Technology is pushing the evolution of law practice faster than anyone imagined. Law firms that don’t want to be left behind must open their arms to innovations that not only transform law firm efficiency but elevate the way clients experience the service it provides.
It’s time to say, “Hello,” to five technologies that may become your firm’s best friends.
#1. Client Intake Automation
How it helps
A software solution that can qualify leads, gather information about a lead, and perform follow-ups, thereby reducing the disruptions to law firm staff who would have to do the work themselves.
Why it’s valuable ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Law firms can give attention quickly to prospective clients while automating the information gathering process. It’s a faster, more efficient way to determine whether a case is right for the firm and to gauge the prospect’s ability to pay.
Convert leads faster by automating phone inquiries and issuing responses with immediacy. Electronic signature features built into these tools means documents may be signed quickly and matters can begin moving forward.
Statistically speaking
| 79% | Percentage of law firm clients who expect a response from their attorney within 24 hours. Automate your intake and stop losing leads. |
Take your pick: Clio, Filevine, Lawmatics, Rally, and others.
#2. Customer Relationship Management Systems
How it helps
A software tool that helps law firms of all sizes manage business development, sometimes called a single source of truth.
Why it’s valuable ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
CRMs are a centralized database that provides a 360-degree view of contact details. Among those details is information about clients, vendors, co-counsel, and other parties with whom the firm does business.
This equips the CRM to identify high-value clients and see the matter pipeline quickly.
Some of the most powerful benefits a CRM provides include capturing and storing:
- Client contact details.
- Communication history.
- Billing information.
- Case-related data.
A firm can use its CRM to track key performance indicators and stop guessing about:
- Client acquisition rates.
- Conversion rates.
- Revenue generated by new clients.
Statistically speaking
| 60-80 | Number of leads the average law firm receives per month. A CRM or practice management system can make them easier to manage. |
Take your pick: Clio (legal client relationship management software), MyCase, Salesforce, and others.
#3. eDiscovery
How it helps
Electronic discovery (eDiscovery) tools are used for legal research focused on electronically stored information.
Why it’s valuable ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Law firms can fall short on discovery services they provide if they don’t track the full spectrum of data types. That means expanding discovery to data that exists on collaboration platforms such as Slack, short message services (SMS), and messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
It must also track data from:
- Financial platforms (e.g., Bloomberg).
- Transcribed meetings.
- SQL databases.
E-Discovery tools can also confirm the authenticity of evidence by capturing metadata.
Statistically speaking
| 1,000,000 | The number of chats, emails, texts, and other digital files eDiscovery now commonly produces. |
Take your pick: Everlaw, Cloudnine, Exterro, Lexbe, and others.
#4. Digital Dictation
How it helps
Dedicated dictation machines are still around and still useful, but smartphone dictation apps are centralizing the dictation process into one device that can record, transcribe, and transmit spoken word audio.
Why it’s valuable ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Digital dictation tools can be an AI-enabled lifeline especially for attorneys on the go. Smartphone-based dictation apps provide highly accurate transcription that can be securely shared almost instantly, significantly reducing the amount of labor needed to conventionally transcribe dictation.
Statistically speaking
| 92% | The lowest score for accuracy among six popular smartphone dictation apps. |
Commercially available as: Philips SpeechLive, Dragon by Nuance, Apple Dictation, Otter, Google Docs voice typing.
#5. Online Litigation Support Service
How it helps
A secure online platform available to use anytime from an internet connection to create, manage, and pay for litigation support services such as eFiling and service of process.
Why it’s valuable ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
One-stop efficiency saves time and money while intuitive alerts built into the platform increase order accuracy.
Filing court documents electronically is also the most accurate and timely way to submit them to the court. It’s the one technology to embrace if you want better results for court acceptance and meeting deadlines.
Law firms that use an online litigation support service provider can initiate and manage the services they use most, such as:
- eFiling
- Service of process
- Physical filing and more.
Statistically speaking
| 90% | With nearly 90% of court-stamped documents returned within 2 days, Rapid Legal’s performance is unrivaled. |
Available from Rapid Legal.
Reinvention Reality
The transformative effect technology is having on law practice is unlikely to lose a step anytime soon. But law firms can keep up, and perhaps the most important factor is mindset—the willingness to embrace technologies and use them to their full capacity.
A law firm that chooses this path must have a litigation support service provider that shares this mindset.
That’s why forward-thinking law firms choose Rapid Legal, a provider with a 30-year history of introducing technologies that have elevated the legal industry, including an online filing and serving platform that helped law firms and the courts work together seamlessly, with greater speed and affordability.
Get the advantage of working with an innovator. Schedule a call with one of our account managers or book a demo now. The future won’t wait.
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Spend more time on billable client hours and less time tracking down conformed copies and proofs of service.