Some TV shows and even books make it look doable, even with some hilarious mishaps. Only a couple of people are managing the law firm, along with handling cases.
When something gets lost in the cracks, it’s no big deal when it’s a book or televised show. Everyone laughs and the law firm continues on. In real life, this simply doesn’t fly. Handling the law firm’s daily operations is a time-consuming pain. However, legal management software can take care of everything from case and document management to accounting and even industry compliance.
Still think you’ve got everything under control. Here’s a look at some of the benefits you get with legal practice management software.
Boost Productivity
Pretty much every organization is constantly looking for ways to boost productivity. When productivity is up, so are profits. Or at least your business probably isn’t losing money. Law firms and productivity also go together.
Staff and even attorneys can spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for information on a case or pending legal matter. This is time they could be using to spend with a client or working on driving traffic to the law firm. Legal practice management software keeps all of the firm’s information neatly organized. Whatever fact or legal reference an attorney needs is only a keystroke away. Legal staff can quickly pull up client contact information and even find bill status.
Speed Up Client Conflict Checks
If you’re new to the legal process, a conflict check isn’t an attorney making sure they can get along with a client. Although this is usually something lawyers consider during the initial consultation. Instead, a conflict check is something almost all attorneys run before taking on a legal case. The check is run against the lawyer’s/firm’s past and present client list. The goal is to ensure the firm isn’t or hasn’t represented someone who may conflict with the new potential client’s case.
An example can be if a lawyer is currently or has represented an insurance company the potential client is preparing to sue. This can be seen as a conflict of interest and an ethical attorney will turn down the new client’s case. Yep, legal practice management software can easily simplify this process. Instead of spending hours pawing through your past and current client list, the software can run a quick and thorough check.
Happy Clients
Okay, your client probably isn’t going to be thrilled if they lose their case but this also doesn’t mean the process has to be a nightmare. Your clients are probably used to fast convenience, we can kind of thank Amazon and other online marketplaces for this. When you can get almost instant results for just about everything, consumers sort of expect this from their attorneys.
Legal practice management software tools make it possible for you to give clients what they want. You can easily provide almost instant updates on their case. The software keeps everything organized so you can find the information you need. Even if the case is lost, at least your client isn’t frustrated by lengthy information delays. Just imagine how happy your clients will be when their claims are successful.
You Can Leave the Office
Legal firm management applications aren’t necessarily tied to the office. This means you can walk away from your desk and still respond to clients. The software is a downloadable program. All you need is a compatible device and you’re all set to work from just about anywhere. This applies whether you’re an attorney or a law clerk. The software has all of the information, you just need to enter in a search query.
Simplify Onboarding
Bringing on new staff is both exciting and often frustrating. Everyone’s excited there’s a new face in the law firm. However, there’s also the stress that usually comes with onboarding. You’re trying to manage daily operations and train new staff. Add in some clients, and everyone’s feeling overlooked and frustrated.
Being able to simplify onboarding is a dream everyone involved in the process shares. Did you know the same legal practice management software keeping your firm running smoothly can also help with onboarding new staff? The program usually has all of the necessary steps and processes ready to go. New staff can easily use the software to learn as they go. Some applications even let you automate the workflow making it even easier for new staff to follow along.
Improve Team Collaboration
Sometimes different legal teams need to work together. Maybe it’s on different aspects of the same legal case. You may have teams working on various website tasks. Whatever the reason, you need everyone on the same page and working together.
You can have runners going back and forth between the teams. While not exactly efficient, your staff can get in a little cardio exercise. A more effective and efficient solution is to use management software. The program allows you to assign tasks to various teams and members. When a task is completed, the application automatically sends an alert to the other teams.
Automatically Track Time
This may be something your law firm is interested in or possibly not. Most legal practice management software comes with a handy feature that tracks working time. A staff member opens the function which captures images of the employee’s screen. This gives you a general idea of how much time a team member is spending on a specific task.
This way you have a better idea of whether some tasks should be broken down into milestones or if your instructions aren’t clear. You can use the tool to get an idea of how long you’re spending working on a specific case.
Is Your Firm Ready to Improve Its Management Strategy?
Keeping even a small law firm running takes a ton of time and effort. You need a staff and even then things may still be falling through the cracks. Going with law practice management software can take a lot of job-related stress off of everyone. The software can even help your clients feel a little happier about their legal process.
