Since breaking with tradition and starting the next-generation cloud practice management movement (what we refer to as Cloud LPM 2.0) nearly six years ago, Zola Suite has helped tens of thousands of legal professionals work more efficiently, creating a synergistic solution that helps rid firms of disjointed applications for matter and financial management.

Goodbye 2020 and hello to 2021! As we kick off a new year, we asked some of our partners to make some predictions on what we can expect to see across the legal industry in 2021.

Personal injury cases are complex and so, too, are the workflows involved in managing them. Zola’s Suite’s end-to-end practice management platform is loaded with specialized tools that help personal injury firms streamline processes, increase productivity and maximize profitability. Zola’s Settlement Management tools enable firms to efficiently manage settlement allocations and seamlessly generate settlement memos for all parties, even referring attorneys.

Each year, the Zola Suite development team releases hundreds of updates and dozens of new features to help law firms be more efficient and profitable. While it can be difficult to narrow down our list of favorites, Zola Suite users have spoken, and based on their feedback, we’re pleased to share our top 10 releases of 2020.

As the business of law continues to change, Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSP) are becoming a more integral part of the legal industry. Law firm clients continue to investigate the best solutions to suit their needs. In today’s competitive environment, it is important that all businesses use the most competent and cost-effective provider to service them. Many businesses are now providing services that lawyers traditionally provided. They include: Litigation Support, Litigation/Legal Research, Document Review, E-Discovery, Regulatory Risk, and Compliance.

It’s safe to say that 2020 threw us all a curveball. Despite the hardships this year brought, the legal industry rose to the challenge, adapting operations and offering new services to help clients through these unprecedented times. We asked Zola partners to share some of the trends they witnessed in 2020 and how they may affect the transition to cloud-based solutions. In part two of this series, these legal technology experts also share their predictions for what’s to come in 2021.

Controlling receivables directly affects a firm’s financial health. Therefore, it is imperative that a law firm has an organized and detailed method for collecting client payments in a timely manner.

Social media has quickly become a preferred way to communicate with one another. The pandemic has made it an even more necessary form of communication. Today, law firms are taking advantage of these platforms as well. For many practices, these social media platforms have become the new reception area. To potential clients, they often represent the first interaction with the firm. People routinely search the internet, check out the firm website, and then visit social media for more information. The influence of social media cannot be overlooked, especially when sites like LinkedIn have grown to over 700 million users.

Has your firm’s growth stalled? Are you struggling to scale your operations or your team? It’s often hard to pinpoint one reason why a firm seems to be stuck in neutral, cruising along but not accelerating. The cause is often a combination of things ranging from ineffective teams and poor processes to inadequate systems and subpar reporting. While restructuring your teams and bringing in fresh talent may not be an easy fix, correcting the processes and systems that are holding your practice back can be an easier feat to tackle; one that will yield immediate results and ultimately help you hit the gas on growth.