The combination of cloud technologies and mobile devices have profoundly changed the way lawyers work. Over the years, lawyers have started using their mobile devices more and more for professional purposes, while they’re not at the office. Law firms can now be accessible to lawyers and their clients from anywhere, 24/7. While this has led to the emergence of virtual offices, those are still a minority. Instead, what we have witnessed is the rise of the mobile law firms. Unlike virtual offices, mobile law firms still have physical offices but you don’t have to physically be in them to be able to work. Using cloud technologies, they offer the convenience and flexibility to work securely from anywhere and at any time. In 2017, the vast majority of lawyers are telecommuting, or mobile lawyers.
Let us have a look at some statistics from the latest survey published by the American Bar Association:
- 94% of lawyers reported “regularly or occasionally using a mobile device for law- related tasks at home,” while 91% reported they also regularly use their mobile devices while in transit.
- 33% of lawyers telecommute at least once a week. Solo and small firm lawyers were the most likely to do so, at 39% and 35% respectively.
- Surprisingly, mobile devices are the most popular devices used at the office: 70% reported using smartphones, 66% use desktop computers, 51% use laptop computers, and 25% use tablets. (61% of solo lawyers mainly use laptops at work).
- 40% of lawyers are using specifically legal apps on their smartphones, with legal research apps being the most popular. (Note that these apps exclude the apps that are part of their legal practice management software).
- 40% also have downloaded general business apps to their smartphones, with document storage apps being the most popular.
A survey by Legaltech News revealed that lawyers mainly use mobile devices for increased productivity and increased flexibility.
The main tasks they perform online are practice management tasks. In 2017, most providers of law firm management software offer solutions that use cloud technologies, allowing lawyers to work from anywhere, 24/7. They use these mobile tools mainly to access their mail, their calendars, their contacts, and their case files. Other popular practice management functions include time tracking, billing, and expense tracking.
Mobile lawyers also use mobile apps for legal research, to store and share documents in the cloud, to work with PDFs, to scan documents and handwritten notes, to dictate and take notes, and to organize and present evidence. Many lawyers also have a legal dictionary on their smartphones.
The latest version of CICERO LawPack was rewritten from scratch with the mobile law firm in mind. Using cloud technologies, you and your clients can have access to relevant information from anywhere, at any time. You have the option to use your own server, or to use our hosting services.
All our apps can be used with a browser, so they work flawlessly on desktop computers and tablets. Based on feedback from our users, we also created web versions of our apps that are further optimized for smart phones (which typically use smaller displays):
- The Webmail links mails to the case files, and allows you to instantly log the task or the time spent.
- The Joblogger lets you quickly log the tasks you’ve performed in case files.
- The Relations app lets you retrieve and add contact information.
- The Tasks app gives you an overview of items on your calendar / agenda.
All documents created in CICERO LawPack’s DMS of are at your disposal. The CICERO Webmail and CICERO Webdoc apps, both of which are part of a standard CICERO LawPack installation, also allow iPad users without Microsoft Office to still read and edit all documents.
If you haven’t tried it yet, why don’t you ask for a demonstration?
Sources:
- legaltechnews.com/home/id=1202772556015/Attorneys-On-The-Move-Trending-Toward-the-Mobile-Office
- com/@Adoriasoft_Com/best-legal-apps-and-mobile-apps-for-lawyers-in-2017-7893e92e896
- abajournal.com/gallery/mobilelawyerapps/718
- lawsitesblog.com/2016/11/aba-tech-survey-reveals-lawyers-favorite-mobile-apps-phones.html
- cicerosoftware.com/