Matter Management

When news breaks about businesses being hacked, it usually focuses on big social media or technology companies like Facebook or Microsoft. However, experts say cyber criminals also consider government agencies, financial institutions and law firms to be high-value targets. In fact, the American Bar Association reports that one-third of law firms with over 100 attorneys have experienced a data breach.

Zola Suite ranks #1 in the high performer category on customer satisfaction in the G2 Report on Legal Practice Management software. The honor is huge, as G2 is the leading software peer review site, and the rankings are based on the reactions and feedback from the people who matter most: experienced attorneys and law firm…

Legal management software is essential to the functionality of your law firm. Managing and prioritizing legal tasks for your team can be a daunting task without it - but, updating your software can be daunting as well. After relying on the same legal management software for years, it can seem like a challenge to successfully migrate into an upgraded legal system.

While most law firms understand that cloud-based practice management is an option for them, many still hesitate when it comes to adopting new technologies, according to the 2021 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report. Twenty-five percent of the lawyers surveyed said their firm doesn’t use cloud services. Those holding out are talking the talk but not walking the walk.

If your law firm’s current technology solution isn’t working, it’s time to consider an end-to-end solution that will cater to all your business needs. When your firm has decided to incorporate new legal technology into its practice, you must apply a comprehensive onboarding and training process to help ensure buy-in, acceptance, and adoption by lawyers, staff members and clients.

Today’s legal clients demand high-quality service from their attorneys, particularly regarding technology. Using the latest legal technology typically makes an attorney more efficient, accurate and productive, resulting in happier clients and more time to do what they are trained to do: practice law.

Automation can be defined in many ways by many industries; however, it doesn’t always have to apply to complex procedures like robotic process automation (RPA) or “advanced tasks.” In law firms, automation is frequently defined as using software to automate tedious and repetitive tasks to get work done faster and more efficiently. Law firms can automate a substantial portion of their work with technology. For example, most firms repurpose their pleadings, templates, form letters, and other documents completed for past clients – why reinvent the wheel? Yet, according to a recent Statista survey, 75 percent of the lawyers who responded said they spent more than 20 hours per week on non-billable work like legal research, court filings, and administrative tasks.

For attorneys, missing a deadline is no laughing matter. Depending on the jurisdiction, rules and the judge, sanctions might be a stern admonishment by the judge, an order to pay some or all the attorneys' fees incurred by the opposing party or, worst case, dismissal of a party’s lawsuit. If you practice in more than one jurisdiction, the rules may differ, making date tracking even more complex.

Now that most mask mandates and mandatory quarantines have been lifted, law firms are increasingly being faced with decisions regarding employee flexibility. Those that adapt and change to thrive in the new environment will likely reap the benefits of engaged flexible employees, while those that go back to the old ways might be left with a less productive and engaged workforce.