But, with the pace of change accelerating from one year to the next, not least during the pandemic, SME law firms find themselves in a continuous learning cycle, discovering new advantages and hindrances as they witness the practical manifestations of a theoretically lucrative technology.

Gain immediate access to our exclusive market report 

Now, you can learn more about the current state of cloud adoption in the legal industry in our leading market report. Compiled by PracticeEvolve in partnership with Legal Practice Management, the research was designed to check up on cloud journeys in SME legal and discover success stories, pain points, and goals for improvement.

Abstract

A total of 161 business leaders and representatives across two geographies — the UK and Australia — were surveyed and presented with tough questions on business objectives, cloud strategy, returns on investment, digital competency, the state of integration, and much more.

In the report, we look at how many surveyed businesses have set aside funds to improve and integrate their internal technological systems and workflows and the role cloud technology plays in achieving their business objectives.

We assess the factors currently affecting business cloud journeys and confidence levels regarding expected returns on investment.

We also delve into the debate surrounding who is most responsible for training legal personnel to realise the full potential of cloud technology, along with who is best placed to deliver this training. 

Methodology

To gain a full understanding of the level of digital transformation and cloud adoption across the surveyed legal firms, respondents were interviewed on a range of topics and asked for their views on the following: 

• The biggest market opportunities for 2022/23
• Business investment priorities for 2022/23
• The largest opportunities for technology improvements in 2022/23
• The top challenges currently faced by legal firms
• Employee understanding of currently used IT systems
• And much more

The market report features a comprehensive, clear analysis of the survey results, augmented by in-depth interviews with senior business leaders across the UK and Australia.

Results and discussion

The results of our research indicate remarkable similarities between the UK and Australian markets in terms of broader IT strategies. Yet, there are intriguing, subtle differences regarding attitudes surrounding cloud and general IT implementation. 

The results, clearly displayed in graphical format, confirm that proceeding along the digital transformation and cloud implementation curve is likely. Many of the firms interviewed have invested in various technological systems but cite using the tech to streamline work processes as a top business challenge. 

In both geographies, most respondents cite productivity and efficiency as the prime objectives when it comes to further investments in technology.

Recommendations

The need for Software with a Service is evident across legal firms in both geographies. To effectively realise their ambitions, it’s clear that firms require a greater level of service from their providers. They need cloud-based technology with a high-level service to improve user experience, productivity and knowledge.

There is an understanding among the respondents that legal software users need a higher level of competency and better integrations to support productivity and efficiency within the firms. 

Conclusion of the study

The market report outlines the challenge law firms face in finding the right technology to help with day-to-day business functions. A combination of virtual offices, remote working, economic instability and an uncertain future means it’s now more crucial than ever for firms to have an advanced practice management system.

Adam Bullion, General Manager of Marketing, PracticeEvolve, says, “part of our responsibility as a provider must be to bring together the best-in-class technologies and ensure they work seamlessly to save users time. We are committed to delivering smarter, much-needed integrations that make the user’s life easier while also making the firm more cost-effective by integrating our software with iManage, InfoTrack, Perfect Portal, DocuSign and more.” 

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The market report outlines: 

Aims, challenges, and opportunities — We take an in-depth look at the aims, challenges, and opportunities of implementing cloud technology in legal firms across the two geographies. 

Unlocking digital competency — We explore the factors preventing firms from exploiting the wide range of benefits of Practice Management System (PMS) digital technology.

What’s in the Cloud — We explore where respondents are currently at in their Cloud journeys and their overall strategies for moving their systems to the Cloud.

Connecting systems — We look at how firms deal with a mix of systems in their businesses, both cloud and non-cloud, and how they deal with the substantial task of integrating various capabilities.

Download the Market Report.