Up until recently, law firms were usually full of boxes of invoices, documents, timesheets, and so on. Law firms are very different in many ways today, thankfully, with technology being adapted for office management, better organization, accounting, finance management – replacing and improving old ways of doing things.
Software adapted for the needs of lawyers and law firms, can not only keep things neat at the office, and simplify a lot of the hard work, but also help them and clients in various ways. This makes everything go faster but also more effective.
1. Immigration Software
On top of the generic office software, as well as varieties of it made specifically to satisfy the necessities of law firms, including organizational tools, document management systems, digitalization tools, accounting software, today there are even programs designed especially for the needs of lawyers, such as immigration software.
Law firms that practice immigration law can benefit from immigration law software greatly. This software is designed to make the process of filling out paperwork, understanding complicated forms, and other similar tasks simpler. It makes the immigration lawyers’ job significantly easier, and it’s also very beneficial for the clients. Not only does immigration software help them avoid potentially costly mistakes but it also helps them finish faster and be more efficient.
2. Searching Through Relevant Databases
Another major improvement for law firms, provided by technology, is the ability to sort through large amounts of relevant data in fast and efficient ways. Thanks to data science, lawyers no longer need to search for legal information for their cases for hours. Using legal research tools, you will be able to find the relevant legal data you need to win your case in seconds, which is not only time-efficient but will also ultimately save you money.
And since the time you spend on research will be so much shorter, you can spend your time more efficiently, like dedicate more time to other important aspects of their cases. Thanks to using legal databases, law firms can also take up more clients, potentially increasing their profits.
3. Billable Hours Tracking Software
There are many different types of software designed for financial management, suitable for different types of businesses across industries. The ones made for law firms, allow tracking billable hours, as well as automatically generating the appropriate invoices for your clients, fast and without mistakes. It can also track unpaid invoices, reminders, and so on.
4. Customer Relationship Management
Regardless of what kind of law you practice, and whether you have a small or a large law firm, from time to time, you will end up dealing with more clients at a time, all of which will have different cases. Among other things, what this means is that at any time, you will have to deal with a lot of information.
Customer relationship management or CRM is a tool that allows you to make a database, containing all relevant information about clients, plan the next meetings, create a monthly or yearly agenda, schedule automatic emails, and much more. Organization and a good database can be crucial in retaining your clients and attracting your prospects.
Easy access to their data can help you react promptly should they have any questions or demands, and engage with them without sounding lost and asking for information you’ve already been provided with. This has the potential to have a significant impact on customer satisfaction. There are different types of CRM systems and while they all come with a similar set of functionalities, some provide additional features, including integrated marketing tools and data analytics.
5. Document Management Software
With each client and each case they have, lawyers gather piles upon piles of legal documents. Document management software, or DMS, is one of the main pillars of software created for work, and in law firms, it has marked the beginning of a new, better, simpler, and more efficient era.
DMS is crucial for the organization of your law firm. It allows each lawyer to store their documents, and have easy access to them at any time they need. It can also be connected to the client’s data in your CRM system. On top of all of this, DMS tools also provide a great way to protect your legal documents from being stolen, since they allow encryption.
Final Thoughts
Technology has made a huge impact on lawyers and law firms. With software adapted specifically for their needs, lawyers can do their job faster and, at the same time, more efficiently. And, the five types of software mentioned above, which are incredibly useful, are just the tip of the iceberg. This is, of course, great for law firms’ profits, but it also positively affects the quality of their service.
