Unless you’ve been living off the grid, by now you’ve most likely heard the term that has been catching fire around the world: “the cloud.” But what is it exactly and how are these “tech-savvy” people using it? As it turns out, you are probably using “the cloud” on a daily basis without ever taking notice. Popular platforms for cloud computing include Google Drive, Office 365, Apple iCloud, and Dropbox, to name a few. These applications store and access information through the Internet, in contrast to the traditional, physical, in-house servers that interact with a computer’s hard drive to manage data.

At long last, the legal sector is getting with the program. Adoption of legal technology is on the rise. Lawyers are starting to use practice management software to enhance the productivity of their practices. With cloud-based applications, lawyers can easily store and access all of their legal documents and client information in one portable device in any location at any time of the day.

As an attorney, you are trained to keep track of every minute and bill accordingly. But what if you decide that you don’t want to bill your client for the extra time it has taken your new associate to research a topic related to their case? Or perhaps you’re feeling super generous and want to write-off the 20-minute conversation you had with your client updating them about their case. While you should be aware of every second spent sending emails, following up on payments, and learning a new skill, every second spent on a case may not be worth a check from your client.

Have you ever woken up from a late night panic wondering if you sent an email to the right Susan? Scenario: It’s a busy Friday afternoon. You have so many emails to get to before you go away for the weekend (which you’ve been looking forward to all week). There are so many contacts in your address book, it’s hard to remember which contact is related to which matter. You’re supposed to email Susan Smith but you have three Susans (plus a Sue and a Suzanne) in your contacts, all related to different matters. It’s absolutely crucial to keep track of the right parties and the right matters to maintain client confidentiality…

Practicing law is more than advocating for clients by appearing in court, negotiating and preparing contracts or signing papers. The key to running a successful firm is managing and developing the business. Certainly, being a knowledgeable and highly-skilled attorney is essential to attracting and retaining clients, but it takes more to build a successful practice.

We believe that in order for a law practice to thrive, it must operate like a business. A key component of operating like a business is understanding metrics and gaining insight in order to understand how the business is operating – what is working and what can be improved. This is displayed in our guiding principles – what isn’t MEASURED cannot be IMPROVED. As a result, we offer real-time data with comprehensive reports and analytics to help you better understand the business side of your practice.

Have you ever received an email from someone and couldn’t quite put your finger on who they were? Did you later find out that the email contact was a member of the case that you are working on? Your firm is consistently dealing with cases, clients, and other related individuals which makes it easy to lose track of what point of contact is associated with which matter.

Every day there is more evidence that in order to stay competitive, lawyers need to harness technology to streamline their processes. The more sophisticated the client, the less tolerance they have for inefficiency. In our never ending quest to provide the right tools for law firms, Zola Suite is thrilled to now support electronic LEDES invoices with Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) Codes.

As an attorney, there are no shortage of minefields that can land you in hot water.   While many of the dangers that lurk can be subjective or unavoidable, failing an audit of client trust funds is one that consistently strikes fear into one's heart.  Yet, keeping your trust funds in good order need not be a challenge if you employ the right process and software.