Basic Technologies to Increase Your Firm's Productivity

As an advocate, you must have realized that you can increase your firm’s productivity by the use of technology. The technology helps in streamlining the processes, managing and organizing the documents, and keeping you connected with your peers and clients 24/7.                                            

However, many lawyers shy away from the legal technology saying it is not their cup of tea. The lawyers are afraid of the technology as it changes every other day and it is difficult to handle it. They feel that there will be no time for them to practice law.

But actually, it is not the case; the technology helps to make your practice more effective, efficient and profitable. Apart from your smartphones, laptops, computers, tablets and practice management software you need some more technical assistance to increase your firm’s productivity. Here we have shortlisted some essential technologies that will keep you grounded, streamline your law firm and increase your efficiency. 

1. Productivity Software – You might already have some version of productivity software. It could be Microsoft Office suite, Google Apps for Work, or your compilation of favourite applications for email, presentation creation, databases, spreadsheets, and document drafting, storing and sharing.          Expert Advice – You should get all the software on one easy-to-use dashboard and synchronized across your devices.

2. PDF Conversion Software – This software as the name suggests converts your document to PDFs. It is a convenient, accurate and time-saving. Once you scan the paper documents, they are editable. Sending such documents could be tough as they can be edited. But the PDF files are non-editable and hence, no one can tamper them. Expert’s Advice: When you send your documents as PDFs to the courts, opposing counsel and other important member related to your job search, you guarantee 100% safety.

3. Document Automation or Document Assembly Software – This software basically, streamlines document creation. The forms that are frequently used are considered and you have the liberty to customize it for each of your clients. This assembly has a different integration level with your other software programs. You can merge client information and along with the clauses as well as use plugins for your existing productivity tools. Expert Advice – It will be great if you could have your document assemble software integrated into the practice management software and accessible  through their dashboard.

4. Time and Billing Software or The Accounting Software – This software will assist you in time capture, invoicing, billing hours calculations, trust accounting reconciliation and reporting tools. The time billing software is particularly essential for your accountant during the tax period. Expert Advice – If an audit is carried out in your firm owing to this software things will be done in a jiffy and you will be saved from days of potentially zero    income time.

5. Practice Management Software – This software is used by many law firms. It may be called Legal practice management software or case management software. It typically includes contact management, document management, and calendar and email management, time-tracking, and billing and accounting facilities. This software centralizes the entire data of your law firm in one easily accessible location. They are cloud-based thus making your data available anytime anywhere. This increases your law firm’s productivity many folds. Apart from this, the striking feature of the practice management software is the security that it provides. Today cybersecurity is a great issue and for a lawyer, it is even more important to protect the client’s critical information, which is possible with this law software. Expert Advice – Before selecting the practice management software take trials of many and then select the one that best fit your needs.

6. E-Discovery Tools – Yes, you also need this tool to increase your firm’s productivity. E-discovery is electronically identifying, collecting and producing stored information (ESI) if requested in a lawsuit or an investigation. If you are unable to conduct and produce the e-discovery properly you may be judged as incompetent. So, for conducting proper e-discovery you need to have an efficient system. There are many vendor’s who deal into the e-discovery system. It is a good practice to ask the vendor for a free sandbox for you to learn. Expert Advice – This is a must-have even if your jurisdiction has not implemented it yet, it is just a matter of time.

7. Digital Dictation – You don’t need any extra assembly for this software as mostly all the lawyers have smartphones and laptop computers to increase their productivity with their voices. You just need is a legal software or an app that allows digital dictation and you can work from anywhere, verbally create documents and templates and also delegate the tasks and you can concentrate on your legal matters. If stuck in traffic or have few minutes between the meetings, you can make use of it as billable hours and not lose your expenses. The tremendous use of smartphones, voice-activated systems and speech recognition applications make it easier for you to turn talking into billable hours. Expert Advice – Go for the software provider that uses encryption, near-perfect reliability, physical security to their data centres and no easy data access. 

8. Virtual Call Services – It has been proved that the first 30 seconds of a client’s call decide the fate of your practice. When the potential client calls a law firm, a live person who warmly and effectively responds to the caller’s needs, the conversion of the caller into an appointment is much more. But however due to some issues if the first call is not handled properly the lawyer loses a prospective client. Hence having virtual call services is beneficial as it will answer all the calls coming to your office professionally. Expert Advice – It is worth investing in a good call service acting as your front desk receptionist.

These technologies if used can certainly be beneficial for your firm. But again it is your call to go for all of them or only a few or none.