Inspiration 8

By Jeffrey Allen

Jeffrey Allen is a general practice attorney based in Oakland, Calif.,
with an emphasis in real estate, business transactions and litigation.

Once in a while, someone finds a new use for an old tool. Or perhaps it isn’t a new use as much as an application of an existing use in a new area. Inspiration 8 by Inspiration Software Inc. is software developed as a tool for educators and can be a valuable tool for attorneys as well.

Inspiration offers powerful tools you can use to brainstorm in planning aspects of your case, such as your discovery plan or the interrogation of a witness. You also can use it to help organize your thoughts for the overall presentation of your case and for opening statements and closing arguments.

People learn and process information differently. Some people process information best if presented in a visual context. Inspiration software was designed to facilitate those who are visual learners, and is the only outline creation program I have found that helps you process information in that fashion.

The program installed easily and quickly in all formats. I had no issues with installation on any platform. In terms of running the software, Inspiration worked equally well on the Macintosh OS X and the Windows platforms. Additionally, a Palm and a Pocket PC version allow you to use the program on a handheld and to carry information in the Inspiration format to view on the go.

Inspiration 8 helps you plan, research and complete projects. With the integrated “Diagram” and “Outline” views, you can create graphic organizers and develop ideas and topics for writing or discussion during a presentation.

Whether you are searching for ideas for an opening statement or closing argument, writing a brief or memorandum of points and authorities or preparing a presentation, sometimes you need something that will help make everything fit together. That is where Inspiration’s “Idea Maps” come in. “Idea Maps” help you brainstorm, solve problems and plan your work. Using the mapping process and charting the development of a concept can help you see how ideas are connected.

Recognizing that some judges, jurors and even arbitrators also process information better visually, you could use the visual processing format of your opening statement or closing argument (or some other piece of information) to assist you in your presentation. You could do that by converting the information chart to a large poster board or by using an electronic presentation tool to project the image on a screen for all to see. If you want to show the evolution of an analysis, you can drop the chart into Microsoft PowerPoint as a slide sequencing each section of the chart to show the organization of your case as you speak.

You can incorporate still graphics and text in the mapping process, thereby increasing Inspiration’s flexibility and usefulness. It also includes libraries of symbols, forms and templates. You can find additional forms, graphics and templates online at the Inspiration Web site.

Inspiration allows you easily to create multimedia presentations. The program accepts Apple QuickTime and MP3 audio and video files and allows you to run them through the program to enhance the presentation. In the analytic process or the presentation process, you also can hyperlink to documents or exhibits.

You can download a free 30-day demo version of the product from the Inspiration Web site, so you can try it out before buying it. You quickly will see how well the program can assist in the process of completing analysis and development of cases.

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