Tech @ 10

Bulky desktop machines, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3: such was the state of legal technology ten years ago in the first The American Lawyer AmLaw Tech Survey in 1996. And e-mail, ah it was very new. Now Blackberrys, PDAs, laptops and cell phones keep lawyers connected at all times. The revolution in mobility started with the laptop and today almost half of firms' lawyers use them.

Over the last ten years the most dramatic shift has been the move away from WordPerfect to Word as the word processing application of choice. In 1997, 77% of responding firms used WordPerfect, today only one firm does. Today the heavyweight product bout is taking place in document management systems, with ongoing document storage costs becoming a burden. Among the big firms the ability to have a perfectly integrated document management system would be a huge bonus but some doubt it is achievable.

Among other trends is the migration to wireless networks and the growth of websites which allow clients to access working documents which are relevant to them.

Full article on Legal Technology and Read the survey