Wearables Are Here: Is Your Law Firm Ready?

17
Sep
2014

Nicole Black

The next generation of mobile technology is here. Is your law firm ready for the incoming tidal wave of wearable devices that your lawyers will want to incorporate into their workflows? I would hazard a guess that the answer is a resounding “no” if my recent experiences at legal conferences are any indication.

By way of example, earlier this year I attended a session consisting of a panel made up of partners and CTOs and CIOs from large law firms. When the topic of mobile and BYOD was discussed, the general consensus of the panel was that they’d finally begun to support iPhone and Android devices simply because they had no other choice.

Too many lawyers were using these devices for work purposes, either officially or otherwise. Interestingly, their take on BYOD in 2014 contrasted greatly with what I’d heard from participants on similar panels just a few years ago at LegalTech, where most declared that only Blackberrys were secure and they’d never support any other type of smartphone.

As I listened I was struck by how far we’ve come in just a short time and after marveling about this for a moment, I raised my hand and posed the following question to the panel: “What about wearables, such as Google Glass and smartwatches? Are your firms ready?” The reply? “Well they certainly pose some interesting privacy issues in terms of the ability to surreptitiously record others. But that’s a different issue for a different day.” 

In other words, the issue of supporting these devices wasn’t even on their radar! Truth be told, I was somewhat shocked. When I pressed further and specifically asked about whether their law firms planned to support these devices or issue BYOD policies, I was told that this wasn’t really an issue about which they’d given much thought.

It was as if wearables were devices that might be an issue in the far off future, rather than devices that were already here. Perplexingly, the members of this panel were seemingly unaware of, or unconcerned about, the fairly reliable rumors that Google Glass would be reduced in price to appeal to consumers later in the year and that Apple would likely be announcing the release of a smartwatch in the fall. And lo and behold, Apple did just that last week. 

So I would humbly suggest that it would behoove the decision-makers at large firms to step back and take a look at the big picture and then rethink their policies and attitudes about emerging technology. For starters, let’s remind ourselves how quickly lawyers have adopted mobile tools into their practices. 

According to the American Bar Association’s 2014 Legal Technology Survey, (as reported by Jeff Richardson of the iPhone J.D. blog), 91% of responding lawyers use smartphones in their law practices. Of those who use smartphones, 66% prefer iPhones, 24% use Android devices, and the remainder use either BlackBerrys, Windows phones, or other devices.

These findings comport with the findings of the 2014 ILTA and Inside Legal Annual Technology Purchasing Survey, which was sent out to 1,400 ILTA member law firms. 20 percent of the firms surveyed responded this year, with 35% indicating that they do not buy smartphones for their lawyers. Of those that do, 63% buy iPhones, 39% buy Android, 28% buy BlackBerry, and 9% buy Windows devices. Interestingly, according to the survey results from two years ago, 50% of firms refused to purchase iPhones, but now the majority do. 

So, just 7 years after Apple released the iPhone, nearly all lawyers use smartphones and the majority use iPhones and Androids, with large firms now supporting those devices, even though most firms refused to provide support until very recently. 

Similarly, according to the ABA survey, tablet use is also increasing, but at a slower rate. 49% of lawyers reported that they used tablets in their law practices and of those lawyers, 84% reported using iPads, 10% used Android tablets, and the remainder used other devices.

According to the results of the ILTA survey, 48% of responding firms indicated that they purchased tablets for their lawyers, with iPads in the lead at 44%. Next was Microsoft Surface at 17%, Android at 10%, Windows 8 tablet at 6%, Kindle Fire at 2%, and BlackBerry Playbook at 1%. The remaining 52% had no support for tablet purchases or a BYOD policy in place.

In other words, in 2014 most large firms are still behind the curve when it comes to supporting tablets, even though 4 years have passed since the release of the iPad. Many of their lawyers are using tablets for work-related purposes, but many firms still fail to support these devices and thus fail to provide the needed security policies and procedures for the unsupported devices.

This does not bode well for large firms now that the wearable revolution is already upon us. And mark my words—it’s not a fad. Just as I predicted that smartphones would change the way that lawyers conducted business and that iPads would also make their mark, I can likewise assure you that wearable technology will be embraced quickly by lawyers. Smartwatches will lead the way, with Google Glass and other wearables adopted at a slightly slower rate.

Why will lawyers acclimate so quickly to smart watches? Because they provide a less obtrusive way to stay abreast of relevant information while in court or in a meeting. Because you can set filters to allow only the most important notifications through. Because they provide easy access, allowing you to take calls or dictate messages without having to pull out your phone. Because women don’t have pockets like men do and often miss messages because their phones are hidden away in their briefcases or purses. Because apps for smartphones and other wearable devices that we don’t don’t even know we need and that haven’t yet been envisioned or developed will make smartphones and other wearable technologies an integral part of our 21st century lives.

Like it or not, the wearable revolution is here and is the next stage of mobile computing. Technology advancements wait for no one and these days they’re happening more quickly than ever. Adapt slowly at your own risk and ask yourself: Is your law firm ready?