Every year, we look forward to heading to Chicago for ABA TECHSHOW to join fellow tech-enthusiasts for new product announcements, informative sessions and panel discussions, and networking with partners, colleagues and clients. Despite this year’s conference being held virtually, we are still excited to share a few of the over 1200 updates that we’ve made to Zola Suite since last year’s event.

2020 was a year of trials and tribulations which cultivated a desire for greater understanding from other people. Now in 2021, “human compassion towards co-workers and clients will be an expected and welcomed change” according to Nancy Griffing and Robert Rice, both partners with 3545 Consulting. The two spoke on the topic and highlighted the ways in which compassion will marry with technology and what this means for the future of the legal industry on February 25th, during a Zola Suite-sponsored ALA Webcast.

Congratulations! You have decided, either as an individual or with a group of colleagues, to open your own law firm. There is a lot to do and many choices to be made. Everything from office location, firm name, domain name, business cards, internet and phone services to computers (Windows or Mac) must be decided. You may get to the point where you feel you just do not want to make another decision, but decide you must.

Law firms work with dozens, or even hundreds, of different vendors each month. Without the right tools, tracking all of the contracts, invoices and tax information for these companies can be a full time job. Zola Suite’s robust vendor management tools help firms efficiently manage all invoices and outgoing payments (including the ability to cut checks and even associate expenses with a matter). Zola’s dedicated Vendor Reports provide a holistic view of all payments, outstanding balances, expenses to be passed along to a matter and tax information.

Global Workplace Analytics predicts that approximately 30 million U.S. employees will regularly work from home within the next two years, which is six times more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work is now commonplace, and will remain so for quite some time. With the increase in employees working remotely, law firm leaders have become even more concerned about keeping employees engaged in their work. While there is no one-size-fits all solution, mentorship programs can help. Mentorship has long been a staple in most firms, and while it’s more logistically challenging these days, it’s never been more critical to employee engagement and professional development.

As a lawyer, you start off your work day by checking your emails. You see one regarding a task that needs to be done, so you forward the message to your legal assistant. You then receive a reply with questions regarding the task. You reply, and so begins a long email thread. A week later, you’ll add to that thread when you inquire as to the status of the project. It’s an all too common, wildly inefficient, scenario that plagues legal teams.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to stay current with all the cybersecurity threats that individuals and businesses face. The “bad guys” are focusing not only on accessing data, but they are continually sending emails, texts and phone calls. They are targeting smaller business entities with the assumption that these businesses do not have the appropriate protection in place. As more people continue to work remotely, it is becoming increasingly important that everyone understand why security is critical and what is at risk. We all understand the importance of locking the doors to our homes and apartments as well as our automobiles. Cybersecurity is just as important, and in many cases, cyberattacks can be more detrimental than experiencing a home or auto being vandalized. Let’s review some of these cyber threats and ways to protect your firm from them.

Zola Suite’s Split Billing Feature allows users to divide the invoiced amount for services and expenses on a singular matter between multiple parties. Users can set unique rates for each client and split percentages independently for fees and costs. Once Split Billing has been configured on the Matter-level, users can generate invoices as usual. Using the previously-entered percentages, this tool generates a unique invoice for each billing client listed with its own unique invoice number. Each invoice will include the Matter, as well as each individual billing clients’ contact information.

In many firms, “succession planning” is important, but not urgent. It is human nature to deal with tactical issues and delay any strategic initiatives, but many professionals do not have an end-goal in mind. Many believe that they will “die at their desks.” However, no one can remain in a leadership role forever. Succession planning is a critical component to maintaining and growing the business by maintaining current talent and developing future leaders. It is a continuing process and has to become part of the culture.