Gone are the days of cumbersome bookshelves and filing cabinets full of litigation binders and legal documents. MyLitBag is an IOS-based tablet app that makes organizing, storing, and sharing legal documents quick and efficient. Thousands of password-protected document binders can be stored at the palm of your hand, minimizing the need for hard copies.
Maria Laguardia and Karen Wangen, creators of LFW Enterprises, Inc., set out in 2018 to design an application for legal professionals. Their objective was to boost productivity, enable the development of remote working, minimize the carbon impact, and save expenses. MyLitBag was born as a result of this.
Concerned about the usefulness of digital documents? MyLitBag allows users to use and access virtual binders just as they do three-ring binders:
- Annotate, highlight, take notes, and erase within document virtually
- Flip from one page of the document to another using numbered “tabs,” and reorganize and re-number documents automatically
- Flag pages with “sticky notes” for immediate access
- Link relevant portions or provisions with “See” and “Nota Bene” cites
- Create, save, and share entire case files and binders
- Organize digital filing cabinets
- Share virtual binders effortlessly by email
Below is a brief look into how to navigate the MyLitBag app.
Entering the MyLitBag App
Upon opening the app, MyLitBag will present a password-protected screen to ensure the safety and security of your case files. Once in the app, each case file and document can also be password protected for further security. Inside, MyLitBag has three views or screens, these include:
- The home screen
- Document review screen
- Open binder screen
Home Screen
The home screen displays an at-glance overview of the resources within your app. This shows your reference shelf, case files, binders, and unfiled documents saved within the app. Your home screen stores all materials, add references, case files, binders, and documents. Every aspect of your home screen can be organized to your liking.
Some of the features available on the home screen include:
- View (eye icon at the top left of screen)- allowing for quick access to each view or screen in the app including open binders, case file, document review, as well as edit profile.
- Settings (wheel icon to the right of view)- allows for customization of the app including display defaults, annotation, distribution, storage, and advanced settings.
- Search (magnifying glass icon to the right of screen)- easy access to search for materials including N.B., see cross-references, typed annotations, flags, and OCR text.
- List (grid icon to the right of search)- allows you to switch between the different views of the home screen. Offering a lis or graphic view.
- Import (spelled out at the top right of screen)- import documents to the app from a tablet or authorized account at the click of a button. The three options given for downloading include from camera, photo library, or drive.
Document Review Screen
Once inside a document or case file, you can quickly switch from page to page by swiping or from document to document by tapping the numbered tabs viewed at the bottom of the screen. The top toolbar displays a back button, the view icon (leading back to the home screen, open binders, and case files), and icons to create flags, “see”, and N.B. citations, to search for specific materials for quick access, as well as the options to delete, email, lock scroll, and settings within the document (three dots icon).
The toolbar on the left, which can be hidden if needed, includes:
- Annotate: write directly on your document, with options to change the color, thickness, as well as transparency of the pen.
- Text: rather than using your finger or a tool to annotate on the document, double click where you would like to add text and type. You can change the font, color, and size of the text within this feature.
- Highlight: easily highlight any part of your text by choosing this feature and dragging your finger or tool across the text.
- Erase: this tool features two options which include a rubber eraser, allowing to erase only specific parts of annotation, and erase all, erasing all annotations at once.
- Undo: undo the last change made to the document with the undo tool.
- Single Page: showing only one page of the document on-screen at a time.
- Dual Page: showing two pages of the document side by side at a time.
Furthermore, no need to hit save or worry about your changes being deleted, the MyLitBag has an autosave feature saving your changes automatically.
Open Binder Screen
This screen allows you to access each binder you have left open in the MyLitBag app and add, delete or rearrange its documents. You can quickly sift through pages by swiping from page to page or move from document to document by tapping the tab number at the side of the binder or bottom of the screen (which displays thumbnails of the first page of each document).
At the very top toolbar you have your back button, view button, create a binder, as well as the three-dot icon. This icon gives you the option to delete or email your binder. If you click the name of the binder at the top center of the page you can quickly access other binders saved in your app that you have “opened” for use.
The blue toolbar directly under your legal binder gives you the options to:
- Add Document: add additional documents to your binders, which will automatically renumber your tabs.
- Organize: reorganize your binder with the options to copy or delete specific documents or the entire binder. As well as share your binder through email.
- Rearrange: this feature allows users to rearrange the documents within a binder. Press and hold the document and move it into a different spot in the binder. All documents are automatically renumbered.
- Close: this feature closes the binder completely and “puts it back on the shelf.”
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