Believe it or not, cloud computing has been around for more than 10 years. Now that a decade has passed, what was once an unfamiliar technology to some lawyers has now become commonplace, and law firms regularly rely on cloud computing software to manage their law firms.
In fact, in 2019, the majority of lawyers used cloud computing software on a daily basis to run their firms efficiently and effectively. The reasons for this shift are many, but security, convenience, and affordability rank high on the list of benefits that have convinced lawyers to make the switch to cloud-based legal software.
But don’t take my word on it! For evidence of this trend you need look no further than the results of this year’s ABA Legal Technology Survey Report. This year’s Report confirms that the majority of law firms have made the transition to cloud computing and others are planning to do so in the near future.
For starters, the majority of lawyers, 58%, now report that they use cloud computing technology for work-related tasks, up from 55% last year and 38% in 2016. Small firm lawyers from firms with 2-9 lawyers lead the way at 61% but lawyers from other sized firms weren’t far behind. 60% of lawyers from firms of 10-49 attorneys reported that they used cloud computing software for work-related purposes, as did 59% of solo lawyers. Large firm lawyers (100 or more attorneys) were the least likely to use cloud computing, but even then the majority of lawyers in those firms did so at 51%.
When asked if their firm plans to replace any traditional software/service with a cloud-based alternative in the next 12 months, 8% of lawyers overall said they were. Lawyers from firms with 2-9 lawyers were the most likely to plan to move to the cloud, at 12%. Next up were lawyers from firms with 10-49 lawyers, with 8% planning to make the switch, followed by 6% of lawyers from firms with 100 or more attorneys. Solo lawyers came in last, with only 5% reporting that they planned to replace premise-based software with cloud computing software.
Lawyers use cloud computing software for many different reasons. The top reason was easy browser access at 65%. The next most popular benefit enjoyed by lawyers was 24/7 access to their law firm’s data at 61%. 48% reported that the low cost of entry and predictable monthly expenses were an important benefit. For 45% of lawyers, robust data backup and recovery were a top benefit. For 35% the fact that cloud-based software is quick to get up and running was a strong selling point. Next up was the benefit that cloud computing software eliminates IT and software management requirements, with 31% reporting that as a popular benefit. Finally 34% shared that they used cloud computing because it offers better security than they can provide in-house.
Finally, 72% percent of respondents reported that the name and reputation of the cloud computing provider were very important to them when choosing cloud-based software. This factor was the most important for lawyers from firms with 50-99 lawyers (90%), followed by 82% of solo attorneys, and 68% of lawyers from firms with 10-49 lawyers.
That’s why we’re so proud to report that when lawyers were asked which cloud computing software product they used, MyCase was one of the top three responses for those in the legal category. And when lawyers were asked which document assembly tool they used in their firm, MyCase was in the top two!
Is your firm using cloud computing software yet? If not, what are you waiting for? If you’re ready to make the switch, you can learn all about moving your law practice to the cloud in this FREE guide. Download it today!
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