Robert Ambrogi Blog
The number of law firms with blogs has plateaued, neither growing nor dropping for four years straight, according to the 2016 Legal Technology Survey Report recently published by the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center.
The survey found that 26 percent of firms have blogs. That number has remained effectively unchanged for 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.
The larger the firm, the more likely it is to have a blog. Among firms of 500 or more attorneys, 60 percent have blogs, and at firms of 100-499 attorneys, 52 percent have blogs. In contrast, just 12 percent of solos have blogs and 20 percent of firms of 2-9 attorneys have blogs.
By practice area, personal injury lawyers are most likely to have blogs, followed by lawyers who concentrate in litigation and then labor and employment law.
Personal Legal Blogs
While the questions above asked about whether their firm has a blog, lawyers were also asked whether they personally maintain a legal-topic blog. Here again, the answers reflected virtually no change over prior years.
This year, 8 percent of lawyers said that they personally maintain a legal-topic blog. Last year, that number was 7 percent and in 2014 it was 8 percent.
Of the lawyers who do personally maintain a legal-topic blog, 10 percent are from firms of 2-9 attorneys, 9 percent are solos, 6 percent are from firms of 10-49 attorneys, and 5 percent are from firms of 100 or more attorneys.
The lawyers who have blogs of their own were asked if they had ever had a client retain their legal services directly or via referral as a result of their blog. Overall 42 percent said report yes, compared with 39 percent in 2015, 23 percent in 2014 and 39 percent in 2013.
Reading Blogs for Current Awareness
The survey also asked lawyers about their use of blogs for current awareness. Here again, the results suggest little change over the last four years.
The survey found that 64 percent of lawyers use blogs for current awareness. That compares with 61 percent in 2015, 65 percent in 2014 and 72 percent in 2013.
Nine percent of lawyers say they use blogs for current awareness on a daily basis. Eighteen percent say they use them at least once a week, and another 18 percent say they use them at least once a month.
Lawyers under age 40 are most likely to use blogs daily, while lawyers 60 and older are least likely.
About the Survey
The annual six-volume survey covers:
- Vol. I: Technology Basics & Security.
- Vol. II: Law Office Technology.
- Vol. III: Litigation Technology & E-Discovery.
- Vol. IV: Web and Communication Technology.
- Vol. V: Online Research.
- Vol. VI: Mobile Lawyers.
The survey can be purchased from the ABA. The full survey costs $1,995 and separate volumes cost $350 each.