News and Insights

Legal teams are seemingly drowning in paperwork at every angle. Storing it all isn’t the only issue. How do you find what you need when you need it? How many copies do you keep on hand for clients?

Wading through piles of data isn’t just time-consuming, it’s also costly.

The digital age has brought us paperless capabilities to help combat the war on paper. However, the word “paperless” for law firms isn’t as self-explanatory as it seems. In fact, if you eventually achieve a completely paperless office, you may have performed the impossible.

Let’s look at what it means to go paperless in your law firm and see how paperless solutions can help you run a better practice.

What Does a Paperless Law Firm Look Like?

We now live in a world where just about any piece of information you want is available within a few keystrokes and clicks. And, thanks to the increasing use of the smartphone, this information is readily available wherever you are. People are exchanging digital data through email, text messages, and file sharing programs like Dropbox.

Because of this widespread availability, it simply doesn’t make sense to keep paper records on hand. Digital files are already part of a lawyer’s daily business, and keeping unnecessary paper in the mix can complicate your ability to serve your clients.

However, having a paperless law office doesn’t mean eliminating all paper. Rather, think of it as significantly reducing your paper usage, limiting yourself to printing only what’s absolutely crucial and keeping the rest in the digital world.

For law firms, this means managing cases and documents from your computer rather than a paper file. It’s emailing documents rather than using the postal service. It’s using eFiling to help you meet deadlines.

In short, investing in a paperless solution can give you the flexibility to manage every area of your practice – even if you’re not in the office.

Taking Your Law Practice Paperless

There are several benefits to adopting a paperless practice. For starters, you’ll save money on paper and toner by keeping files on the server. You can find and retrieve documents easily to serve your clients faster. It’s a smaller impact on the environment. And it offers more security than having papers scattered throughout the office.

Before you commit to taking your law firm paperless, there are a few things you should look for:

Cloud Storage

Cloud computing has given data management a boost by relieving you of maintenance and associated costs. It’s safe, secure, and makes it easy to share information between team members rather than having documents residing on a single computer.

Accessibility

Your paperless solution should eliminate the security concerns of paper records. By ensuring only authorized eyes are able to access certain information, you’re protecting your clients’ private data and your firm’s best interests.

Organization

You should look for flexibility to ensure you’re investing in a system that works how you want it to. Having a customizable approach can help reduce your learning curve so you can start enjoying the benefits faster.

In Closing

The world continues to gravitate toward digital solutions, and law firms are stepping up their adoption rates. Once you make the transition and see how much it’s improved your practice, you’ll wish you’d started sooner.

For more helpful tips visit our blog.

LinkedIn has long been the social network of choice for lawyers wanting to present a professional image. But many law firms are finding success in the social media world by establishing their brand on multiple channels.

In fact, some data shows that nearly a quarter of lawyers who are using social media confirm they’ve retained a client because of their efforts.

If you want to be among them, take a look at these four easy ways you can put social media to work for you:

#1 – Promote Your Blog

If you don’t yet have a blog for your law firm, there’s no better time to start. The number of legal blogs has been steadily climbing, with just over a quarter of firms actively blogging in 2016.

Your blog can accomplish many goals, from offering information to prospects seeking answers to helping clients find you through online searches. You can promote each blog post on your social media channels, which can ultimately give your website traffic a boost.

If you’re lacking inspiration for your blog, think about different questions your clients ask, then craft articles around those topics. When you can solve a problem, your audience is likely to remember you for it.

#2 – Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader

Your blog and social media channels aren’t just to provide information to your clients. They’re also prime opportunities for you to position yourself as a leader in your field.

Truth be told, people have a multitude of options when it comes to choosing an attorney. They need to know what makes you the best choice. This isn’t to say you should spend all your social media airtime talking about your case win/loss ratio, community awards, or significant achievements.

Rather, you can promote yourself by creating blog posts and other content that solves problems, answers questions, and gives people something to think about.

Showcase your work with other professionals in your area. Talk about industry news, such as new laws that have been passed. Give helpful tips, such as how to avoid court filing rejections. Above all, remember that anything you share or post should hold some significance to your audience, not just your personal agenda.

#3 – Earn Reviews

Client reviews are digital gold when it comes to professional services. People want to know they’re partnering with someone who is committed to their needs.

Social media reviews, such as those found on Facebook, are the online equivalent to word-of-mouth marketing, except these reviews aren’t reserved for the client’s family and friends. Once a user posts a review on your business page, everyone who visits your page can see what others had to say about you.

It’s not unethical to ask satisfied clients to leave a review and share a few words on their experience. Even one bad review isn’t usually enough to dent your reputation, especially if you have plenty of five-star ratings to overpower it.

#4 – Avoid ‘Advertising’ in Your Posts

Your social media business page should be geared for building relationships, not transactions. The more you talk about yourself and the services you offer, the more likely your audience will think you’re hungry for business. This is a huge turnoff for many users.

Instead, spend your time on social media providing helpful, insightful information to your clients. Most companies follow the 80/20 rule, where 80% of the posts revolve around information and the remaining 20% is spent promoting your firm.
If you want to advertise your services, you’re better off using ad-specific features rather than a status update.

For more great tips on growing your legal practice, check out our blog.

The California courts will be closed in observance of the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day: Mon, Jan 2
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Mon, Jan 15
• Lincoln’s Birthday: Mon, Feb 12
• President’s Day: Mon, Feb 19
• César Chávez Day: Fri, Mar 30
• Memorial Day: Mon, May 28
• Independence Day: Wed, July 4
• Labor Day: Mon, Sept 3
• Columbus Day: Mon, Oct 8
• Veterans Day: Mon, Nov 12
• Thanksgiving Day: Thur, Nov 22
• Day after Thanksgiving: Fri, Nov 23
• Christmas Day: Tues, Dec 25

See the updated page with California Court Holiday Schedule

If you find yourself frequently visiting a website you can add it to your Favorites or Bookmarks bar for quicker access.

The Rapid Legal login page would be a perfect example of a website you may want to bookmark so it’s just a click away when you need it.

Add a bookmark to Chrome

• Open up the login page here Rapid Legal Login
• Click the star in the URL box. A box should pop up
• Click Done

Add a bookmark to Internet Explorer

• Open up the login page here Rapid Legal Login
• Click on the Favorites menu and choose Add to Favorites
• Click Add to save the website as a favorite
• Done

Add a bookmark to Apple Safari

• Open up the login page here Rapid Legal Login
• Click on the Bookmarks menu and choose Add Bookmark
• Click Add
• Done

Add a bookmark to Firefox

• Open up the login page here Rapid Legal Login
• Click on the Bookmarks menu and choose Bookmark this Page
• Click Add
• Done