Technology

2017 Legal Tech Highlights And Hints Of What's To Come

2018 holds lots of promise for legal technology developments. What will the new year bring?

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It’s hard to believe it’s December already. The final days of 2017 are near and 2018 is just around the corner.

Now that I’ve been writing this legal technology column at Above the Law for more than three years now, I’ve noticed that every year, clear themes emerge as certain topics dominate legal technology news and discussions. 2017 was no excception. Looking back on my columns for the year, it’s evident that a number of legal technology trends appeared in my columns repeatedly.

First, there was cybersecurity. I kicked off the year with a column focused on cybersecurity tips, including the recommendation that lawyers use password managers, and I also discussed steps lawyers should take to ensure that client communication is secure, such as using online client portals instead of unsecure email.

I revisited secure client communication in April, following the repeal of the FCC’s internet privacy rules, which made it legal for ISPs to track their users’ unprotected web browsing history. For lawyers concerned about the implications of the repeal on protecting client confidentiality, I explained that “client portals were the future for secure client communication due to changing times,” and also shared tips from the Electronic Frontier Foundation on steps to take to reduce the amount of information your ISP can collect about internet usage.

In May, I shared news of the issuance of a new ABA ethics opinion on secure client communication. I explained that the Committee concluded that lawyers should consider encrypted communications like client portals when discussing particularly sensitive information due to “cyber-threats and (the fact that) the proliferation of electronic communications devices have changed the landscape … it is not always reasonable to rely on the use of unencrypted email.” Then, in my next column I offered advice to help lawyers comply with this ethics opinion.

I also addressed security concerns that lawyers encounter when using cloud-based legal software that has an excessive number of integrations with third party vendors. I explained that one way to reduce the security risk is to is “to limit the number of integrations — and thus the number of third parties that have access to your law firm’s data.”

Another topic I focused on in 2017 was mobility. In February, I reported on statistics from the 2016 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report on the usage of mobile devices by lawyers. Then, I shared some of my favorite apps and tools for smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

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In April I offered lawyers a way to untether from their smartphone. I suggested that while it may seem counterintuitive, the notifications settings on smartwatches like Apple Watch “limit … the constant influx of information and thus reduce … reliance on … iPhone(s).”

Then, in August I discussed the increasing popularity of smartwatches with women lawyers. I shared examples of women lawyers who loved their smartwatches and explained that the reason for the rise in use was simple: “Most professional women … store phones in their purses and briefcases, resulting in missed phone notifications since women are unable to feel the phones vibrate and oftentimes can’t hear them when they ring. The Apple Watch solves this problem since it provides women lawyers with the ability to receive important notifications right on their wrist, even if their iPhone is hidden away.”

And last, but not least — especially in terms of its impact in the years to come — is artificial intelligence (AI). In July, I wrote about how Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis were incorporating AI technologies into their legal research platforms. My interviews with executives from both companies were encouraging and led me to opine that “we’re on the cusp of an AI revolution and each company has access to hoards of data, both in terms of content and user interaction with their products. In other words, each of these legal industry behemoths is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next stage of technological advancement.”

Finally, I revisited AI in November, when I wrote about my experience at the College of Law Practice Management’s 2017 Futures Conference. The focus of this year’s conference was AI and it was fascinating to listen to multiple presentations and in-depth discussions about AI and its impact on the delivery of legal services in 2017 and beyond. The excitement about the potential of AI was palpable, but at the end of the day, I withheld judgment and took a “wait and see” attitude, concluding that “AI has, at long last, come of age. What we do with it, generally and in the legal space, remains to be seen.”

In other words, 2018 holds lots of promise for legal technology developments. AI, mobile tools, and cybersecurity issues will continue to be top of mind in the legal industry, as lawyers and law firms struggle to stay on top of — and take advantage of — rapidly changing technologies.

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I, for one, can’t wait to see see what 2018 brings. I’m looking forward to reporting on new developments here on Above the Law in the coming year. But for now, I’m signing off for the year. See you in 2018!

Niki BlackNicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter @nikiblack and she can be reached at niki.black@mycase.com.

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