By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

For Amherst software developer Scott Falbo, the inspiration for his latest creation came from a source close to his heart: his wife, Renee.

Falbo, who works as a senior software designer by day, had his sights set on designing an application for the new iPad when word came that it was coming to market. With thousands of apps and more flooding in every day, the question then became: What could he design that would be unique, practical and well-received in the fickle world of ever-changing technology?

"I'm always bugging her for different ideas, trying to see where their challenges are," Falbo said, referring to his wife, an attorney with Freid and Klawon. "She mentioned some of the things they go through with the jury-selection process, and to me it kind of sounded ad hoc - there is a lot of paper, and they have to maintain all of that for the appeals process. It seemed very error-prone and like it could cause a lot of headaches."

And so it was that within three months of that conversation, Falbo designed, developed and took to market his first application, iJuror.

It's essentially a super-charged organizational tool for the jury-selection process.

Attorneys have the ability to organize their prospective jurors, key in pertinent information from pre-configured drop-down boxes and add additional information that comes from the selection process. Jurors can then be sorted by those who are dismissed by each side and those who are retained, and all of the information is electronically stored for quick retrieval.

In the age of e-discovery, it is an asset Falbo says makes his app particularly attractive to attorneys. As he walks through a mock jury-selection process, each of the empty chairs onscreen begins to fill in with avatars that match the profile.

Juror No. 3 is a 32-year-old Native American woman. Seated next to her is a 25-year-old white male with blonde hair. One touch of the screen alerts the user that he is married, has a small child, works in construction and was once arrested while in college for disorderly conduct.

No stacks of paperwork, hand-drawn charts or sticky notes to update juror information. If the construction worker makes the cut, he is seated. If the opposing counsel uses a pre-emptive challenge, he is dragged into a folder at the bottom of the screen. If you choose to dismiss him, there is a second folder. All of that information is stored for future retrieval, if necessary.

The app hit the ground running in the iTunes store, reaching into the top 25 business applications in its first week. At a cost of $14.99, Falbo says it is catching on and the feedback has been positive.

"People have been e-mailing me directly with their thoughts and some things they wanted to see added," he said. "We are on our third update of the app right now, working in some of those extra features."

Operating under his business, Front9 Technologies, Falbo has been solicited to develop apps for other companies, including legal support services firms, based on the success of iJuror. He said he hopes to expand his operation and is working on new design concepts to follow his inaugural effort.

"There is a pretty large update we are working on for this app called iJuror connect where if you are in a multiple-person firm, you can all share the same information in real time," he said.

"I'm also considering something along the lines of this for the deposition process. That also seems to have a certain flow to it, so I am looking at something that would structure that process and guide attorneys through the process so they don't miss anything," Falbo said.

At 28, the University at Buffalo graduate said he enjoys his entrepreneurial ventures and isn't worried about burnout from working nights and weekends after his "real job."

"I'm taking a vacation and I'll use that time to write a lot for this next update," he said. "Sitting on the beach with a laptop may not sound like fun for everyone, but it does to me."

He is fortunate that he works in a field where the entrepreneurial spirit is embraced, Falbo said, and he sees it as a mutually beneficial relationship.

"I think this all helps me in my day job, too, because you can learn a lot of skills you may not be learning in your job but that you can bring to the table when you do," he said.

Positive buzz and strong sales notwithstanding, is Falbo concerned about the difficulty in selling a high-tech system to a profession where there may be resistance to change, especially among older lawyers who have been selecting juries the same way for decades?

"I think there can always be some people who prefer to do it their way," he said.

"But the more forward-thinking attorneys may look at this as a great tool to make their lives a little bit easier."

The iJuror app is available at the iTunes store and retails for $14.99. To learn more, visit Falbo's Web site at www.front9technologies.com.