Nicole Black, BridgeTower Media Newswires
I started writing about cloud and mobile computing and their potential benefits for the legal profession in 2008. Two years later I began to work on a draft of my book "Cloud Computing for Lawyers," which was published by the American Bar Association in 2012. Back then, convincing lawyers that cloud computing was the future and that its benefits far outweighed the risks was a tough sell. This is because at the time many lawyers were understandably skeptical, and expressed concerns about the ethical and security issues presented by the use of cloud computing by lawyers.
Fast forward to 2019 and how times have changed! The majority of lawyers are now using cloud and mobile computing tools as part of their day-to-day practices and are reaping the benefits offered by mobile law practices. For proof you need look no further than the latest ABA Legal Technology Survey Report, which was released earlier this month (online: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/legal_technology_resources/TechSurvey/)
According to the survey results, 58% of lawyers now report that they use cloud computing tools for work-related tasks, compared to 38% in 2016. Small firm lawyers from firms with 2-9 lawyers were the most likely to use cloud computing software at 61%. Next up were lawyers from firms of 10-49 attorneys at 60%, followed by 59% of solo lawyers, and 51% of large firm lawyers (100 or more attorneys).
Notably, 8% of the lawyers surveyed indicated that their firms had plans to replace traditional server-based software with a cloud-based alternative within the next 12 months. Lawyers from firms with 2-9 lawyers were the most likely to plan to make that move (12%), followed by lawyers from firms with 10-49 lawyers at 8%. Next up were 6% of lawyers from firms with 100 or more attorneys, and solo lawyers came in last at 5%.
According to the report, lawyers use cloud computing software for many different reasons. The top reason they provided was easy browser access at 65%, followed by 24/7 access to their law firm's data at 61%. The low cost of entry and predictable monthly expenses were important benefits for 48% of lawyers, and 45% of lawyers indicated that robust data backup and recovery was a top benefit. For 35% a strong selling point was that cloud-based software is quick to get up and running, followed by the fact that cloud computing software eliminates IT and software management requirements at 31%. And last but not least, 30% shared that they used cloud computing software because it offers better security than they can provide in-house.
The results of the survey also showed that the majority of lawyers (55%) now telecommute on a regular basis. Of the 55% of lawyers who reported that they telecommuted in the past year, lawyers from firms with 100 or more attorneys were the most likely to do so (60%), followed by 56% of solo attorneys, 53% of lawyers from firms with 2-9 attorneys, and 49% of lawyers from firms with 10-49 attorneys
One way that lawyers access their information stored in the cloud while on the go is through the use of smartphones, so it's no surprise that smartphone use by lawyers continues to increase. A whopping 79% of lawyers reported that they used an iPhone for work-related tasks, while 18% use an Android smartphone. Up next is Blackberry at 7%, and only 1.5% of lawyers reported that they never use a smartphone for work-related purposes.
One place that lawyers often use their smartphones is in court, and when asked how they used smartphones while in court, 54% shared that they used them for checking email. Next up was calendaring at 40%, real-time communications at 32%, and legal research at 22%.
According to the survey results, 29% of lawyers also use tablets in the courtroom. Some of the activities that lawyers conducted on their tablets included email (25%), legal research (19%), calendaring (14%), real-time communications (13%), and accessing court dockets and documents (10%).
Lawyers also regularly use laptops when they're in the courtroom, with 44% of survey respondents indicating that they regularly did so. The most popular tasks accomplished with laptops while in the courtroom were email (34%), legal research (33%), accessing court dockets and documents (26%), and editing documents (24%).
So that's how today's mobile lawyer gets work done on the go. How does your usage compare? Are you taking full advantage of the many benefits offered by mobile and cloud computing tools in your practice? If you're not already using cloud computing software at your firm, maybe it's time to consider an upgrade. After all, there's no better time than the present!
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Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney, author, journalist, and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase legal practice management software. She is the nationally-recognized author of "Cloud Computing for Lawyers" (2012) and co-authors "Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier" (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors "Criminal Law in New York," a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for Above the Law, ABA Journal, and The Daily Record, has authored hundreds of articles for other publications, and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. She is an ABA Legal Rebel, and is listed on the Fastcase 50 and ABA LTRC Women in Legal Tech. She can be contacted at niki.black@mycase.com.
Published: Tue, Dec 03, 2019
