Chrissy BurnsMost large law firms now use online collaborative workspaces. But while a few firms have seen impressive results, quiet rumblings suggest that, on the whole, online collaborative workspaces have not lived up to their initial promise.

One respondent to my recent survey of 20 large UK and US law firms summed up the general mood: “I have not seen such a good example of technology chasing a need as this one. It is no mystery why companies offering this keep going out of business. The mystery is why new companies keep popping up.”