Out of the many law-related articles Esquire Deposition Solutions published in 2021, those dealing with technology and the future of the legal profession consistently attracted the highest level of interest within our community of lawyer readers.
We believe this admittedly minor data point bodes well for the legal profession. This is an exciting time to practice law, and it’s both encouraging and inspiring to work among lawyers so evidently willing to prepare for — and embrace — the new legal services paradigm that is rapidly re-imagining and re-creating itself before our eyes.
Topping our summary of popular content published in 2020 were articles addressing the impact of the COVID-19 on the legal community generally and, in particular, remote trials and deposition practice. Articles on COVID-19 burnout, the challenge of serving clients remotely, lessons from virtual trial pioneers, and emerging COVID-19 litigation trends were very popular with our readers.
This year, however, our review of the articles that garnered the most reader attention suggests that the legal profession is ready to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind it — while retaining hard-earned lessons from the experience, of course. Articles addressing the intersection of professional ethics and cybersecurity were uniformly popular, particularly those examining ethical considerations when acquiring law office technology.
Preventing and mitigating losses from data breaches and ransomware attacks are front-of-mind considerations within the legal profession, and rightfully so. Our article inviting consideration of cyber-insurance policies as one form of protection against law firm cyberlosses was among the most well-read communications we published last year.
Also popular: Nuts-and-bolts articles on states that adopted the Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act in 2021 and what to do when a scheduled deponent fails to appear at the designated time. Articles addressing the challenge of effectively advocating for clients via remote technologies continued to interest our lawyer readers, just as they did in 2020.
The final broad category of well-read articles concerns the future of the legal profession and suggestions for how to thrive in what most experts believe will be a highly competitive, technology-driven market for legal services. Summaries of emerging practice areas, critical technologies for law practice success, and litigation-related podcasts attracted thousands of reads in 2021 and were among the most-consumed materials we published this year.
Looking ahead to 2022, it seems clear that technology-related developments will continue to find a receptive readership among the litigators and business executives who consume our content. The manner in which the legal profession conducts litigation and delivers legal services to clients are both inextricably tied to technology now. Nearly every jurisdiction in the country is engaged in writing new rules for a next-generation justice system where physical distance is increasingly irrelevant and physical evidence is increasingly converted to electronic formats – available instantly to counsel, parties, and adjudicators.
Cyberthreats and cyber-opportunities continue to proliferate, topics that will no doubt be on the minds of all law firm leaders. Finally, litigation over losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic has only just begun. The process of sorting out financial responsibility for COVID-related injuries and business losses will keep litigators very busy in 2022 and beyond.
We live in interesting times, with no shortage of fascinating subjects to write about.
The List
These articles were among the most popular with our lawyer and business readers in 2021.
Data Security
Assessing Cyber Insurance Coverage for Data Breach Losses
Lawyers, Be Tough Customers When Purchasing Technology
Revised State Data Breach Laws Demand Attention
Are We Taking Data Security Seriously Enough?
Staying Secure in the New Hybrid Workplace
Deposition Practice
Turning Deposition No-Shows to the Client’s Advantage
Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act Widens Footprint
The High Price of Failing to Appear for Deposition
Winning Habits That Produce Accurate Remote Deposition Transcripts
Litigators Share Their Best Advice for Succeeding in Remote Depositions
Future of the Legal Profession
Legal Practice Areas That Are Thriving During the Pandemic
The Opportunity and Imperative for Post-Pandemic Legal Innovation
8 Critical Technologies for Today’s Next-Generation Litigators Build Expertise With These Eight Litigation Podcasts
