ABA releases new survey on legal tech trends
The American Bar Association Legal Technology Resource Center has released its 2024 Legal Technology Survey Report, which provides an in-depth analysis of technology adoption and usage trends.
The report shows law firms embracing cloud solutions, AI-driven legal research and enhanced security protocols.
The annual survey collected responses from attorneys in private practice across five key areas: online research; marketing and communication technology; law office technology; litigation technology; and technology basics and security.
As the legal industry adapts to rapid technological advancements, firms that invest in strategic technology integration will maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital legal landscape, according to report findings.
Statistical information in the survey report includes:
• 67% of attorneys rely on fee-based online services for legal research, while 55% use free platforms such as government websites and legal databases. AI and analytics tools are increasingly leveraged for legal research.
• 80% of firms maintain a social media presence, with 78% using LinkedIn, followed by Facebook (53%), Instagram (22%) and X (18%). Websites are critical for client acquisition, but SEO and content marketing adoption vary by firm size.
• 73% of firms utilize cloud-based legal tools, with document management and practice management software seeing the highest adoption rates.
• 85% of litigators are using electronic court filings. AI-driven discovery tools are gaining traction, improving efficiency.
• 60% of firms have implemented formal cybersecurity policies, but phishing and ransomware remain major threats. Multifactor authentication (MFA) adoption has increased.
Additionally, the TechReports, articles that combine data from each of the five individual tech surveys with expert analysis, began posting on Law Technology Today in late March.
Topics include:
• Practice Management
• Technology Training
• Solo & Small Firm
• Litigation & TAR
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cloud Computing
• Websites & Marketing
• Budgeting & Planning
• Cybersecurity
The Legal Technology Survey Report, launched more than two decades ago by the ABA Law Practice Division, is recognized as the primary source for information regarding the use of technology by attorneys in private practice.
It is based on responses by practicing lawyers — not consultants, vendors or IT staff.
The report shows law firms embracing cloud solutions, AI-driven legal research and enhanced security protocols.
The annual survey collected responses from attorneys in private practice across five key areas: online research; marketing and communication technology; law office technology; litigation technology; and technology basics and security.
As the legal industry adapts to rapid technological advancements, firms that invest in strategic technology integration will maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital legal landscape, according to report findings.
Statistical information in the survey report includes:
• 67% of attorneys rely on fee-based online services for legal research, while 55% use free platforms such as government websites and legal databases. AI and analytics tools are increasingly leveraged for legal research.
• 80% of firms maintain a social media presence, with 78% using LinkedIn, followed by Facebook (53%), Instagram (22%) and X (18%). Websites are critical for client acquisition, but SEO and content marketing adoption vary by firm size.
• 73% of firms utilize cloud-based legal tools, with document management and practice management software seeing the highest adoption rates.
• 85% of litigators are using electronic court filings. AI-driven discovery tools are gaining traction, improving efficiency.
• 60% of firms have implemented formal cybersecurity policies, but phishing and ransomware remain major threats. Multifactor authentication (MFA) adoption has increased.
Additionally, the TechReports, articles that combine data from each of the five individual tech surveys with expert analysis, began posting on Law Technology Today in late March.
Topics include:
• Practice Management
• Technology Training
• Solo & Small Firm
• Litigation & TAR
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cloud Computing
• Websites & Marketing
• Budgeting & Planning
• Cybersecurity
The Legal Technology Survey Report, launched more than two decades ago by the ABA Law Practice Division, is recognized as the primary source for information regarding the use of technology by attorneys in private practice.
It is based on responses by practicing lawyers — not consultants, vendors or IT staff.
ABA releases annual comprehensive report on bar admission data
The Managing Director’s Office of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has released a comprehensive set of data on bar admission outcomes for ABA-approved law schools.
Spreadsheets of the most recent data are available on the section’s webpage (www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education) under Legal Education Statistics. Individual school reports for consumers are available at ABA Required Disclosures on a school-by-school basis and provide more detail. These graduates are admitted to the practice of law and are considered bar passers without sitting for a bar examination. Because alternative pathways are being recognized more frequently by the state courts, the ABA has updated the name of the bar admission questionnaire, as well as the ABA Required Disclosure page (starting with 2025 statistics), to refer to “admission” rather than “passage.”
The new data shows that in the aggregate, 90.41% of 2022 law graduates who sat for a bar exam passed it within two years of graduation (90.52% with alternative pathways).
The two-year “ultimate” aggregate success rate is almost the same as the 90.53% comparable figure for 2021 graduates. The 2022 ultimate bar pass data also reveals that 95.85% of all graduates sat for a bar exam or were admitted by alternative pathways within two years of graduation and that schools were able to obtain bar passage information for 98.75% of 2021 graduates.
First-time takers in 2024 achieved an aggregate 82.79% pass rate (83.02% with alternative pathways), which is more than a 3-percentage point increase over the comparable 79.44% pass rate (with alternative pathways) for 2023.
For comparative purposes, the data recently released includes new aggregate information on the demographics of bar exam passers from 2025 bar admission reports and reprints last year’s demographic information from the 2024 reports.
This information was reported to the ABA by law schools and is being made public as a matter of important consumer information under ABA Standard 509.
“Prospective students, current students and others interested in the quality of legal education need reliable information on bar admissions, in the aggregate and by individual law schools, and we appreciate the law schools’ efforts to provide a comprehensive national picture,” said Jenn Rosato Perea, managing director of ABA accreditation and legal education. “Admission to the bar, as defined by the state supreme courts, is one measure that reflects how well law schools prepare their students for the legal profession — and this measure will continue to be shaped by changes in the bar exam, diverse pathways to licensure and other assessments of competency.”
Spreadsheets of the most recent data are available on the section’s webpage (www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education) under Legal Education Statistics. Individual school reports for consumers are available at ABA Required Disclosures on a school-by-school basis and provide more detail. These graduates are admitted to the practice of law and are considered bar passers without sitting for a bar examination. Because alternative pathways are being recognized more frequently by the state courts, the ABA has updated the name of the bar admission questionnaire, as well as the ABA Required Disclosure page (starting with 2025 statistics), to refer to “admission” rather than “passage.”
The new data shows that in the aggregate, 90.41% of 2022 law graduates who sat for a bar exam passed it within two years of graduation (90.52% with alternative pathways).
The two-year “ultimate” aggregate success rate is almost the same as the 90.53% comparable figure for 2021 graduates. The 2022 ultimate bar pass data also reveals that 95.85% of all graduates sat for a bar exam or were admitted by alternative pathways within two years of graduation and that schools were able to obtain bar passage information for 98.75% of 2021 graduates.
First-time takers in 2024 achieved an aggregate 82.79% pass rate (83.02% with alternative pathways), which is more than a 3-percentage point increase over the comparable 79.44% pass rate (with alternative pathways) for 2023.
For comparative purposes, the data recently released includes new aggregate information on the demographics of bar exam passers from 2025 bar admission reports and reprints last year’s demographic information from the 2024 reports.
This information was reported to the ABA by law schools and is being made public as a matter of important consumer information under ABA Standard 509.
“Prospective students, current students and others interested in the quality of legal education need reliable information on bar admissions, in the aggregate and by individual law schools, and we appreciate the law schools’ efforts to provide a comprehensive national picture,” said Jenn Rosato Perea, managing director of ABA accreditation and legal education. “Admission to the bar, as defined by the state supreme courts, is one measure that reflects how well law schools prepare their students for the legal profession — and this measure will continue to be shaped by changes in the bar exam, diverse pathways to licensure and other assessments of competency.”
