3 Tips On Law Firm Automation

With 2019 around the corner, law firm automation processes should be studied, reviewed and analyzed for possible efficiency.  Using technology to help you maximize productivity is what most law firms are looking into as caseloads become heavier and heavier.  Automation can help your practice with the initial intake, document generation, department communications and so much more. Improving your office, while reducing errors, will ultimately help your law firm generate and manage more business.

Without law firm automation, your business consists of repetitive, tedious tasks that can take its toll throughout the workday. Most aspects of your business can be automated, whether you’re a solo practitioner, smaller law firm or multi-attorney practice.  In today’s age, attorneys are required to use law firm automation to stay profitable and, more importantly, survive.

Here are three tips on the areas where law firm automation can help:

1) Automate client documents / agreements / billing / file management

• Drafting documents and building out a document database for your law practice is a necessity, especially for documents your office uses repeatedly.  From intake forms to contracts, letters to counsel and much more, turning these into preset forms can be very efficient, but keep in mind preserving client confidentiality. Creating and updating a form library will pay off short term and long term when it comes to productivity.

2) Automate how your firm handles intakes and workflows

• Every case will have a long list of tasks and relevant deadlines, and while each case has its own set of facts, most cases have the same requirements.  From setting up the intake to the client filling out a questionnaire, filling out a fee agreement and setting up a case timeline, automating these workflows will help improve efficiency.
• Utilizing self-scheduling software within your website that actively communicates with your staff in the office is crucial. When this is done well, you can expect top level performance.

3) Automate interior and external communications between clients and staff

• The most known complaint in the legal industry is poor client communications.  Phone calls and emails can be very time consuming yet are very important to your firm.  There should never be a gap in communication that lasts for over 4-6 weeks. Clients want to know what is going on and what the process looks like. Utilize reminders on your calendar to schedule follow-up events.  You can also look at client portals to automate case activities and updates.
• As a professional, you should never have to write the same text over and over again.  Having email templates ready to use is a great way to save time. You should have multiple email responses preset to be ready to fire off, with little to no customization required.
• Utilizing a call answering service can help the single practitioner in different ways than it could help a larger firm.  Look at different services and make sure the investment aligns with the potential use.   

When running a law practice, marketing is usually not your specialty nor your first priority. Improving your efficiency throughout the office and fighting for your clients are usually the top priorities as a managing attorney. 

Look to the team here at TigerShark Studios as a way to automate some or all of your marketing.  From branding to web design, we can help figure out how to maximize your investment in marketing and produce high-quality digital and print content for your firm.  Above all, we can help you stand out from your competition by crafting stunning marketing campaigns that focus on your target demographics and modern media circuits. Contact us today at 877.844.3557 for a free consultation on how marketing automation can help your law firm.