A new decade is upon us. The last ten years have represented significant technology changes for the legal sector and we can expect this evolution to continue. To help your law firm stay ahead of the curve, we’ve put together our annual technology checklist.
Legal Technology “Must Haves”
These are the tools foundational to your law firm’s operations. You should already have our “Must Haves” in place, but it’s a good time to evaluate and consider any upgrades.
__ Reliable Hardware | Computers, phones, printers, scanners, copiers. These tools keep your law firm working, and without them everything stops. When choosing hardware, remember: troubleshooting malfunctioning computers and printers costs staff time they could have spent on more productive tasks. They are an investment in your firm’s success.
__ Fast Internet | Faster internet speeds translate directly to increased productivity. Do yourself a favor now and pay the money to upgrade your internet connection. Medium to large law firms should also consider a redundant connection, so that if one service provider has an outage, your firm will stay in business.
__ Case Management Software | Every law firm needs an effective way to manage their cases. There are many different systems out there, so find the one that is the best fit for your firm. Remember, your current software may not be the best option for the new decade. Use this guide to help you choose the best legal case management solution for your firm.
__ Electronic Signatures | Digital signature tools empower law firms to execute contracts quickly and securely. Choose an e-signature service provider that is easy to use both for you and your clients, meets your security standards, and can be used on mobile devices.
__ Cloud Backups | Between fires, floods, and everything else in-between, make sure your law firm is backing up case data and documents to the cloud. These days, it’s not enough to simply run a local backup. Talk to an IT professional about pushing a nightly backup to cloud storage, where it is safe from natural disasters.
Legal Technology “Should Haves”
Stay ahead of the curve with other successful law firms by implementing or updating our “should have” technology.
__ Modern Phone System | There is so much more to phones than a dial tone. If you plan on growing your law firm in 2020, you will want to invest in robust phone technology. Systems like Nextiva or Ring Central can help businesses track leads, evaluate staff performance, view trends, and more.
__ Email Marketing System | According to a recent study, email marketing has an ROI of 4400%. Yes, you read that right. Email marketing services are inexpensive, ranging from free to a few hundred dollars a month for premium options. Regular emails help keep you top of mind with clients, prospects, and even other companies you do business with. If your personal injury firm isn’t doing email marketing, you’re leaving money on the table.
__ Modern Legal Research Tools | Lexis and Westlaw are expensive and quickly becoming antiquated. Cutting-edge tools like Casetext, UniCourt, and Trellis are the future of legal research. Each of these services is different, but they share a vision for easier, faster, more transparent, and more intelligent legal research.
__ Outsourced Legal Help | Even in 2020, you can’t be in two places at once. Companies like LAWCLERK and AppearMe make it easy to outsource legal work. Keep these services bookmarked in your browser. From writing up a motion to covering a last minute court appearance, outsourcing certain tasks can help your law firm grow.
The new decade holds a lot of change for how lawyers and law firms operate. Firms that are open to adopting and upgrading technology will outpace those who refuse to change. As you set goals for 2020, consider how new hardware, software, and services can help.
CASEpeer is a comprehensive case management solution for personal injury attorneys. From intake to settlement, our robust features help law firms become more proactive and powerful. Our goal is to help law firms grow. For more legal technology information and practice management tips, visit our blog.