The ABA's 2024 Legal Technology Survey Reports offer a comprehensive look at how attorneys leverage technology across firm sizes. This article synthesizes the most relevant findings for solo and small firm lawyers, focusing on trends in adoption, security, research habits, marketing, and litigation tools. Where helpful, the practices of midsize (10–49 attorneys) and large firms (100+) are referenced to highlight notable contrasts or similarities.
The 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey reveals a number of notable trends for solo and small firm practitioners, particularly in the adoption and use of office technology. One of the most significant changes involves the shift in primary computing devices. While solo and small firm attorneys continue to rely heavily on desktop computers (57% and 51%, respectively), there is a gradual increase in laptop usage—38% among solos and 43% among small firms—marking a slight uptick from previous years (with the exception of 2022 where there was a spike for solos), though these rates still lag behind larger firms, where 87% use laptops. This suggests that while portability is gaining traction, many solo and small firm lawyers may remain rooted in more traditional setups due to cost constraints, preference, or legacy systems.
In terms of software usage, solo and small firms continue to show modest adoption rates across several categories compared to their larger counterparts. For example, while 93% of solo respondents report access to PDF creation software and 89% use it personally, only 37% report having document assembly software available, with 37% using it—figures that remain relatively unchanged from 2023. Metadata removal software usage also remains low among solos (29%), compared to 84% in large firms. CRM software usage saw a modest increase among small firms (39%) which is above the average of 31% across all firm sizes, suggesting growing awareness of client relationship tools.
Communication and cloud-based services show some encouraging signs for solo practitioners, reporting the use of remote access tools at 62%, with year-over-year improvements. Small firms’ remote access numbers took a dip from more than 80% in the last two years to 71%, more closely resembling 2021 statistics. Additionally, solos remain more likely than large firms to use electronic fax (49% vs. 23%), suggesting a unique retention of older tech perhaps due to client expectations or workflow familiarity. Overall, while solo and small firms are embracing certain tools at a steady pace, the data highlight ongoing disparities in technology adoption, particularly in advanced or specialized software, which may impact their operational efficiency and client service capabilities compared to mid-size and large firms.
The 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report on Litigation Technology & E-Discovery highlights several critical trends impacting solo and small firm practitioners, especially as they relate to courtroom practice and litigation support tools. Notably, 78% of small firm practitioners report practicing in the courtroom—a steady rate from prior years—indicating a consistent hands-on litigation role among small firms, even as larger firms increasingly delegate such appearances. While small firms report appearing in court an average of 33 times per year, this figure is more than double that of attorneys at firms with 100 or more lawyers, reflecting a continued emphasis on direct courtroom involvement among smaller practices.
Despite this engagement, access to litigation-specific technologies remains uneven and increases as firm size increases. Only 27% of solo attorneys and 38% of small firms report access to litigation support software in 2024, compared to 73% in large firms. This gap extends to trial presentation and deposition software, where availability among solos and small firms lags far behind their larger firm counterparts. However, usage of laptops in the courtroom continues to rise among solos and small firms (67% and 73% respectively in 2024, up from 56% and 62% in 2022), with increasing use for functions like accessing evidence, court dockets, and legal research.
The report also reveals disparities in electronic discovery (e-discovery) capabilities, likely tied to the reduced need. Only 35% of solo practitioners report being involved in cases that required the processing or review of electronic discovery materials or electronically stored information (ESI) as compared to large firm figures (66%). Predictive coding and AI-assisted search remain largely underutilized among solos (11% and 29%, respectively) and small firms (7% and 23%, respectively). These figures suggest both a resource gap and a possible lack of familiarity with advanced tools that are becoming more common in complex litigation. Overall, the 2024 report reinforces that while solos and small firms remain actively involved in litigation, they continue to face challenges in accessing and utilizing the same level of litigation technology as larger firms—a gap that, without intervention or support, may widen in the coming years.
The 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report on Online Research highlights persistent disparities between solo and small firm attorneys and their larger counterparts in the adoption and usage of legal research tools. While 88% of all respondents report using free online research tools, solo practitioners continue to lead this category—63% regularly use free services, compared to 50% in midsize firms and 59% in large firms. Solos also report high satisfaction with the usability and depth of coverage of these tools. However, reliance on fee-based online research tools remains significantly lower: only 45% of solo attorneys report using them, compared to 78% among larger firms, and just 29% of solos say they begin their research with a fee-based source, compared to 42-49% in firms with 2 or more attorneys. Instead, solos are the most likely to begin research through state bar-sponsored free legal research resources (27% as compared to 0-8% in firms with 2 or more attorneys).
When examining platform usage, Fastcase is the most commonly used free website among solo attorneys, with 37% naming it their most-used free website, significantly more than in any other firm size. Fastcase is a close second for small firms at 23%, but with government websites being the most used at 29%. Cornell’s Legal Information Institute is a popular free website choice for midsize and large firms. The most used fee-based online service utilized by solo practitioners is Lexis/Lexis+, while Westlaw/Westlaw Precision is overwhelmingly the most used by firms with 2 or more attorneys.
The 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report on Marketing & Communication Technology presents a nuanced view of how solo and small firm attorneys engage with digital tools and platforms to connect with clients. Notably, the percentage of solo firms with a website has steadily grown over the past four years—from just 53% in 2021 to 70% in 2024—suggesting increased awareness of the importance of online presence. Solo and small firms also take advantage of online scheduling features through their website at a much higher rate than larger firms, with 23% of solo firms and 18% of small firms allowing online scheduling, as compared to 15% from firms of 100+ attorneys and 14% from firms of 10-49 attorneys.
Content creation and site management also reflect disparities in resources and staffing. Most solo attorneys (76%) and attorneys from small size firms (63%) personally manage and create content for their firm’s website, while larger firms rely more heavily on marketing departments or outside consultants. Only 5% of solo firms syndicate their content to third-party sites or platforms, compared to 27% of large firms. Likewise, blogging remains uncommon among solos (11%) and small firms (19%), though more than 40% of those solo and small firm attorneys who blog say it has resulted in retained legal services, indicating an opportunity for strategic growth.
Social media usage shows greater engagement, with 70% of solo attorneys maintaining a presence on LinkedIn and 63% on Facebook. However, the presence on LinkedIn has decreased for solo and small firms, coming down from 95% in 2021 to 70% in 2024 and 71% in 2021 to 65% in 2024, respectively. The presence on Facebook has increased for solo practitioners, reaching a high of 63% in 2024, sharing a similar percentage to small size firms which reports 68% utilizing Facebook. Both percentages are significantly higher than for larger size firms, which tend to more commonly utilize X (formerly Twitter).
The 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report on Technology Basics & Security reveals several key developments and ongoing disparities in how solo and small firm practitioners approach foundational legal technology and cybersecurity. Budgeting for technology remains consistent by firm size, with larger tech budgets corresponding with larger firm size. Forty one percent of solo practitioners and 55% of small firms budget for technology, as compared to 68% and 90% for firms of 10-49 attorneys and 100+ attorneys respectively.
Solo practitioners and attorneys in small firms overwhelmingly report making their own tech decisions (97% and 90%), and while this may promote flexibility, it often reflects limited infrastructure and outside support. Compared to larger firms, solos are much more likely to select their own hardware—100% report choosing their own laptops and printers—but this independence doesn’t necessarily translate into more sophisticated security or systems.
Spending data underscores the constraints solo and small firm attorneys face. Seventy-four percent of solos spend less than $3,000 per year on legal software, and 61% spend under $2,999 on hardware. Small firms are more varied on the amount of money they’ll spend annually on software, but the majority (58%) spend between $1,000-9,999 annually on hardware. Meanwhile, larger firms routinely exceed $20,000 annually in both categories.
Larger firms are also more likely to have available tech support, with 55-100% of firms with 10 or more attorneys having internal technical support staff. Whereas solos most commonly rely on consultants (35%) or online resources (28%) and small firms most commonly rely on consultants (31%) and internal technical support staff (25%).
Solo attorneys and small firms with 2-9 attorneys generally have fewer security features and policies compared to larger law firms. Solo attorneys often lack technology budgets (41%) and policies (59%), rely heavily on personal responsibility for data security (84%), and have limited adoption of advanced security tools like two-factor authentication (54.7%) and file encryption (52%). Small firms fare slightly better, with 21% lacking technology policies and 31% relying on external consultants for data security, but they still lag in advanced measures like biometric login (12%). In contrast, larger firms with 100 or more attorneys demonstrate robust security practices, with nearly universal technology budgets (90%), comprehensive policies like incident response plans (83%), and advanced tools such as intrusion detection (52.6%) and file encryption (76.3%). They also employ dedicated IT staff or chief information officers (50%), utilize locked server rooms (73%), conduct third-party security assessments (37%), and maintain cyber liability insurance (51%), reflecting a higher level of preparedness and investment in security infrastructure.
