The pandemic's impact on law firm IT budgets won't just be a short-term affair. With more insights into how they work—and a greater appreciation for work flexibility—firms are likely to keep investing in tech-backed process improvement and cloud transitions for years to come, according to a new survey by legal business management software provider Aderant.

The 2020 Aderant Business of Law and Legal Technology Survey found many firms grappled with pandemic-spurred tech challenges in 2020. The survey spoke with 201 law firm professionals, the majority of whom a held a finance or accounting role, an executive-level position or worked in the firm's IT department.

Compared to 2019, more respondents cited the top challenges they faced over the past year as operational efficiency (31% to 39%), technology adoption (26% to 32%) and cybersecurity (17% to 30%). Chris Cartrett, executive vice president at Aderant, attributed these growing challenges to the fact that many attorneys had to start using technology such as billing and time-keeping tools themselves instead of relying on support staff like they did when they were in the office.