take different approaches
to
the Table of Contents. This PDA Wizard app groups the rules by
titles. For example:
Title I. Scope of Rules;
Form of Action
Title II. Commencing an
Action; Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions, and
Orders
You click on the Title, and
the next screen is a list of rules under that Title. For
example, Title I includes Rules 1 and 2. Title II includes
Rules 3-6.
By comparison, The Law Pod
app lists the Rules individually. For example:
Rule 1: Scope and Purpose
Rule 2: One Form of
Action
Rule 3: Commencing an
Action
Rule 4: Summons
The problem with the PDA
Wizard method of categorizing by titles is I am not always
sure which title contains the rule for which I am looking. For
example, I was looking for Rule 41 Dismissal of Actions. I
clicked on Title VII Judgment. But Rule 41 is contained
under Title VI Trials. So at first blush, I decided I liked
The Law Pod
method better. But then I went looking for Rule 56 on The
Law Pod app and I had
to do quite a bit of scrolling to get down to Rule 56 on the Table of Contents. Therefore, I do not know
whether I prefer either method; and I do not have a better
suggestion, unless you would list the Titles and in
parentheses list the rule numbers under that title. For
example, you might have "Title VII. Judgment (Rules 54-63)."
Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure 2008 by Fitz Collings
Pros
No errors
found in spot checks of certain rules, except Rule 71.1 is
missing.
Cheapest app
at $1.99.
Ability to
change font size and type.
Each rule
contains a link to the "Notes of Advisory Committee on
Rules." I like the fact that it is a separate link.
Major cons
Rule 71.1 is
missing. If I had located this error at the beginning of my
research, I might have declined to review this app (like I
did the Cliff Maier app).
There is a navigation
problem. From the Table of Contents, there is a search box.
I entered the word "stipulation." The search engine brought
up a list of seven (7) rules that contain that word. So far,
so good. I can then click on any one of these rules and view
that rule (with the word "stipulation" highlighted). So far,
so good. BUT, when I try to navigate back to the Table of
Contents, I cannot do so. I can only navigate back to my
search results screen -- which is the list of seven rules
containing the word "stipulation." To get back to the Table
of Contents, I have to exit the app and relaunch it. This
problem is easily fixed, but it is a serious problem.
No landscape mode.
Minor cons
No ability to set bookmarks.
For some rules (e.g., Rule 26
and 41), if the rule is long enough that the reader has to
scroll down the page (which means sliding your finger over
the glass), then when the bottom of the page is reached, you must
hold your finger on the glass to keep the page in place. If
you lift your finger, the page will readjust so that you
cannot read the last 1.5 lines of text. Not a big deal, but
annoying. If The Law Pod would add a space or two at the bottom
of these pages, I think the problem would be fixed.
Other comments
When viewing a rule, there is
a search box at the top of the screen. If you enter a search
term, the search engine only searches that rule. If you wish
to search all rules, you must enter your search term in the
search box on the Table of Contents screen.
Fitz Collings
(a/k/a The Law Pod) is currently the
only publisher of legal apps for BlackBerry. I do not know
whether the comments for this review hold true for the
BlackBerry version of this app.
Recommendation
As of
today, I recommend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
by PDA Wizard, Inc.
Although the
Fitz Collings' app is $1.00
cheaper, I do not like the fact that (1) I found a rule
missing, (2) landscape mode
is not available, and (3) a navigation problem prevents
me from getting from a search results page back to the Table of Contents.
However, I intend to keep both apps on
my iTouch because I do not like the fact that the PDA
Wizard app does not contain the "Notes of Advisory
Committee on Rules," which I
sometimes refer to in my federal court practice.
All of my
criticisms of these three apps are easily correctable, and I
think these problems will be corrected in future
versions. But some of these
mistakes are sloppy mistakes. If app makers for lawyers
expect to succeed, they cannot make sloppy mistakes.
Lawyers must be able to rely on the information being
provided. A typo in this review is not so important, but a
typo or mistake in a federal rule that an attorney is
relying on could have serious consequences.
At the time I
wrote this review, there were
two other apps containing the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure that I chose not to review:
1. iFRCP
by Casler Law Office ($2.99)
2. Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure by Mockingbird Software ($4.99)
I did not
review the Casler Law Office app because the app views
on iTunes show that the rules contain a background
picture of
two marble columns that I found distracting. I realize the app
maker is trying to make the page more attractive, but
readability is king.
I did not
review the Mockingbird Software app because at $4.99, it
is overpriced.
|
iPhone Federal
Rule of Civil Procedure Apps |
|
App |
Version No. Date
File size |
View App on iTunes* |
Cost** |
|
Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure by PDAWizard, Inc. |
Version 1.5
07/08/2009
6.8 MB |
 |
$2.99 |
|
Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure 2008 by
Fitz Collings |
Version 2.0
01/08/2009
.5 MB |
|
$1.99 |
|
FRCP
by Cliff Maier |
Version 3.4
09/17/2009
.3 MB |
I do not recommend at
this time |
$2.99 |
I welcome
any comments or criticisms of this review:
apps@garlands-digest.com