Adoption of online legal services by law firms in South Africa

Abstract

The legal profession is in the midst of a disruption that has been ignited by technology and fanned by legal entrepreneurs. The fate of todays law firms, lie in their ability to escape from the confines of the Òpractical artÓ that has existed for centuries. Conflicted by the trade-off between efficiency and revenue generation, the jury is still out on the adoption of online legal services by law firms. Academics have not paid much attention into low innovation industries. The legal industry is one such industry that is relatively understudied from a technology adoption perspective. This research study used the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework to identify six factors which were posited to influence the adoption of online legal services within the legal industry in South Africa. Data collected from an online survey targeted at lawyers currently employed or associated with law firms operating in South Africa yielded a total of 120 usable responses. The study found perceived compatibility to be the only adoption factor which significantly influences the adoption of online legal services in South Africa. The versatility of the TOE framework was demonstrated by its ability to understand technology adoption in a new context. The study concluded that the TOE framework can be improved upon if it took into account the maturity level of the technology being studied. The findings are positioned to help practitioners gain a better understanding of the state of online legal services adoption in South Africa and the offers practical suggestions on how law firms can survive in a virtual world in demand of commoditised legal services.