In a year dominated and defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is surprising that most of my top-read stories this year had nothing to do with the pandemic. Instead, they were about ransomware attacks, regulatory reform, industry news, and new legal research tools.

Every year since 2010, I have compiled a year-end list of my most-popular posts. The results have always been interesting. Three years ago, by a wide margin, my top-viewed post was about the debut of the LegalBoard, a keyboard designed for lawyers. Last year, the LegalBoard returned to the top spot for a second time, thanks to a post about its new wireless version.

That was not the first time that variations on the same product twice took the top spot. In 2010, the first year I started compiling a year-end list, my most-popular post was a first look at the then-newest version of Westlaw, WestlawNext. Two years ago, in 2018, my most popular post was a first look at the now-newest version of Westlaw, Westlaw Edge.

This Year’s Rankings

But this year, three of the top four posts were about ransomware attacks — two about the attack early in the year that temporarily took down Epiq Global and one about a spate of attacks against law firms. My third most-popular post this year was my first, a look back at the decade in legal tech from 2010 to 2019.

Also popular this year were posts about regulatory reform initiatives in Arizona and Utah, litigation by Thomson Reuters against ROSS Intelligence, the new Casetext product that drafts litigation briefs automatically, and the launch by LexisNexis of a “premium” legal research service.

For the first time, a guest post made the list — an essay on legal tech incubators and accelerators by Alma Asay, former founder of Allegory Law and now an evangelist at Litera.

How I List These

Note that I have two lists here. First, I list the 15 most popular posts of 2020, listing only posts first published during 2020. After that, I list the most popular posts of the year, without regard to the year the post was originally published. In both cases, the rankings are based only on 2020 traffic, not all-time traffic.

Neither ranking includes two static pages that are consistently in the top 15, my list of legal tech startups and my tally of the states that have adopted the duty of technology competence.

For somewhat of a time capsule of the past decade in legal technology, see my prior years’ lists of my most-popular posts: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010).

Top 15 Posts of 2020 — First Published in 2020

  1. Ransomware Attacks Hit Three Law Firms in Last 24 Hours (Feb. 1, 2020).
  2. Epiq Global Down As Company Investigates Unauthorized Activity on Systems (March 2, 2020).
  3. The Decade in Legal Tech: The 10 Most Significant Developments (Jan. 1, 2020).
  4. New Details Emerge on the Ransomware Attack Against Epiq Global (March 5, 2020).
  5. Guest Post: Different Approaches with a Common Takeaway Across Legal Tech Incubators/Accelerators (Sept. 16, 2020).
  6. Breaking: In Historic Vote, Utah Supreme Court Approves Sweeping Changes in Legal Services Regulation (Aug. 13, 2020).
  7. This Video Conferencing App Is Purpose-Built for Lawyers, and It’s Free (April 14, 2020).
  8. Thomson Reuters Sues ROSS Intelligence Claiming Theft Of Proprietary Data (May 6, 2020).
  9. Reports Say Atrium Letting Go Most Of Its Legal Staff; Had Vowed to ‘Revolutionize Legal Services’ (Jan. 12, 2020).
  10. Arizona Is First State To Eliminate Ban On Nonlawyer Ownership Of Law Firms (Aug. 31, 2020).
  11. LexisNexis Launches An All-New Premium Legal Research Service (July 8, 2020).
  12. Notable New Casetext Product Drafts Your Litigation Briefs For You (Feb. 25, 2020).
  13. ROSS Comes Out Swinging, Vows To Fight Thomson Reuters’ Lawsuit Alleging Data Theft (May 7, 2020).
  14. Layoffs Hit Two Well-Known E-Discovery Professionals (May 6, 2020).
  15. State Bar Issues Ethics Guidance on Working from Home During COVID-19 Pandemic (April 14, 2020).

Top 15 Posts of 2020 — First Published in Any Year

  1. Ransomware Attacks Hit Three Law Firms in Last 24 Hours (Feb. 1, 2020).
  2. The 20 Most Important Legal Technology Developments of 2018. (Dec. 26, 2018).
  3. Epiq Global Down As Company Investigates Unauthorized Activity on Systems (March 2, 2020).
  4. The Decade in Legal Tech: The 10 Most Significant Developments (Jan. 1, 2020).
  5. Price Wars in Legal Research Mean Deals for Small Firms; I Compare Costs (May 23, 2019).
  6. The LegalBoard, the Keyboard Made for Lawyers, Goes Wireless (Nov. 7, 2019).
  7. New Details Emerge on the Ransomware Attack Against Epiq Global (March 5, 2020).
  8. Guest Post: Different Approaches with a Common Takeaway Across Legal Tech Incubators/Accelerators (Sept. 16, 2020).
  9. Breaking: In Historic Vote, Utah Supreme Court Approves Sweeping Changes in Legal Services Regulation (Aug. 13, 2020).
  10. This Video Conferencing App Is Purpose-Built for Lawyers, and It’s Free (April 14, 2020).
  11. Thomson Reuters Sues ROSS Intelligence Claiming Theft Of Proprietary Data (May 6, 2020).
  12. Reports Say Atrium Letting Go Most Of Its Legal Staff; Had Vowed to ‘Revolutionize Legal Services’ (Jan. 12, 2020).
  13. Arizona Is First State To Eliminate Ban On Nonlawyer Ownership Of Law Firms (Aug. 31, 2020).
  14. LexisNexis Launches An All-New Premium Legal Research Service (July 8, 2020).
  15. Notable New Casetext Product Drafts Your Litigation Briefs For You (Feb. 25, 2020).

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.