Apple’s iPad is Becoming Really Popular in the Legal Industry

Apple has “dramatically altered” the legal landscape, suggests a recent report released by legal practice management software firm Clio.

The Canadian company revealed the latest results of a survey it calls “Apple In Law Offices,” which details Apple device usage in law firms across North America.

The 2013 survey saw a marked increase in Apple adoption, with a 10% leap in both office Mac OS usage (from 56 to 66%), and iPad usage (from 57% to 67%), with iPhone usage spiking 12% to 74% (while Android and Blackberry both saw decreases in law firm usage compared to global adoption rates), according to the report.

Why the dramatic increase? Coupled with a number of exciting product releases and OS updates, 52% of respondents stated they chose Apple options because the technology was more reliable and secure, with usability coming in next at 28%. Familiarity due to home use of Apple/Mac products was 10%, and aesthetics and design climbed back up to the 3% mark set two years ago.

Since the iPad debuted on the market, legal services penetration has risen from the initial 10% at product launch to 67% within three years. A demand for a mobile workforce and an industry that never sleeps have both been driving factors in iPad adoption, as well as a proliferation of offerings and apps targeted at improving law firm productivity and efficiency, according to the report.

“For the fourth year in a row, the 2013 Apple in Law Firm survey results show the iPhone and iPad as two devices that have reshaped the legal technology landscape, with 2 in 3 law offices using either an iPhone or iPad,” said Clio CEO and co-founder Jack Newton. “Few technologies have achieved this level of ubiquity in a law firm.”