The 2000 AmLaw Tech Survey

HOT OFF the presses: The 2000 AmLaw Tech Survey. The uneventful transition to Y2K may have disappointed firms hoping to litigate computer crashes, plant failures and mid-air collisions, but it was a blessing to those who fixed internal bugs, and then focused on creating Web-based projects, observes AmLaw Tech editor Mark Voorhees.

The survey polled the nation's 100 largest firms, and received 94 responses. Among the highlights: Four out of five firms have created secure, private Extranets for clients. And nearly 20 percent of the big firms are outfitting their attorneys with the latest hot accessory: RIM Blackberry, the wireless e-mail device that had just about zero presence in the legal market a year ago, reports Voorhees.

Hummingbird/PC DOCS, Elite and Summation are among the vendors retaining their market leads within the big firm arena, he notes.

We've included excerpts of the survey results. For a copy of the AmLaw Tech survey, e-mail jweiss@amlaw.com.

Time & Billing What time and billing software does the firm use? Software # firms % '99% Elite 29 30.9 22.6 Elite for Windows/NT 21 22.3 26.9 CMS Open 20 21.3 21.5 Rippe & Kingston 5 5.3 5.4 TMC 5 5.3 7.5 Barrister Javelan 2 2.1 -- LFMS (Computrac) 2 2.1 -- Custom in-house 2 2.1 3.2 Other 8 8.5 15.1 What time entry software do attorneys use on their PCs? Product # firms % '99% Carpe Diem 35 37.6 35.5 DTE 22 23.7 23.7 Elite 10 10.7 14.0 Custom in-house 6 6.5 9.7 Other 18 19.4 5.4 None 2 2.2 7.5 93 firms responded.

Applications Software What is the firm's primary word processing program? Application # firms % '99% Word 72 77.4 75.3 WordPerfect 20 21.5 37.6 Other 1 1.1 -- 93 firms responded. What document management software does the firm use: Application firms % '99% Hummingbird/PC DOCS 63 67.7 67.7 iManage 20 21.5 19.4 Custom in-house 5 5.4 6.5 Other 3 3.2 3.2 None 2 2.1 3.2 93 firms responded. What voice recognition software does the firm use? Application # firms % '99% Dragon 40 43.0 -- ViaVoice 6 6.5 -- Voice Express 1 1.1 -- Other 2 2.2 -- None 44 47.3 -- 93 firms responded. Did the firm use an application service provider in the past year?   # firms % '99% Yes 17 18.3 -- No 76 81.7 --

The Basics What is the firm's dominant desktop operating system? OS # firms % '99% Windows 95 45 47.9 68.2 Windows NT 32 34.0 26.5 Windows 98 11 11.7 4.0 Windows 2000 6 6.4 -- What percentage of lawyers use a notebook computer in lieu of a desktop PC? # firms average % '99% 94 40.7 38.9 Does the firm supply handheld PCs or personal digital assistants to attorneys?   # firms % '99% Yes 33 35.1 19.4 No 61 64.9 80.6 If yes, which products are supplied? Product # firms % '99% RIM Blackberry 17 47.2 -- Palm family 15 41.7 -- Windows CE unit 2 5.6 -- Other 2 5.6 -- 36 firms responded.

Financial Stats What is the firm's FY 2000 technology budget for operating expenses:   '00 '99% Average $9,839,000 $5,364,000 Per lawyer 17,913 11,560 35 firms responded. What was the compensation (including bonus) of the firm's information systems director or equivalent post in 1999?   '00 '99% Average $189,306 $191,333 31 firms responded.

Intranet And Group Does the firm have an intranet?   # firms % '99% Yes 89 94.7 88.2 No 5 5.3 11.8 Did the firm set up an extranet for specific project on client set up in the past year?   # firms % '99% Yes 74 78.7 54.8 No 20 21.3 45.2