Study tells a Story about Law Firm File Sharing

If data could speak for itself…it might tell a story.

The story that unfolded from a survey of law firms we published today goes like this:

File sharing is increasingly important in law firm collaboration and while those firms are keenly aware of the consequences of IT security risks, unencrypted email – reinforced with a statement of confidentiality – remains the primary mechanism for sharing files.

The data does have a caveat:  This tends to be truer for smaller firms than it is of larger firms. Cross-tab analysis indicates many large law firms have technologies and policies in place to address file sharing.

View an infographic of the data and register to download
a comprehensive report (PDF): File-Sharing in the Legal Industry

Data in Storyboard Format

We’ve included the findings in a Law Firm File Sharing in 2014 SlideShare presentation embedded at the very bottom – and wanted to call out these four charts which we think articulate the conclusions.

File sharing is increasingly important in law firm collaboration

Law firms keenly aware of the IT security risks

Email the primary means to share files

Reliance on statements of confidentiality

“There’s clearly a disconnect between expressed security concerns – and measures law firms employ to protect their clients and themselves,” remarked our own Christopher T. Anderson, in a survey announcement.  “Law firms are caught in a bit of a bind because their clients demand a simple way to collaborate, but the risks, as this survey found, are exceptionally high,” he later added.

Presentation:  Law Firm File Sharing in 2014

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What story do you see in the data? Please feel free to comment on the survey.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
The Legal Cloud:  A Question of Security, Ethics