Technology advancements have changed the way we live and work, but we don’t always make the most of them. With new programs, software, and suites being released regularly, there’s a good chance you aren’t using the latest tools to enhance your workflows and optimize your productivity levels.
As a lawyer, operating efficiently is essential for success. With so many different aspects of a case to deal with at any one time, the right tools can assist with time management and enable you to operate with increased efficiency at all times. To find out what benefits you could be missing out on, take a look at the top tech tools every lawyer needs to know about:
1. Collaboration platforms
Law is a team effort, so it’s vital that attorneys and support staff have a place to collaborate and share information. With more people working remotely than ever before, lawyers need online, cloud-based solutions to ensure easy access. Fortunately, there are a variety of secure options, many of which feature in legal case management software. By having a dedicated place to share, amend, and approve documents, reports, and even audio recordings, you can reduce the time it takes to complete tasks and see your productivity levels skyrocket.
2. Automated document creation
Instead of drafting every document from scratch, why not have a selection of draft documents continually at your disposal? While every case will require bespoke documents, the vast majority of matters begin with the same core document framework.
Automating these means you’ll never have to waste time formatting your work or building a document again. What’s more, having access to automated documents reduces the risk of errors and ensures your outputs are consistent in terms of style and structure.
3. Report management
For most lawyers, a significant proportion of their time is taken up with drafting, refining, submitting, and reading reports. Understandably, this can have a considerable impact on your ability to focus on other areas and, as such, will reduce the number of billable hours you can claim. When you use dedicated report management tools, however, you can draft, produce, and review reports at a much faster rate. Furthermore, using software to manage reporting means you minimize the risk of errors and potentially enhance the quality of your work too.
4. Legal research platforms
Attorneys require almost constant access to case law, statutes and rulings, so being able to log in to at least one legal research platform is essential. Although there are many platforms to choose from, they don’t all offer the same level of information or access to the same range of documents. If you spend your time switching from one platform to another trying to find the information you need, you could be reducing your productivity levels unnecessarily. By switching to a platform that allows you to access all the information you need in one location, your efficiency can be substantially increased, thus mitigating any extra cost a subscription to a more comprehensive service may require.
Improving Your Productivity
Optimizing your productivity levels is important, so take the time to think about what changes you need to make in order to operate more efficiently. By implementing new processes and using new tools, you’ll find it easy to streamline your workflows and manage your case load with increased efficiency.