Innovative Tools for the Modern Law Firm

Legal tech is advancing at a rapid rate and offers many possibilities to firms that have digitally literate staff to operate it effectively. In this newsletter, we investigate some of the innovative tools which offer the greatest benefit to modern law firms.

1. Automation.

Many of the processes that law firms perform every day are repetitive and time-consuming, but they are essential for complying with regulatory requirements. When these processes are automated with the use of technology, it frees up your top legal talent to perform value-added activities instead.

2. Enter once, use many.

There has long been a disinclination to allow interconnected systems to share business and personal data for fear it could be intercepted, compromised, stolen or deleted, leading to severe financial and reputational repercussions for the affected law firm. However, modern technology has many failsafes and firewalls which protect against malicious access and enable data to be effectively shared in such a way as to improve efficiency and internal communications, thus improving client outcomes.

3. Workflow technology.

By constructing a workflow, productivity within a law firm can be optimised by ensuring that all data that is input is routed to the individual best able to deal with it. This can be as simple as routing queries from potential new clients to the legal department that is best suited to their needs, through to automating client billing. 

4. Analysis and outcome prediction.

Preparing for court requires many hours of painstaking research, identifying precedents and previous court outcomes, developing persuasive arguments and imagining all potential outcomes in order to prepare for every possible eventuality.

This process can be automated very effectively, with AI technology able to analyse and summarise key case data and even predict outcomes very successfully. By implementing technology in this way, lawyers can review and ratify the AI findings instead of performing the entire task manually.

5. Communication and collaboration.

It is crucial that the modern law firm puts in place technology to allow its lawyers to communicate effectively amongst themselves. This is particularly so when some or all work remotely and are unable to attend routine meetings in an office environment.

Various legal practice management tools exist to streamline internal communication, including cloud hosting for improved version control on client documents and case files, integrated calendars for identifying availability, and instant messaging for impromptu or unplanned communication between colleagues.

There are many more ways in which technology can be exploited to deliver productivity gains, improved profit margins, a more collaborative working environment, greater job satisfaction and enhanced client outcomes. It is essential that law firms assess their current performance in all key areas and consider which to target for improvement when implementing new technologies to ensure that their investment delivers the results that they are hoping for.

It is important to note that technology alone will not deliver the business benefits that law firms need, unless a targeted package of training is put in place to upskill the workforce and prepare them for the seismic shift in their ways of working. In selecting which technology to implement, it is important to consider the skills gap that will exist and whether time and funding allow for staff to be trained to the necessary level to use it effectively, or whether investment is better spent focussing on a less resource-intensive option.

It is a decision that must be made on a case-by-case basis and balanced against the need to provide an effective and uninterrupted service to the firm's clients. By performing a training needs analysis alongside a cost benefit analysis, law firms will be well placed to make effective investment decisions.

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