Capsearch Brings Mobility to the Arkansas Code

Lawyers can now carry the full text of the Arkansas Code in their pockets. If they have an iPhone or iPod touch that is.

Capsearch, a Web-based research utility headquartered in Little Rock, developed an application for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows users to store the most recent version of the Arkansas Code.

Once the code is downloaded, users can access it without being connected to the Internet or 3G service.

Users can also search the code by keyword to find statutes.

Capsearch updates the application as changes are made to the code.

Matt Price, CEO of Capsearch, said the application is useful for lawyers, lobbyists and any one who works in government affairs.

“We wanted to provide the code in a mobile platform, we felt like that was an underserved area of the legal market place,” he said.

People no longer sit behind their desks all day, Price said, they’re on the go and they need access to information.

For example, he said, a Eureka Springs official was able to use the application to settle a question at a recent planning commission meeting.

“Mobile is clearly the future,” he said. “We’ve got as many people accessing the Internet by mobile phone than from a desktop computer.”

According to research firm Gartner, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access devices worldwide by 2013.

But according to a recent survey from the American Bar Association, only 14 percent of respondents use the iPhone while 64 percent reported using BlackBerrys.

That number is expected to grow, however, with the recent release of several law-related applications for the iPhone, including LexisNexis, Black’s Law Dictionary, Lawstack and Court Days.

Price said Capsearch has gotten great feedback from the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, lobbyists and some of the law firms in the state. One user said in a review that the application is helpful for quick code referencing, easy to use and up to date.

The $3.99 application, released on Dec. 28, has been downloaded an estimated 170 times.

Mark Dossett, an attorney at Kutak Rock in Fayetteville, said he thinks the application would be a convenient tool to have.

“The statutes are contained in the application itself, so they are stored on your device, no wi-fi or 3G connection needed,” he said. “That would be handy in settings where cell phones must be disabled, such as the courtroom, meetings or on airplanes.”

The ability to search by keyword is crucial, Dossett said.
“Often I can recall the text of the statute more easily than its citation number,” he said. “For $3.99, it is probably worth a try to see if you literally can carry the Code around in your pocket.”  

Capsearch, founded in 2008, provides lobbyists, legislators, educational institutions and businesses with information on changes in the Arkansas legislature and state government.

Its Web site, Capsearch.com, includes bill tracking, committee hearing updates, state contact information, detailed elections history and contributions reports, complete agency rules and regulations, and attorney general opinions.

Price said Capsearch is in the midst of developing a mobile application that will offer subscribers all of its Web-based features.

“Basically it will enable our clients to have access to our research platform on the go,” he said.