Legal Technology

ABA Profile of the Legal Profession -header

Chaper Outline

Security

Online Research

Social Media

Hardware and Software

Security

Law Firms Suffering
Security Breaches

The number of computer security breaches reported by lawyers has remained relatively steady in recent years, but the number of law firms with cyber liability insurance has rapidly increased over the same period, according to the American Bar Association’s 2021 Legal Technology Survey Report.

Overall, 1 in 4 lawyers (25%) in 2021 said their firms had experienced a security breach (for example, lost or stolen computer or smartphone, hack, break-in or exploited website). That’s up slightly from 22% in 2017.

Nearly two-thirds of lawyers who reported a security breach (64%) said their firms suffered no significant business disruption or loss. Even so, 36% said the breach caused some down time or loss of billable hours.

To protect from losses caused by cyber breaches, more than one-third of lawyers (42%) said their firms have cyber liability insurance. That’s up significantly from 26% in 2017.

Viruses, spyware and malware were reported as common problems, but that threat appeared to be dwindling. In 2021, 29% of lawyers said their law firm technology had been infected at some point in the past. That’s down from 43% in 2017.

Most lawyers said their firms used spam filters (81%), firewall software (75%), anti-spyware (73%), virus-scanning email (70%) and mandatory passwords (70%) to fight against security threats. Half (50%) said their firms encrypt files. Most lawyers said their firms do not use two-factor authentication (47%), do not monitor employees (20%) and do not use biometric login techniques (11%).

Source: 2021 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

Cyber Insurance

Law Firms Using Cybersecurity Tools

Online Research

The typical lawyer spends, on average, roughly one-fifth of their time (21%) of his or her time conducting legal research, according to the ABA’s 2021 Legal Technology Survey Report. That’s up slightly from 2020 (18%) and 2019 (17%).

When lawyers begin a research project, nearly half (42%) say they start with a general search engine like Google. Roughly a third (34%) start with a paid online resource and 11% start with a free state bar-sponsored legal research service.

Most lawyers (60%) said they regularly use paid online resources for research and nearly as many (59%) said they use free online sources. When asked which paid online legal research service they use, nearly two-thirds (62%) said Westlaw/Westlaw Edge, followed by Lexis/Lexis+ (45%), Practical Law (17%), Bloomberg Law (15%) and Fastcase (10%).

Asked which free websites they use most often for legal research, 24% of lawyers said Cornell’s Legal Information Institute and another 24% said government websites, followed by FindLaw (16%), Google Scholar (12%), Fastcase (9%) and Casemaker (6%).

Despite the popularity of online sources, many lawyers (37%) said they still regularly use print materials for legal research. Seven percent said they never use print materials during research.

When it comes to getting legal news, the most preferred paid sources of online legal news are Law360 (39%) and the Wall Street Journal (21%).

Source: 2021 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

Fast Facts:

• Only 10% of lawyers said their law firms use artificial intelligence-based technology tools. That figure is substantially higher (19%) at law firms with 100 lawyers or more.

• 17% think artificial intelligence tools will become mainstream in the legal profession in the next three years. Five percent said they are already mainstream.

Time Spent on Legal Research

Where Lawyers Start a Research Project

Free Websites Used Most Often for Legal Research

Paid Online Service Most Preferred for Legal News

Social Media

Law firms and lawyers maintain a significant presence on social media, according to the ABA’s 2021 Legal Technology Survey Report. Most lawyers (86%) said their law firms are on social networks.

The most popular social network for law firms is LinkedIn. Among the lawyers who said their firms use social networks, nearly 9 out of 10 (87%) said their firms maintain a presence on LinkedIn. A majority (61%) also said their firms are on Facebook. Only one-third (37%) said their firms use Twitter.

Law firms also use social media to market themselves, according to the survey, but no single online source is used by most firms. The most popular site for marketing purposes is LinkedIn (45%), followed by Facebook (31%), Twitter (15%) and Avvo (10%). Nearly half of all lawyers (42%) also said their firms market by email.

But law firms also continue to use traditional, non-online sources for marketing. In fact, the most common method for firms to market themselves is event sponsorships. Half of all lawyers (50%) said their firms market themselves this way. Other non-online marketing includes print (25%), direct mail (18%), radio (9%) and Yellow Pages (8%).

The great majority of lawyers (81%) personally maintain a presence on social media for professional purposes. Among those lawyers, virtually all (95%) are on LinkedIn. Only 29% are on Facebook professionally, followed by Twitter (17%), Instagram (13%), Martindale (11%) and Avvo (10%).

Blogging is becoming more popular among law firms. In the survey, 37% of lawyers said their firms have a blog. That’s up substantially from 24% in 2018. Blogs are far more popular among big firms. The bigger the firm, the more likely it is to have a blog. Only 12% of solo practitioners blog. But among law firms with 100 lawyers or more, more than half (62%) blog. Among those lawyers whose firms blog, 1 in 4 (26%) said their firm retained a client as a result of blogging.

Very few lawyers – only 5% -- said they personally maintain a legal topic blog. Of those, nearly all (88%) said they blog for client development.

Source: 2021 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

Fast Fact:

• Nearly half of all lawyers (48%) said their firms have a social media policy. That increases to 91% for law firms with 500 lawyers or more.

Law Firms that Maintain a Presence on Social Media

Where Firms Market Themselves

Top Social Network Sites Used by Law Firms

Does Your Firm have a Blog?

Do You Personally Maintain a Legal Topic Blog?

Hardware and Software

The most common smartphone for lawyers is the iPhone (80%), according to the 2021 Legal Technology Survey Report. Only 19% use an Android phone. It appears the Blackberry has finally disappeared. In 2019, 1% of lawyers said they still used Blackberries. In the 2021 survey, it was zero.

Laptop use continues to rise. For the first time in the survey, a majority of lawyers (53%) said a laptop is their primary work computer. That number has increased every year recently – from 38% in 2018, 41% in 2019 and 47% in 2020. Meanwhile, the use of desktop computers declines. Just 44% of lawyers said a desktop is their main work computer. Only 1% said a tablet is their primary work computer.

When it comes to legal-specific software available at law firms, software used for conflict of interest checking (67%) and case/practice management (51%) are common, but docket/calendaring rule-based software (36%) and specialized practice software (33%) are not.

Source: 2021 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

Primary Work Computer