What's being used--and what isn't--in the technology realm.

• Author: Bradbury, Suzette
• Position: Talking Tech - Survey

* How many law firms are still using Web development tools created nearly a decade ago?

* Who in law firms makes the decisions about technology?

* What technologies are firms finding to be a waste of time?

The answer to those questions, and many more, can be found in a "The Law Firm Marketing Technology Survey," a collaboration between the Legal Marketing Association, the ABA Law Practice Management Section and the College of Law Practice Management. The survey was commissioned to provide insight into the legal marketing technology that law firms of all sizes are using, and how and why it is being used.

The study involved 183 law firms--both large and small, across the United States and throughout Canada, Australia and Europe--on their technology use and decision-making process. The results offer a snapshot of the current state of the industry.

What's Being Used?

Not surprisingly, the most pervasive marketing technology was "Web site development and hosting," which was used by 90 percent of surveyed firms (see chart). Design/layout software, client relationship management (CRM) tools and in-house printing systems also scored high, with more than 60 percent of responding firms indicating that they have adopted this technology. None of these should be particularly surprising--it's increasingly difficult to find a law firm without some sort of established presence on the Web. Likewise, demands for increasing efficiency and a desire to "keep up with the Joneses" in the legal world have led a majority of firms to implement CRM tools and in-house design and printing capabilities.

After that, however, the rate of adoption drops substantially. Matter/deal tracking programs, survey and conference registration software and online database tracking programs, for instance, have been adopted by only between 30 percent to 40 percent of the firms surveyed. Lower still are the rates for social networking or alumni programs (27 percent) and proposal generation software (22 percent).

The report also identifies the leading software providers in our industry--and which companies are nipping at their heels.

Who's Using It?

It should come as no surprise to learn that the larger firms--the ones with 200 or more attorneys--are the bigger spenders with regards to technology, and are apt to have more of it. Design software, CRM, conference registration software and proposal generation software -the most recent technology included in the study--are all more likely to...