The previous eight Economics of Law Practice Surveys were conducted by the State Bar of Michigan
in paper format in July 1981, April 1984, June 1988, March 1991, April 1994, April 1997, June 2000
and June 2003.
In April 2007, the Law Practice Management Section of the Bar released the 2007 Economics of
Law Practice Survey in an on-line format via the Internet at
www.LawPracticeEconomics.com, a service
of Synergy Management Solutions, Inc.
The on-line survey questionnaire was derived from the previous paper versions of the survey
and was refined by the Law Practice Management Section Survey Committee, chaired by Vincent
Romano of Grosse Pointe Park.
Contrary to the approach used for previous versions of the Economics of Law Practice Survey,
all members of the State Bar are invited to participate in the on-line survey. In the past, a
sample size of only 25% of active members was selected to participate using a paper-based
questionnaire.
Survey data is collected from Michigan attorneys year-round through the Economics of Law
Practice web site at www.LawPracticeEconomics.com
and compiled quarterly by Synergy Management Solutions, Inc. Strict audit control
procedures are employed to eliminate any possibility of system errors, calculation errors or data
corruption. All data is audited, validated and analyzed to flag outliers and possible errors due
to data entry.
Survey results are updated and posted to the LawPracticeEconomics.com web site quarterly.
Only members of the State Bar of Michigan that have completed and submitted a survey may access
the survey results at no charge.
Review of Statistical Terms
To help interpret the information presented in the survey results, the following is a brief
discussion of statistical terms, including measures of central tendency (median and mean) and
measures of dispersion (spread).
Mean – The mean (also called the average or arithmetic average) is
calculated by adding the values of all responses, then dividing by the number of responses.
For example, three responses (30, 1 and 2) are reported. The average is calculated by adding
their values (30 + 1 + 2 = 33) and then dividing by the number of responses (3). Thus, the average
is (33 ÷ 3 = 11).
Median – The median is the middle value of a series, or distribution, of
values, which is initially rank-ordered (from low to high or vice versa). By definition, half the
numbers are greater and half are less than the median.
For example, three responses (30, 1, and 2) are reported. The median is the middle number of the
order of distribution (1, 2, 30), or 2. By comparison, the average of this same distribution,
as shown above, is (33 ÷ 3 = 11).
Use of the median as a statistical metric of central tendency reduces the effect of
'outliers' (extremely high or low values, such as the data point of 30 in the
previous example), while the average does not. Median values are utilized throughout the
results to denote the measure of central tendency.
Percentiles – In addition to the median, four other percentile values are used in the survey results to reveal
the spread or dispersion of a particular data distribution. These include:
- 10th Percentile – Ten percent of the values are less and ninety percent
are more than this value.
- 25th Percentile – Also referred to as the 'lower quartile'.
One-fourth of the values are less and three-fourths are more than this value.
- 50th Percentile – Also referred to as the 'median'. Half of
the values are less and half are more than this value.
- 75th Percentile – Also referred to as the 'upper quartile'.
Three-fourths of the values are less and one-fourth are more than this value.
- 90th Percentile – Ninety percent of the values are less and ten percent
are more than this value.
Confidentiality
All survey data is collected anonymously. When State Bar members register to participate in the
survey, they are asked to provide their State Bar of Michigan Member Number (P Number or LA Number)
and Date of Birth to ensure the registrant is a member of the State Bar, as only active
Bar members are permitted to participate in the survey. Only the Member Number is retained in the
survey's database; however, it is encrypted before being stored to ensure that all survey
responses remain anonymous and cannot be associated with the participant's identity.
Participants are also asked to enter a user-defined 6-digit User ID that they will use to log in
to the survey. When the registration process is complete, a unique password will then be assigned
to that member for accessing the survey. To assure the confidentiality of a members
responses, their password should not be shared with any one. Once a user has logged in, the web
pages he/she views have been customized to the member and will contain the member's personal and
confidential information.
LawPracticeEconomics.com's Internet web-hosting servers, databases and networks are designed
to ensure the reliability, performance and security necessary to provide survey data when and
how it's wanted, and to ensure that the transmission of sensitive and confidential
data is protected.
The LawPracticeEconomics.com web site makes use of PKI cryptography and digital signature
technology, applied via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) digital certificates, to provide the necessary
authentication, data integrity and privacy mechanisms that ensure participant data is protected while
it is being sent to LawPracticeEconomics.com. Further, all personally-identifiable information
collected by the LawPracticeEconomics.com website is encrypted before being stored using a
special one-way encryption algorithm which ensures that the survey participant's questionnaire
responses cannot be associated with their identity.
Privacy Policy
Synergy Management Solutions, Inc. makes every reasonable effort to ensure that information
provided to the LawPracticeEconomics.com web site is kept confidential and secure.
In order to earn participants' trust, Synergy discloses its information management and
security practices as clearly and fully as possible. These practices receive continuous oversight,
and most of our business decisions, including web site design, technology selection and
third-party business relationships, begin and end with considerations of survey participant
privacy.
To view the complete LawPracticeEconomics.com Privacy Policy, please click on
the
Privacy Policy link on the bottom of this page.