Being a solicitor is a very important job. The legal system is an integral part of any society, and practitioners should be doing everything they can do excel in their line of work. Nowadays, this can be greatly helped by harnessing the right type of technology. In fact, the legal system has been influenced by technology in a few significant ways – ranging from how clients engage with it, to how practitioners operate within it.
We discussed the matter of technology for solicitors with TechQuarters, who have provided small business IT support London solicitors have been using for more than a decade. In that time, TechQuarters has witnessed the growth in use of Legal technology.
Legal Technology: What Is It & How Does It Help?
If you’re wondering what legal technology is, the answer is fairly simple. Any technology that is either designed, or can be leveraged to optimize, streamline, or automate tasks or processes related to the legal profession may be referred to as legal technology. Legal technology can be applied to many different areas of an organisation, below is an example of some legal tech solutions, and their applications:
- eDiscovery – the process of acquiring case-relevant information from one’s opposing party (i.e. prosecution and defence) can be streamlined greatly when all information is digitized. eDiscovery takes it a step further by enabling solicitors to centralise the storage of discovery, and also apply analytics to make searching for relevant info easier.
- Case Management Software – This type of software is designed to centralise all the different components relating to a case into a single channel. For example, documentation, case notes, calendars, and even communications can be hosted within a case management system.
- Legal Accounting Software – This is accounting software specifically designed for use by law practices. This is an example of how legal software can be applied to different areas of the business (in this case, it is applied to internal processes, rather than client-related processes).
According to TechQuarters, who have been providing IT support services in London for many years, and to many different types of businesses, legal technology is not always necessarily designed specifically for the legal sector. For example, digital payments is a technology with wide applications that has had a significant influence on the legal system. Another good example would be Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, which are used across many sectors, but can equally be leveraged by solicitors to help manage their client relationships.
Benefits of Legal Technology for Solicitors
Legal technology can be applied to a solicitor’s practice and benefit them in a number of different ways. When we asked TechQuarters about their perspective, they told us that, just like IT support for solicitors, legal technology is intended to make a solicitors work easier, more efficient, and more productive. It can help free up their time, and allow them to be more productive. Below are some individual benefits to consider:
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Automating Processes
Legal technology can be used in a number of ways to automate processes that a solicitor must undertake. For example, eDiscovery can automate the acquisition of information from other parties in a legal case. Some solutions which can automate the creation of standardized documents. The benefit of automation is that it means solicitors have to spend less time completing simple, repetitive, or predictable tasks.
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Increased Mobility
Legal technology can allow a solicitor to work in a more mobile way. For example, case management software is usually cloud-based, which means solicitors can feasibly access case notes and other important information from their phone, or a laptop or tablet – this could be useful if they need to go and meet a client in person, for instance.
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Better Client Relationships
Leveraging legal technology in the right way can help solicitors nurture better client relationships. By optimizing and streamlining various aspects of a solicitors work, legal technology can facilitate a better service for the client. Equally, using CRM systems helps solicitors manage their clients more efficiently.
