Modern Lawyers Choose Modern Software

A huge change is on the horizon for law. Up to 100,000 legal jobs are under threat from digital transformation. Knowing how to stay ahead and relevant is now a matter of survival for many lawyers.

The solution to avoiding getting swallowed up by the infusion of technology is to adopt it early. It might seem counterintuitive, but modern lawyers stay at the front of their industry by being more innovative than competitors.

The Benefits of Adopting Modern Technology

Modern technology is no longer a possibility; it’s a probability. As the ABA approves more software solutions, not adopting means stubborn lawyers become outdated. The benefits of software cannot be overlooked:

1. Lower human resource expenditure
2. Superior efficiency
3. Extended client reach
4. Greater accuracy
5. Enhanced research
6. Streamlined recruitment
7. Increased transparency
8. Decreased human error
9. Reduced fees
10. Improved profitability

With these benefits and more on the table, what types of software for law firms are on the market?

Practice Management Solutions

Law firms are continuing to morph through the technological era. To ensure they stay aligned, organized, and accessible, forward-thinking lawyers have turned to digital practice management solutions.

Software like Clio, MyCase, Practice Panther provides a host of features to make managing a law firm easier. Clio, for example, provides lawyers with a dashboard of ongoing cases and the current progress rate. Cases can be broken down into itemized task lists that ensure greater accountability and efficiency.

Cloud Management Software

Integrated into practice management software should be a cloud management solution such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Zesty.

Remote work has forced most professional services to operate digitally, and it is not going to change. This has meant that digital accessibility regardless of location has grown in importance. Not only does this apply to the attorneys, but it also applies to clients who are increasingly comfortable and expectant of virtual services.

Cloud management software allows lawyers to securely collaborate and exchange essential information with colleagues and clients alike.

Also Read: Best Solutions to Transfer & Sync Data Dropbox to Google Drive

Document Preparation Software

Adobe, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs are the staples of document preparation in the legal industry but by themselves they are dinosaurs. Applications for document construction, optimization, analyzing, editing, and perfecting exist specifically for modern attorneys.

Word for lawyers has come a long way and not having the next level of tools often leaves you with less impressive documents with potential inaccuracies.

Digital Payment Methods

If you haven’t struggled to receive payment from a client, can you even consider yourself to be a lawyer?

Old school payment cycles are way past their expiry dates. Digital billing has taken over. Software solutions like LawPay, PC Law, and TimeSolv now automate the invoice cycle. This means clients get legal bills when they expect them and with an accessible method of payment.

For the sophisticated lawyer looking to cut down the number of software tools, Clio, Xero, Amberlo, and App4Legal are among many who provide case management, automated billing, expense tracking, and more in one platform.

Virtual Law Libraries

While there is a charm to paperback books in a silent library for the public, it is, effectively and mercifully, behind the legal world. The legal arena is now rife with savvy tools that bring efficiency to research.

Lexis Nexis is one tool that provides an edge. Due to its focus on efficiency, lawyers can subscribe to trials and get text alerts with the judge’s decisions. ROSS Intelligence removes the wasteful scanning of previous cases for arguments and judgments by providing case summaries and subsequent disputes that arose.

Legal research has seen the biggest advancements through technology. With time consistently being squeezed by requests and targets, virtual libraries accessible by phone offers a huge advantage.

Final Thoughts

The battlefield of the legal industry is no longer just a straight fight in cases between opposing counsel.  It is now an ongoing race to optimum efficiency and whoever wins will establish themselves at the top.

As the tradition of clients simply accepting outlandish fees makes way, the lawyer who adapts to the times and expectations of the market attracts clients the most. 

Also Read: Make Your Law Firm Discoverable In The 21st Century