How Has Technology Been Crucial To The Legal Industry In The Last 12 Months? 2020 forced to revaluate the way we work and most significantly, the way we work with our clients. Where we used to see colleagues daily / clients often, lockdown pushed businesses to go virtual and changed all we knew about office life. We looked to technology to connect online i.e. Zoom and Microsoft Teams who in 2020 added 95 million users to their client base. Evidently, technology that aids remote working is now the focal point of businesses operating in this new virtual world. To avoid falling behind, the right solutions and procedures need to be adopted.
The Shift
It’s fair to say that compared to other professional services, legal has historically been a slower adopter of technology. When it comes to the shift to virtual, they take their time, predominantly due to adversity to risk. However, over the past year, this concern and reluctance was taken out of their hands as they were forced online.
It goes without saying that this came with teething issues; lawyers, barristers, the whole legal industry prefer working from the office. They believed they got work done quicker, they could speak to people rather than booking a meeting, and not rely on internet. Yet, now it is evident there’s a new way of working with more security, efficiency and added benefits. Impacting both lawyers and their clients.
Going online has put pressure on law firms, the experience they provide now needs to be as good online as in person. Now, clients have developed much higher expectations for their digital experience. Clients are aware of all the options available to them as consumers and now expect the relevant technology to be implemented. Firstly to keep up with the advancements and also increase client engagement away from the office.
Technology to help navigate the change
All things considered, the technology out there to help this transformation is vast, with legal technology making great strides in a decade. From binders, online communication platforms to DMS, there are many platforms out there to make the transformation as slick and effortless as possible.
For instance, most law firms are not strangers to a Client Portal. A space that can help you; securely share files, edit documents, import documents and so much more. Most importantly, it’s a tool you can use internally & externally, allowing clients to access data, whenever needed. The heightened technology out there has improved client experiences, what once was a worry is the new norm.
Clearly, technology has made a huge impact on law firms working lives. With the right platforms, you can improve efficiency within the workplace, conserve costs and save time. Not only that, having concise and up to date technology within your firm gives you an advantage on others. It can increase your profitability which makes your firm appealing and ultimately gives you the edge in a crowded market.
What used to be a reluctant change now seems to be a welcomed one with 58% of CIO’s in large enterprises believing that this digital transforming will continue to speed up and develop. Technology clearly is growing and can and will efficiently help daily work lives.
