And more importantly, are their clients?

With the increased use of smartphones such as the BlackBerry and iPhone, consumers have the option of Web browsing from an increasing number of locations - on their coffee break, sitting on the train, riding in a car (preferably while somebody else is driving).

Many Web sites simply aren't designed for the smaller screens, slower connections and reduced functionality that came with the older smartphones. Companies were forced to decide between additional development work to support the mobile devices or disregard those potential users.

The newer smartphones, such as the iPhones, eliminate much of that dilemma by integrating familiar browsers into the mobile phones: iPhones come with Apple's Safari browser; Windows-based phones include Internet Explorer; every company that develops smartphones has chosen a microbrowser to work with. The familiar browser setting combined with faster connectivity reduces many of the problems previously encountered with designing pages for mobile devices; the main drawback that remains is the smaller screen.

With the new technology encouraging mobile users, it's a fairly safe assumption that legal firms and their clients will move forward with the technology. Are you ready?