2010 ABA Legal Technology Survey ... cont.

To follow up on our previous post, the next two volumes: Litigation and Courtroom Technology (vol. III) and Web and Communication Technology (vol. IV) of the 2010 ABA Legal Technology Survey are now also available at the American Bar Association (ABA) website.

Some of the highlight of the survey include:

Courtroom Connectivity - Respondents report using their PDAs/smartphones/BlackBerrys in the courtroom to check for new e-mail (64%, compared with 52% in the 2009 survey), followed by sending e-mail (60%, compared with 49% in the 2009 survey), and calendaring (46%, compared with 39% in the 2009 survey).

Virtual Lawyering - When asked whether they have a virtual law office/virtual law practice (i.e., do not typically meet with clients in person, and primarily interact with clients using Internet-based software and other electronic communications software), fourteen percent of respondents responded affirmatively.

Net Note Taking - Twenty-two percent of respondents report the availability of research notebook software such as Evernote, OneNote, or Circus Ponies Notebook at their firms. Among the brand names mentioned, respondents most often listed Microsoft OneNote (62%).

Saving Surprise - Nearly all respondents (98%) report that they generally save incoming e-mail related to cases or client matters. When asked how they save such e-mails, fifty-eight percent of respondents reported saving incoming e-mail to folders in an e-mail program; however a staggering 49% continue to print out hard copies.