When asked which of the 32 legal technology tools listed their business currently uses, the largest proportion of survey respondents (79%) reported using billing tools. Legal research tools come in second (70%), followed closely by electronic signatures (69%). Easier access to records and faster access to information are essential to the effective management of a law firm. Most law firms only use document generation to create simple forms such as advances, welcome letters, or registration requests. But the best law firms use document generation as much as possible. They use it to generate any document they need, no matter how complex or nuanced. As a lawyer, you are constantly writing documents and letters, so a word processor is an extremely necessary legal tool. However, we recommend using a cloud-based word processor to clarify your documents and letters, giving you the ability to work remotely and access your legal documents. We saved the best for last. One of the most pressing arguments in favour of the introduction of legal technology is that 39 States have included a requirement of technological competence in their respective codes of conduct. And the lack of an adequate level of technological expertise, even unintentionally, could lead to legal errors. In addition, legal technology, which increases productivity and collaboration outside the office, offers the added benefit of tapping into a wider talent pool. The broadest category of technology in your practice is one that helps you automate tasks.
Automation can not only save you time, but also reduce errors by limiting human interaction. After documenting your systems and processes, you`ll have an idea of where you can automate. For any law firm, the ultimate benefit of technology is to stay relevant, go far above the law, and save money. Simply put, your firm needs skilled talent, and these people want to take advantage of the latest legal technologies available. What are the most important tools for lawyers in 2022 to set their law firms up for success this year? After the global pandemic triggered a year of change and challenge for the legal profession, many lawyers are now working in virtual reality, whether they are sometimes working remotely or have taken over a fully virtual law firm. As the Legal Trends Report 2020 showed, client adoption and CRM software are good for law firm growth, even during remote working hours. Companies using customer pickup and online CRM solutions performed better year-over-year compared to those that didn`t, both before and in the early months of the coronavirus outbreak. In terms of revenue, companies using customer selection and CRM solutions saw their growth almost double compared to other companies in the first months of 2020. They were then able to achieve better annual performance in the first months of the pandemic and achieve positive growth from June onwards. Client portals also make it easy for your clients to pay their lawyers` bills. Invoices can be created online and sent to your customers, either via the portal or by email or SMS. Upon receipt, your customers can pay immediately by ACH or credit card.
It`s as simple as that. Your business will be paid faster because your company`s customer portal offers your customers flexible payment options and the ability to pay instantly. Accurate time tracking and invoicing are critical to the profitability of law firms. But spending a lot of time manually monitoring time and dealing with billing hurts your productivity. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that existing legal technology could automate 23% of lawyers` workload. Fortunately, AI is transforming the legal field and improving efficiency through time-consuming searches, document reviews, and case analysis. With AI, a contract can be reviewed in less than an hour, saving 20-90% of the time needed to manually perform the same work, but without the risk of human error. Using task management software is sometimes a task that needs to be managed on its own – but that`s not the case with Todoist, a deceptively simple task scheduling app. With recurring tasks, subtasks, and schedules, Todoist provides everything a law firm needs to keep up with deadlines and requirements. And with a Gmail plugin, a Chrome plugin, and a mobile app, adding tasks is always just a click away. Clio Manage allows you to automate and simplify administrative work so you can focus on what matters most to you: your clients and your practice.
The integrated payment solution (known as Clio Payments) allows you to go one step further and make it easier to pay your customers` bills. Just as your customers pay their bills in their daily lives, they can now pay you by credit, direct debit or e-check. “To the extent that you haven`t fully embraced legal technology, you do.” Case management, records management, billing and client relationship management were the most frequently chosen responses to the question of where of the 32 tools respondents saw a need for new or improved technology.
