My father worked for IBM for more than three decades. We were fortunate to see him make use of both electronic calculators and solar panels in the 1970s. So I naturally look for technology to work, but remain mindful that consumers are sometimes sold work-in-progress. From my tests of the iRex [DR1000S] it works really well. In sum it offers three remarkable things.

First, it’s a portable library to store a vast number of PDFs as a genuine alternative to the trust I place on paper. A lawyer’s reputation for looking at detail has made looking at the physical ink of a contract or practitioner book a must. But the iRex gives the same clarity and comfort of traditional reading.

Second, the iRex allows you to look at contracts and make handwritten notes, with the stylus pen provided, by the side of clauses. So the office printer is only heard printing final drafts for signing. If I have a criticism, the stylus is quite thin and it makes handwritten notes potentially difficult to read. This acknowledged, I note that many people invest in a standard pen casing that holds a stylus nib, so this limitation can be easily solved.

Third, while I have not done so yet, but at least I have thought about it, stacks of contracts, correspondence, hand-outs and invoices could soon be history. If I got them scanned into a computer I could reclaim my desk and tap away at the iRex to bring up the relevant document as required to deal with advice or requests.

Iain Sheridan is head of legal for an American investment bank, based in London

Tomorrow, we ask a private practice solicitor for their thoughts on using an e-reader.