Law departments lead small private practices in technology, lag large firms

One of the conclusions of a study of legal technology in law departments of North West England is that in-house practices are “generally better equipped with hardware, software and systems than Private Practices of a similar size.” Gill Hague, “Factors Affecting the Use of Information and Communications Technology by In-House Legal Practices in North West England,” J. Info. Law and Tech., Dec. 15, 2004 at 1.

A five-lawyer department benefits from snuggling in the technical womb of its company, which is likely to over $750 million in revenue and with IT infrastructure and investment to match. No five-lawyer law firm can go toe-to-toe on tech.

Where IT improves, however, is in the law firms with hundreds of employees and a profit incentive to spend on effective technology. There the IT comparison flips, so the big firm enjoys a wider range of more current technology, enhanced with better training.