Houthoff Buruma (HB), the Netherlands-based business law firm, has truly broke the mold with its second law firm mobile app. The firm has created a game that works best on an iPad, aimed at students with the goal of teaching skills in the professional services realm.

The game is mission-based. Users are presented with a 360-degree photo realistic world based in a law firm office. One navigates around the office in order to resolve a business situation, with a client waiting in the boardroom for the final solution. In order complete the game, the user needs to complete tasks and talk with various personnel to get input. The firm claims that new missions will be added on a regular basis.

While MoFo may have the first firm law firm to have a game within an app, HB has put some real resources into creating a stand-alone law firm game app. While time will tell whether the resources for producing the app will pay off for HB in its recruitment, this app shows that law firms can be creative in their mobile efforts.

See our interview with HB’s Director of Marketing & Business Development here.

- Law App Guy

Law Firm Mobile: For those of our audience not familiar with your firm, could you tell us a little about it?

Bosman: Houthoff Buruma is a long-established Netherlands based law firm with well over 250 lawyers worldwide. Houthoff Buruma has a strong focus in areas of corporate / M&A, dispute resolution, banking & finance and insolvency. Houthoff Buruma is the Lex Mundi firm for the Netherlands.

Law Firm Mobile: Why has your firm decided to produce smartphone applications?

Bosman: Innovation is one of the core values of Houthoff Buruma. Furthermore, we are always looking for new and efficient ways for our clients to stay in contact with us and to keep up with the latest developments. Our apps provide a quick and easy way to access information about all of our lawyers, practices and relevant developments.

Law Firm Mobile: What are your thoughts regarding mobile compatible websites v. mobile apps?

Bosman: In 2011, traffic to law firm websites from mobile devices increased by 152%. Our audience increasingly relies on mobile devices to get information, and to communicate with our firm. A few months ago,we released our new website houthoff.com, which improved the accessibility of our website to our mobile clients. We believe that our customers use both mobile compatible websites and mobile apps, and think that an integrated approach is the optimal solution.

Law Firm Mobile: All of your apps are for the iOS (and one for the BlackBerry). Do you have plans to support other platforms?

Bosman: Houthoff Buruma so far has developed apps for iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry. After releasing our first app for BlackBerry, we received feedback from our clients asking for an iPhone version of the app. Because of the growing share of iPhones and iPads in the business market, we decided to build apps for iPhone and iPad as well. Until now, we did not make any apps for Android, because in the high-end market where Houthoff Buruma is operating, most of our clients either use BlackBerry or iPhone. We think it is important to keep up with the latest developments, so if there will be any demand from our client for Android Apps, we will take this into account.

Law Firm Mobile:  Who do you use to develop your apps?

Bosman: The conceptual idea of all of our Apps is set up by Houthoff Buruma. For developing our apps, we work together with Oberon Interactive, a company specialising in interactive web and mobile solutions. For our recruitment app ‘HB The App’, we worked together closely with Ranj Serious Games. They also helped us to develop our serious game for recruitment in 2010, ‘The Game’, which went on to win numerous awards.

Law Firm Mobile: Could you share any client reaction to your apps?

Bosman: We received many positive reactions on our apps from our clients, other firms in our Lex Mundi network and we also received a lot of media coverage. Our app was even voted no. 3 in the top-5 Business apps in the Netherlands by leading Dutch financial newspaper, Het Financieele Dagblad. Our ‘HB Global’ app was downloaded 1,000 times within weeks of release, and still now each week there are 10 new downloads.

A few reactions we received from clients:

• “I’ve downloaded your app and I must say that it looks really great. Compliments!”
• “Very innovative 3D technique. I’m sure it will be used for more than Houthoff Buruma purposes only”.
• “Why don’t we have this?” (The app was circulated through partners of a Lex Mundi law firm.)

Law Firm Mobile: What are your plans for further mobile efforts in the near future? 

Bosman: We just released our ‘HB Conf’ app for iPhone and iPad, the official app for the 2012 Spring Meeting of the Section of International Law of the American Bar Association. Besides providing conference information, this app offers unique networking opportunities by using Linkedin to connect with other participants and helps to create a personalized program. We are currently working on using this app for other international conferences coming up.

Also, we are working on extending our ‘HB The App’, our app specifically made for recruitment purposes. New features will be added, in cooperation with various important key components in the business community, such as business schools, top-tier US and UK law firms, investment banks, etc. We are also working on making our website houthoff.com even more accessible to our mobile clients on a continuous basis.

Law Firm Mobile: Thanks for your time, Jaap!

Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP developed its eDelaware app to provide users access to Delaware corporate and alternative entity statutes, Article 8 and Article 9 of the UCC, as well as Delaware Court of Chancery and Supreme Court of Delaware case law summaries.

The firm had previously developed the app for BlackBerry users and then recently relaunched the app for the iPhone. The revised version of the app offers an enhanced feature of full-text searching.

Scott E. Waxman, a partner at Potter Anderson, observed:

Since 2008, eDelaware has streamlined how Delaware corporate and business law is accessed in today’s fast-paced environment. This latest version is accessible to an even broader group of smartphone users and enables more advanced search functionality…

- Law App Guy

Uría Menéndez is one of the first large law firms in the world to create an app especially for the iPad. The app itself focuses on the substantive legal resources created by the firm’s lawyers.

The application offers the following firm content:

The most impressive aspect of this app is that the firm designed an interface that was appropriate for the iPad screen, as opposed to just blowing up an iPhone sized interface. When navigating through articles, the app provides a “FlipBoard” type experience — again, kudos for developing on the iPad in an appropriate way. A negative about this app is when one actually selects to an article to read — the app typically brings up a PDF of the article (probably housed on the firm’s website) instead of letting the user natively read within the app. This isn’t the end of the world because one can easily enlarge text on the iPad, but it does take away from the experience.

- Law App Guy

Similar to the accounting sector, as shown below, we found a number of consulting firms who offer mobile apps. If  prominent consulting firms find that apps provide value to their current or perspective clients (or recruits), then perhaps apps may provide value to some law firms as well

Examples of consulting firms and their apps include:

• The Boston Consulting Group — bcg.perspectives (iPad)

• Booz & Company — Business Case Interview Prep (iPhone)

• Accenture (iPhone)

• AT Kearney – Tech Advocacy Newsletter (iphone)

• Arthur D. Little –  PRISM Magazine  (iphone)

- Law App Guy

Latham & Watkins LLP has solidified its position as the AmLaw firm with the greatest committment to providing mobile app solutions. As the firm’s fourth app, Global Merger Regimes provides information about competition merger review regimes around the world.

The app provides users with access to the following types of information in each jurisdiction:

• Applicable merger review thresholds
• Timeline to clearance
• Potential fines
• Substantive legal test
• Other information used to analyze potential merger filing requirements

The app provides a database of merger regimes for more than 80 countries. This app appears to be most useful to those attorneys and business persons involved in global M&A deals. Approval from competition authorities around the world may impact the feasibility of a particular transaction and the timeline to closing.

In a press release, Michael Egge, co-chair of the firm’s global antitrust and competition practice group, said:

- Law App Guy

Below, we first present summary statistics on the extent of mobile app penetration by large law firms. Second, we describe our general impressions of this data. Last, this report provides a detailed list of the names of those law firms offering apps along with URLs to app reviews done by this blog as well as links to applicable app stores.

Overall

• Of the firms on the 2011 AmLaw 200 list, 16 firms (8%) have mobile apps (compared to 37 firms [19%] with mobile compatible web sites). These 16 firms produced a total of 20 apps.
• Of the firms on the 2011 Global 100 list, 17 firms (17%) have mobile apps (compared to 22 firms [22%] with mobile compatible web sites). These 17 firms produced a total of 21 apps.
• The AmLaw 200 and Global 100 firms together have produced a total of 26 apps.

Firms with More Than One App

Baker & McKenzie (iTunes app store) –  Cross-Border Listing Handbook

Epstein Becker & Green (LFM review, iTunes app store) – Wage & Hour Guide

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (iTunes app store, black berry store)

Goulston & Storrs (LFM review, iTunes app store) - Goulston & Storrs News Application

Latham & Watkins (LFM review, iTunes app store) – Book of Jargon - Corporate and Bank Finance

Latham & Watkins(LFM review, iTunes app store) - Book of Jargon - Project Finance

Latham & Watkins (LFM review, iTunes app store) - Book of Jargon - European Capital Markets and Bank Finance

Littler Mendelson (LFM review, iTunes app store) – Littler

Littler Mendelson (iTunes app store) - 2011 Global Employer Institute

Locke Lord Bissell & Liddel  (LFM review, iTunes app store)

McKenna Long & Aldridge(LFM review, iTunes app store) - Mergers & Acquisitions Quick Reference Guide

Morrison & Foerster  (LFM review, iTunes app store) – MoF2Go

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker   (LFM review, iTunes app store, BlackBerry app store)

Shearman & Sterling  (iTunes app store, android store) - Annual Survey of the Corporate Governance and Executive and Director Compensation Practices of the Largest US Public Companies

Skadden (LFM review, iTunes app store) – Skadden Start Here

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey  (LFM review, iTunes app store) – UK Employment Law Cloud

White & Case  (iTunes app store) – Recruiting (Germany)

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice (LFM review, iTunes app store, BlackBerry App World) – Digital Media Law

Allens Arthur Robinson  (LFM review, iTunes app store) – Phrase Buster

Allen & Overy (LFM review, iTunes app store)

Allen & Overy (LFM review, iTunes app store) – Little Red App

Clayton Utz (LFM review, iTunes app store)

Eversheds (iTunes app store)

Norton Rose (LFM review, iTunes app store, BlackBerry App World)

The mobile space was brought up in at least two sessions:

• “New Technologies for Law Firm Marketing:  Case Studies in Mobile and Video”
• “Love & Marriage, Horse & Carriage, Marketing & IT?  You Can’t Have One Without the Other!”

Vendors who addressed or promoted mobile solutions for law firms included:

• Moire Marketing Partners
• FirmWise
• GreenfieldBelser
• ContentPilot – Velocity
• Something Digital
• Duo Consulting
• Hubbard One

If any conference attendees know of any more instances where mobile was discussed at the event, let us know!

In providing a perspective on whether law firms should participate in the mobile apps “game”, we thought it would be helpful to see what another part of the professional services sector, accounting firms, are doing in the mobile app space.  After all, if apps are good for accounting firms, why not law firms?

In sum, without trying too hard, we found quite a few accounting firms with mobile apps. So the question is: are  accounting firms wrong for producing apps or might law firms also find value in producing them?

Below is just a sample of apps we found:

KPMG

• KPMG Go (iPhone) is a recruiting app that provides students insights from KPMG recruiters and recent KPMG interns on personal branding, job hunting, and interviewing.
• KPMG App (iPad) provides the user access to hundreds of KPMG produced articles, reports, surveys and studies that aim to help organizations respond to dynamic business environments.

PricewaterhouseCoopers 

• PwC (UK)(iPhone) offers access to the firm’s latest thinking on the topics that matter to businesses.  Content is updated constantly, along with videos and podcasts.
• The firm also offers similar apps derived out of other offices, such as PwC (Malasia) (iPhone) and PwC (Ireland) (iPhone, Android).

Deloitte

• Deloitte Leadership Academy (iPhone, Blackberry) is an app associated with the firm’s  business education/training program for executives that develops leadership and business skills.
• Join Deloitte (Australia) (iPhone) is a recruiting resource that provides potential recruits with information about the firm.
• Deloitte Luxembourg (iPhone) provides information to clients and potential clients about this office of the firm, including a directory of senior professionals, business insights (brochures, whitepapers, and podcasts), and an electronic version of the Luxembourg Standard Chart of Accounts.

Ernst & Young

• EY Insights (iPhone) gives users access to reports, surveys and analyses on issues covering every major industry sector across the world relating to assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.

Grant Thornton

• Cypris Tax Facts (iPhone) is an app designed to give the user a concise but comprehensive overview of the Cyprus tax system, for both companies, investors, and individuals.

Some highlights of the report include:

• Smartphones
• 42% of counsel use smart phones to access business media
• 20% of counsel use smart phones to access legal industry trade publications
• 28% of counsel use smart phone sto access blogs
• Tablets
• 25% of counsel use tablets to access general business media
• 14% of counsel use tablets to access legal industry trade publications
• 20% of counsel use tablets to access blogs
• RSS Feeds
• This survey does not appear to support those who argue that mobile apps are unnecessary because readers access content via RSS feeds. The data here indicated a minimal use of RSS feeds by in-house counsel.
• 57% of in-house counsel expect to increase consumption of news and information in the next year. The authors of the report believe that mobile technologies and videos will be the key drivers for that consumption.

The Law Firm Mobile Blog believes that this report is the first that provides metrics specifically about in-house attorney access to information via mobile devices. No one can deny the increased used of mobile phones and tablets in the consumer and business sectors. Now, there are some specific data points for legal marketing and technology professionals to use in order to make decisions for implementing their firms’ mobile strategy.

- Law App Guy