US Lawyers: Information Usage, Preferences, and Challenges Including Mobile Technology and Social Media

Author: David Curle, Director & Lead Analyst

The extent to which lawyers adopt new technologies for research, communication, and collaboration will guide product development in the legal information industry in the next few years. This report analyzes key metrics from Outsell’s annual survey of knowledge workers that relate specifically to lawyers, including findings relating to mobile technology and social media. Conducted in January 2011, this survey-based research garnered 1,780 responses from the corporate, education, government, and healthcare sectors in the US. This report breaks out data in the survey results that is specific to US lawyers employed by law firms. We’ve particularly focused on a number of issues related to lawyers’ use of mobile technologies and social media. In addition, the data encompasses attitudes and preferences related to lawyers’ overall information consumption and use. Marketers and product development specialists at publishers and information providers who are engaged with targeting offerings to this market segment will find the data provides a useful gauge of adoption levels and pain points in the legal community and suggests a number of opportunities to develop new products for the legal marketplace.

This report contains:
- An overall look at US lawyers' information needs and habits
- Data and trends that depict a decline in US lawyers' information quality of life
- Detailed data on use of mobile devices and social media
- Trends in individual content purchasing within the enterprise
- Data on spending related to devices, mobile content, and apps
- Essential actions for publishers and information providers who want to keep up with lawyers' changing information expectations and habits