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Lawyers inspecting gadgets

09 December 2010
Issue: 7445 / Categories: Legal News
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Lawyers are swift to adopt new gadgets such as smartphones and Kindles, and see themselves as being at the forefront of technology.

he old-fashioned stereotype of the Luddite solicitor bears little truth according to new research among 100 lawyers ranging from sole practitioner to partner in a Magic Circle firm.

Nearly half of the respondents to the survey, commissioned by LexisNexis, considered themselves to be “early adopters” or “at the cutting edge” in embracing new technologies.

More than three-quarters of respondents said they favour online or digital resources over traditional paper-based law libraries. More than one in 10 have already purchased an Apple iPad, which only became available in May, and use it specifically for legal work. Ten per cent of respondents have an eBook reader, such as Kindle, specifically for legal work.

Nearly nine in 10 respondents retrieve information from digital sources other than email on a daily basis, for example, by downloading eBooks or via a smartphone. Two-thirds use a BlackBerry, and three-quarters of respondents pick up email either constantly or at least every hour

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
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