Ever since digital technologies started taking over the world, it has been clear that the world of business will never be the same. However, only the most imaginative amongst us could predict the extent of this development.
These days, it is hard to find any field of human activity left untouched by this digital wave, no matter how unrelated they seem at first glance. That leads us to the field of law that gains credibility the more firmly it is rooted in the old and established practices.
Are there any compelling reasons why law firms should embrace technology to a greater extent, and if so, what are they? Let’s try to find out.
Increased visibility for newcomers
Although we often tend to lean toward the legal companies with decades of tradition and long lists of successful cases, every company needs to start somewhere. With that in mind, a strong online presence can go a long way in helping up-and-coming law firms find their first clients and earn a reputation within the branch. This can be accomplished through a variety of online marketing channels like social media profiles, content marketing, and blogging. Latter mentions are especially effective with clients with a lack of experience in legal matters.
Automation for better productivity
Every business, including legal firms, has to deal with issues like bookkeeping, accounting, CR, marketing, and so on. These chores take away precious time and resources that legal companies could put into areas that truly matter. This problem can easily be solved by automation. Let’s take Australia as a prime example of a developed country. One forecast suggests that a greater level of automation could add $2.2 trillion to the Australian economy by 2030. Law companies could easily jump on this bandwagon and reap the financial benefits.
Increased efficiency for seamless workflow
All of the things we have mentioned above were mainly related to the activities not within the boundaries of legal practice. But, the tech world has upped its ante over the last couple of years and now offers suits that are designed entirely around the necessities of the legal eco-system and offer perks like document-binding and automation, seamless workflows, etc. If we once again go Down Under for an example, we can see that the use of intuitive legal practice management software is going through a real surge. Similar cases can be found all around the world.
Better security for data protection
Even though the legal sector is still playing catch-up with other industries in terms of dedicated software suits, all law firms use large volumes of data on a daily basis. Because of that, law businesses are just as exposed to poaching, hacking, and other forms of cyber-crime as any other companies in existence. As a matter of fact, in this case, the exposed data is even more sensitive. Using advanced software suits and moving sensitive information into a secure cloud environment solves this burning issue of the modern business world.
Opportunities for outsourcing and telecommuting
Moving the vital business data into a cloud environment and putting greater focus on modern collaboration tools also gives law firms opportunities for outsourcing and telecommuting. The perks of the latter arrangement require little explanation in the world that is still, to a large extent, run by the COVID-19 pandemic. Outsourcing, on the other hand, gives an opportunity to law practices to delegate important tasks to third parties who are specialized in these areas and, instead, focus on activities at the core of their business.
We hope these few examples gave you some general idea about how modern information tech can improve law firms and help them remain viable in this time of economic uncertainty. The legal sector was never known for keeping pace with the fruits of the digital world. This is one more incentive for early adopters to take all we have mentioned above into serious consideration and leave the less agile competition behind.