Legal Technology Predictions for 2006

LLRX.com features an article by Dennis Kennedy of the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section on Legal Technology Predictions for 2006: Small Steps for Most Firms, Giant Leaps for a Few Firms.

Kennedy writes: "Most signs point to a lull in legal technology in 2006. With new versions of Windows and Microsoft Office on the horizon and hardware more than adequate for the needs of most lawyers, it will be easy for many firms to 'go slow' on technology this year and I expect many firms to do so. At the same time, the Internet has returned to the main stage with a vengeance and some great new legal tech tools are becoming available. A small number of firms will take some giant leaps in technology in 2006 and make the best of a great opportunity to break away from the pack, gaining new clients and more business in the process."

Among the trends he is predicting are:

• an increased emphasis on mobility and collaboration, from webinar tools to social networking tools to online workspace tools
• continued but slow growth toward e-discovery
• the Internet as platform "for a variety of practical applications, from making phone calls (VOIP) to generating information feeds (RSS) to facilitating online collaboration"
• "making better use of what you have": this will involve more emphasis on training budgets, and more software audits
• improved productivity tools: "The emphasis at many law firms is still on what's best for the IT department or staff rather than what's best for the practicing lawyer. Technology-savvy lawyers will demand the tools they need, purchase the tools themselves, or leave."