By ALLISSA KLINE
Business First

Before the arrival of integrated hand-held devices, attorney David Brock carried three separate devices to conduct business outside of the office: a cell phone, a laptop and a personal digital assistant.

Now Brock, a partner at Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP, carries a smartphone, a single electronic-communications tool that combines phone, Web browsing and organizing capabilities into one machine. His device of choice is a Palm Treo supported by Verizon Communications Inc.

Brock admits his Treo isn't the hottest gadget on the market, but he appreciates its functionality.

"It eliminates multiple pieces of equipment," he said. "But beyond that, it allows me to use all of the components interactively."

Members of the legal community, including many lawyers who have been practicing for years, are increasingly embracing new technology to do business. Firms throughout Western New York are offering hand-held devices to attorneys, upgrading phone and voicemail systems and implementing new software for time logs, billing and document management.

Attorneys and electronics experts say the move toward electronics is driven by a demand for accessibility - for both attorneys and their clients - in the form of wireless communication.

"For business in general and the legal community as part of that, it's (about) the ability to stay connected," Consumer Electronics Association spokesman Jim Barry said. "To access information at the touch of a screen or a keyboard is what's really appealing about this (equipment). It's really changed the way we do business, and I suspect it's changed the way the legal world does business as well."

Examples of favorite technological tools used frequently in the legal world:

• Smartphones, such as Brock's Palm Treo. BlackBerries are probably the most popular form of the smartphone used by lawyers, while iPhones are emerging as another top option.

Attorney Dan Kohane of Hurwitz & Fine PC uses a BlackBerry. "The BlackBerry is my constant companion whenever I travel," Kohane said.

• Wireless laptops. Unlike desktop computers, wireless laptop computers are easily transported outside the office. Those equipped with wireless cards, including air cards, allow users to access the Web from any wireless zone, said Mark Young, information-technology director at Phillips Lytle LLP. Air cards let users connect to the office network from any location.

• Software that allows attorneys to conduct electronic research instead of going to the library. Jaeckle Fleischmann is using DOCS Open, a systemwide software program that allows anyone in an office to store, retrieve and manage any office document from any location, Brock said.

Some firms are incorporating other technology to make business easier. Phillips Lytle attorneys are getting used to a new Cisco phone system that converts voicemail messages into sound files, which are then sent via e-mail to the recipient, who can download the sound file and listen to the message outside the office. Brian Eckert, the firm's executive director, uses the function when he travels to other Phillips Lytle offices.

The capability is called "extension mobility," Young said.

"Previously, you had to worry about two different voicemail accounts," he said. "With the new phone system, you have the ability to maintain one voicemail system and, if you so choose, transfer it right out to your cell phone."

Looking ahead, attorneys agree that technology will continue to push forward in the legal marketplace. Kohane, whose tech tools include a GPS navigation system and a digital dictating machine, said the ability to be in touch with clients whenever necessary will increase the use and types of technology that law firms implement.

"In this modern day and age, what separates good lawyers from really successful ones, I think, is that your clients expect you to be there 24/7," he said. "My clients want me to be there 24/7 and I want to be there 24/7. I'm on the road a great deal of time, but I can do it seamlessly because my clients can always find me."