The American Bar Association has released the results of their 2011 Legal Technology Survey Report, which is recognised as the source for information regarding the use of technology by attorneys in private practice. The 2011 report is presented in six volumes and covers issues such as: Technology basics, Law Office Technology, Web and Communication Technology and Mobile Lawyers.

The annual report has revealed interesting information regarding the role of technology within the legal sector including the use of smartphones, tablet devices such as ipads, software as a service and social media.

In relation to software as a service (SaaS) the report addresses both lawyers who use Saas and those who do not use SaaS. For lawyers who use Saas, the report asked, what are the most important benefits of SaaS?

1. Browser access from anywhere

2. Availability at any time, day or night

3. Low cost and predictable monthly expense

4. Elimination of IT requirements

For lawyers who have not used SaaS, the report found the main concerns included:

1. They were unfamiliar with the software as a service technology

2. Issues of security

3. Confidentiality and third party hosting concerns

Source: Law Tech Review