how digital technology is changing the legal … · access to users. mobile technology is making it...

LEGAL RESEARCH TRENDS IN ACTIONHOW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE LEGAL RESEARCH LANDSCAPE

insight.thomsonreuters.com.au

Whether you're a solicitor, barrister or legal librarian, you know firsthand how important research is to your work.

The good news is that legal technology is rapidly evolving, making it easier than ever for you to harness the information you need, whether it’s in the office, in the courtroom or on the go.

To stay competitive in this challenging business climate, legal professionals must stay on top of the latest digital trends, which provide opportunities for greater efficiency and productivity as well as client satisfaction.

Here we look at some of the ways research is evolving and how those trends can benefit you, the legal professional, at both at a personal and corporate level.

INTRODUCTIONCONTENTS

“To stay competitive in this challenging business

climate, legal professionals must stay

on top of the latest digital trends, which

provide opportunities for greater efficiency and productivity as well as

client satisfaction.”

CHAPTER 1Moving online: the digital shift

CHAPTER 2Mobility & connectivity

CHAPTER 3The virtual library

CHAPTER 4In the courts

CHAPTER 5The future of legal research

ABOUT THE WRITER

3

7

4

5

6

7

Thomson Reuters | Legal Research Trends in Action |


MOVING ONLINE: THE DIGITAL SHIFT

The world of legal research is in a state of flux. With the rise of interconnected technologies such as cloud computing, social media and mobile, those in the law profession may now find themselves using a wide variety of sources, both digital and hard copy, to satisfy their need for information.

DIGITAL RESEARCH IMPROVES EFFICIENCY AND CUTS COSTS

In the world of legal research, the old saying “time is money” definitely applies.

Many sources of information which in the past would have required a trip to the nearest law library are now as close as one's fingertips.

By leveraging online research tools and mobile apps, solicitors and other legal professionals can provide much more efficient and cost-effective services, freeing up their time for more profitable activities.

Research shows that 79 per cent of legal professionals believe technology has made their legal research quicker and easier (1).

In fact 98.6 per cent of legal professionals say that technology saves them time on their research.

INCREASE MARKET SHARE AND CLIENT SATISFACTION

Increased efficiency means less time written off for unproductive research, while at the same time providing a better end result for the client.

“79 per cent of legal professionals believe technology has made

their legal research quicker and easier.”

FIVE SIGNS YOUR LEGAL RESEARCH IS BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT

• You’re achieving better research results in less time

• You are writing off less unproductive research hours

• You have more time for other productive billable work and new business acquisition

• Your clients are more satisfied with your services

• Your ability to deliver projects on time and within budget is improving

CHAPTER 1

(1) Thomson Reuters 2013, ‘Technology in legal research: market insight’

This beneficial combination can lead to increased market share for solicitors and firms, as they differentiate their services based on cost control and quality.

Clients can trust that they are not overpaying due to outdated and time consuming research methods.

The time saved can be put towards more productive billable work, new client acquisition or marketing tasks.

That means you can focus on building your practice, attracting new business and increasing revenue, rather than unproductive and time consuming research tasks.

For corporate law departments, online research can cut costs by reducing the need for outside legal counsel.

As billable rates continue to increase, this can result in significant savings. Furthermore, once digital research is obtained, it can be shared amongst employees via file sharing on servers, which also reduces costs by minimising redundant activities within the firm.

HARD COPY TO ONLINE – WHAT’S CHANGED, WHAT’S BETTER?

The vast majority of Australian law resources are now available online and can be accessed via free portals or by subscription, such as Thomson Reuters Westlaw.


MOBILITY & CONNECTIVITY

We live in a mobile society with a seemingly insatiable appetite for information across a variety of platforms.

The good news is that legal professionals can now access information and keep up with the latest legal trends using mobile apps and online research platforms that provide instant access to important data while on the go – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

MOBILITY NO LONGER A LUXURY

Indeed, mobile devices are no longer a fashion statement, or for the tech savvy – they are a critical, competitive asset for legal professionals.

According to Thomson Reuters research, 67% of lawyers or law firms now use tablets (2), while the Federal Court has begun to distribute iPads to federal justices and senior registrars in a bid to go paperless (3).

• Over 95% of legal professionals use a mobile phone for work

• 84% expect to use tablets for work within 12 months

• 22.8% already use mobile ‘enterprise’ apps

• Over 60% say the ability to work on the move is the biggest benefit of tablets

CHAPTER 2

(2) Thomson Reuters 2013, ‘Advanced media survey’ 3. Colley, A 2012, ‘The Federal Court builds case for using iPads’, The Australian, 14 August

MOBILE DEVICE USAGE IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION IN AUSTRALIA (2)

“67 per cent of lawyers and firms in Australia

are using tablets ”

Being able to access data on the go allows legal professionals to be more mobile and flexible with their time while simultaneously providing clients with a superior level of customer service.

For example, if your firm uses a web-based cloud solution to store documents, you can quickly and easily access important files, whether you're in a meeting with a client or in a courtroom.

Many government and commercial databases now offer apps for mobile users, offering a clean and streamlined interface for searching and pulling up court cases and other documents from anywhere in the world.

PRODUCTIVITY APPS

Productivity apps can save you valuable time as you go about your day, allowing you to respond to client emails while waiting in a doctor's office or work while you commute for example. Apps are also handy for tracking billable hours as you work, as well as videoconferencing with clients using Skype or FaceTime, allowing for a more personal level of contact, even at a distance.

The shift from hard-copy information to digital has led to major changes in the role of the legal library.

Once the physical heart of the law firm, legal libraries are being forced to re-examine their place in firm hierarchy and uncover new ways to add value. The transformation of the library ‘as a place’ to the library ‘as a service’ is one consequence of the evolving legal research landscape.

LAW LIBRARIES GO VIRTUAL

With economic constraints continuing to squeeze budgets, libraries are coming under pressure to improve efficiency.

Physical spaces are shrinking as resources go online and librarians are increasingly being asked to expand their skill set.


THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY

CHAPTER 3

(4) Hyde J. 2013, ‘Shaping the future of law libraries’, Australian Law Librarians Journal

Interim Director of the Law Library of Victoria implementation project, Justine Hyde, says ‘virtual libraries’ are becoming a reality as online resources continue to replace print materials (4).

“Many law libraries are seeing their physical space shrink or be repurposed. While print will be around for some time to come, virtual libraries are becoming reality.”

LEGAL RESEARCHERS LEAVE THE LIBRARY

As the boundaries between the library and organisation blur, librarians are starting to work more closely with their users – in some cases even becoming an integrated part of the business unit or team.

“The idea of ‘embedded librarians’ is gaining popularity within sectors such as academia and professional services,” says Hyde. “Embedded librarians build strong relationships with their users and an understanding of their needs.”

To adapt to this new business climate, law librarians are becoming experts in the latest technology, as well as expanding their skills beyond the traditional into business and project management, training, content creation and curation, marketing and much more.

The benefits of the virtual library are immense. Today’s legal libraries are adapting to the needs of modern law professionals and graduates for digital research tools, some of whom may never have even set foot in a traditional law library.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY

• Service-oriented model

• Inhabits a smaller physical space

• Built on partnerships with organisations

• May be co-located with other services

• Makes use of a variety of digital platforms

Legal research technology is also finding its way into the courtroom as the benefits of going mobile are embraced by judges and barristers around Australia.

MOBILE GIVES BARRISTERS A COMPETITIVE EDGE

Mobile technology is helping barristers prepare their cases and provide visually compelling evidence to juries.

Tablet apps, for example, can be used to edit and annotate documents, mark exhibits, synch deposition transcripts with video depositions and drop documents to a cloud service.

Instead of lugging trolleys of voluminous reference books to and from the courtroom, barristers can now access everything they need on their iPad, using apps like ProView.

The ability to quickly and easily research precedents and other material needed for a swift rebuttal during court hearings is giving lawyers a competitive edge.

THE MOVE TOWARD PAPERLESS IN THE COURTS

While paperless trials are yet to become the norm, the ‘electronic trial’ is already a reality as courts adapt to mobile technology.


IN THE COURTS

• No need to transport voluminous hard-copy reference books to court.

• Quick and easy access to your library of e-books and legal databases.

• Highlight and organise your notes for fast reference.

• Simple searches – no more rummaging through binders in court to find the relevant passage.

• Easily share your research and notes with colleagues and clients.

CHAPTER 4

(5) Colley A. (2012) ‘The Federal Court builds case for using iPads’, The Australian, August 14

FIVE BENEFITS OF LEGAL RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY IN THE COURTROOM

In a move to eliminate the paper deadlock and move proceedings forward, Federal Courts have given out some 60 iPads, with Federal Court judge Andrew Greenwood saying there is no reason a trial could not be conducted electronically (5).

Further backing this claim is a spokesman for Federal Court chief executive Warwick Soden, who said, "The devices provide a convenient way to access documents, allowminimal editing and, importantly, facilitate searching across voluminous documents, clearly reducing the need for documents to be printed and files to be moved between courts and chambers.” (5)

The future of legal research is clearly shifting towards digital and mobile. From the consolidation of traditional law libraries into virtual libraries, fast and efficient online legal research apps and the push for a digital courtroom, there is clearly no going back.

While paper resources still have their place, the majority of popular legal resources are now found online, offering instant access to users. Mobile technology is making it even easier to access information on the go, with mobile apps that can be used anywhere, anytime.

Additionally, today's legal professional has a plethora of productivity software and apps to assist with their daily activities, from billing to video conferencing to scheduling, allowing them to save time while providing a higher level of support to clients.

With such powerful technology on the market, there’s never been a better time to be in the legal profession.


THE FUTURE OF LEGAL RESEARCH

ABOUT THE WRITERKathleen Aoki is a business professional with over 10 years' experience in the IT field as a database expert. As a freelance writer, Kathleen has written for several industry publications and corporate business blogs in Australia.

CHAPTER 5

For more information on how you can apply technology solutions at your firm contact us:

LEGAL, TAX AND ACCOUNTING SUPPORTFrom Australia: 1300 304 195

Fax: 1300 304 196

ABOUT US


CONTACT US

THOMSON REUTERS INSIGHT TERMS OF USE

www.thomsonreuters.com.au/terms/online-terms-of-use.aspx

Thomson Reuters Insight is an online space for legal, tax and accounting professionals to discover intelligent information and best practice. It also provides discussion and insights on current industry trends.

Thomson Reuters Insight aims to share and build knowledge, encourage conversation and most importantly, provide real time solutions to every day questions.

Thomson Reuters Insight is a complimentary service by Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligentinformation for businesses and professionals. We call it ‘intelligent information’ because we combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organisation.

See more insights on insight.thomsonreuters.com.au

With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people worldwide. In Australia and New Zealand we focus on delivering accurate, relevant and timely information and information management solutions for legal, tax and accounting businesses, professionals, academics and students.

Your use of the online services (the service) provided by Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Limited (ABN 64 058 914 668) (“us”) via this website is subject to the conditions set out in the Terms of Use document at:

Your use of the service is deemed acceptance of these terms. If you do not agree to these terms, please exit the service now and delete all records on your system.

insight.thomsonreuters.com.au

how digital technology is changing the legal … · access to users. mobile technology is making it...

Documents