Biennial Survey Tracks Latest Trends in Legal Technology Used by Corporate Legal Groups

Sugarland, TX, February 23, 2011 – Hyperion Research, a leading provider of technology market intelligence to the legal market, and ILTA, the International Legal Technology Association, today announced the availability of their biennial survey report on the latest trends in law department technology.  Based on the survey of 54 corporate law departments, the report provides deep insight into the many facets of technology use and application by corporate law departments.

Conducted in December 2010, Hyperion Research and ILTA surveyed law department participants on current technology topics, including organization structure, strategic planning, core applications and tools, mobility and collaboration, and emerging trends.  Some highlights of the findings include:

--  78% of large corporate law groups (50 or more attorneys) report their own, dedicated Legal IT group, while smaller groups (less than 50 attorneys) continue to work with Corporate IT to meet their technology needs;

--  50% of respondents reported increasing or significantly increasing budgets, while the other half reported the same or reduced budgets;

--  While the overall use of technology is improving, a significant number of departments reported that they “lacked systems” in such core areas as document management system (38% reported no system), matter management (30% reported no system), or e-billing (38% reported no system);

--  In collaboration technology, 100% of respondents are using some form of web-based meetings, as well as Sharepoint and electronic work rooms (66% and 45%, respectively);

--  For mobility, 93% reported that they support the use of smart phones with access to email and applications;

--  Social technologies have not taken on a level of significance in law department technology. 

Ralph Schroeder, Managing Director of Hyperion Research, led the survey and analysis.  “The use of technology is clearly a growing priority for law departments as they seek to improve both the efficiency and quality of their work,” he said.  “We were particularly interested to find the broad variance in technology adoption reported by our participants,” Ralph continued, “and understanding the market trends and opportunities is critical part of our work with ILTA as they fulfill their mission in promoting the use of technology in the legal profession.”

The report, entitled 2011 Law Department Technology Survey – Analysis and Results, is available by contacting Ralph Schroeder at ralph@hgpresearch.com.

About Hyperion Research

Hyperion Research, a unit of Hyperion Global Partners, is the leading provider of legal technology market research and advisory services to corporate law departments, law firms and solution providers. We offer our clients unparalleled insight to the leading trends, best practices and market defining issues that are driving success in technology and legal operations. We bring senior industry experience and thought leadership gained from working with the world’s leading legal organizations and solution providers.  More information can be found at www.hgpresearch.com

About ILTA

For over three decades, the International Legal Technology Association has led the way in sharing knowledge and experience for those faced with challenges in their firms and legal departments. ILTA members come from firms of all sizes and all areas of practice, all sharing a common need to have access to the latest information about products and support services that impact the legal profession. More information can be found at www.iltanet.org