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Nowadays, trial judges expect attorneys to make use of technology.  Prosecuting a defendant without some sort of tech is quickly becoming the exception to the norm.  Whether the tech is video or audio based, it has the potential to sway the case in your favor.

Juror Expectations for Tech in the Courtroom

Though it is unfair, jurors tend to expect and respect the use of tech in the court room.  The bottom line is we are becoming a tech-centric society.  Just about every juror has a smartphone and uses email so attorneys should embrace the opportunity to use tech in the courtroom.  Expect jury members to be tech-savvy, respect their intelligence and use tech prudently.

Types of Courtroom Tech

There are all sorts of tech tools available for attorneys to implement in court.  Whether you want to take advantage of trial presentation software or basic software video presentations, you have plenty of options at your disposal.  As an example, PowerPoint is commonly used by attorneys in courtrooms across the world.  Even attorneys who are tech neanderthals have a general sense of how to use PowerPoint.  In some situations, the basic presentation of medical terms, documents, photos and other essential pieces of evidence can be presented in PowerPoint to make a unique impact.  However, there is the risk of overusing PowerPoint to the point that the jury feels bombarded with data overload.  Use this tech wisely and it will enhance your case rather than prove detrimental to it.

Consider using SharePoint or Dropbox to store/host documents and files your legal team will use.  SharePoint allows everyone on your legal team to access, modify, upload and delete documents as appropriate.  In fact, SharePoint can even be accessed on mobile devices that can access the internet.  You can upload data directly to SharePoint or Dropbox, display the data on a screen with a projector or use the courtroom video input.

Trial presentation software such as Trial Director and Trialpad provide data management, storage and retrieval.  This software can also display documents, images, photos and so on.  Out of all the trial software options, Trial Director has emerged as one of the most popular.

Find out if the jurisdiction you are to appear in court in is equipped for your tech.  If the courtroom is old, it might not be able to meet the demands of video displays mounted to jury boxes and other tech. 

Plan Ahead to Make the Most of Your Courtroom Tech

Find out if the jurisdiction you are to appear in court in is equipped for your tech.  If the courtroom is old, it might not be able to meet the demands of video displays mounted to jury boxes and other tech.  Contact the courtroom ahead of time to determine if there are pull-down screens, displays, witness monitors, connections for laptops and so on.  This information will shape your preparation for your courtroom experience as well as your overarching legal strategy as you will know exactly how to best present evidence based on the idiosyncrasies of each unique court.

Tech has revolutionized many aspects of our society including the legal industry.  The cloud is proving especially helpful to attorneys, paralegals and support staff.  All sorts of cloud solutions are applicable throughout the legal field.  In particular, cloud solutions have helped attorneys shift document management out of the office and onto the cloud.  As long as your law firm has the right approach, migration to the cloud won’t prove as daunting as it initially seems.

You can access data on the cloud whenever you desire as long as you are positioned in an area with a web connection. 

The Merits of Using the Cloud for Document Management

On-site and cloud-based doc management systems are similar in some regards yet they differ quite significantly in terms of cost.  Providers are now bundling doc management systems to provide law firms with access to an array of features and functions in the cloud.  These extra bells and whistles can be offered at a competitive rate through the cloud.  Furthermore, the cloud is revered for its accessibility.  You can access data on the cloud whenever you desire as long as you are positioned in an area with a web connection.

Shifting to the Cloud

Migrating to the cloud requires a migration plan, consideration of the firm’s data and a thorough analysis of costs.  Planning is essential to migration.  Consider whether the assistance of third-party vendors or specific tools will help you rip and replace the current doc management system or perform a phased migration.

You might find it beneficial to test migration with a specific group/practice to ensure there are no major problems.  The web migration approach you decide on partially hinges on your web capabilities.  As an example, data-intensive wholesale migration performed in a short window of time will prove impossible for diminutive firms with a single connection for all telecommunications.

Focus on the Data

Your firm’s data footprint strongly influences the migration process.  Consider how you currently use your doc management data to determine if you can add new workflows or update processes to better manage data.  Though initial data storage costs in the cloud are fairly low, your firm’s data repository will gradually expand as time progresses, causing storage costs to increase that much more.  Do not lose sight of this reality as you plan to migrate your data and perform the actual migration.

Cloud storage is not only secure, but accessible from anywhere you connect to the internet

Selecting the Proper Cloud Environment

No two cloud providers are exactly alike.  As  you evaluate cloud providers, consider how your data will be stored, where it will be stored and which parties will be provided access to it.  Law firms should avoid public cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services as their data will be grouped with that of other parties.  The public cloud is best for non-sensitive information.

All in all, the merits of cloud providers are largely dependent on their ability to secure information.  Take a look at the reviews, research cloud providers’ data storage defenses and examine a number of other factors before making a commitment.

Professionals in all fields rely on Microsoft Office Suite software for work.  In particular, professionals use Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel at a high frequency.  Sadly, most people waste an incredible amount of time using the “long way” in Microsoft Excel and other software programs.  Our tech geeks are here to detail the most important Excel shortcuts.  Implement these shortcuts and you will find you complete more work in less time.

Date Insertion

You can insert the date into a spreadsheet by pressing two buttons.  Hit the Control key and the Semicolon key in unison to insert the current date.

Go to the end of the Spreadsheet

Reach the end of the spreadsheet in a moment’s notice by pressing the Control key and the End key at the same time.  The combination of these keys moves the mouse cursor to the active range’s bottom right corner.  For those who do not know, active range is defined as the range starting at cell A1 and extending to the point at which the right-most column and bottom-most row intersect.  It does not matter if that data was deleted; this shortcut will work regardless.

Insert the Time

You can instantaneously add the current time to your Excel spreadsheet.  Simply press the Control key at the same time as the Shift key and Semicolon key to insert the current time.

Hide a Column

Don’t bother accessing menus and clicking several times over to hide columns when you can hide the current column by simply pressing the Control key and the 0 (zero) key in unison.  In fact, if several columns are selected, this shortcut can hide them all.  The shortcut will even work when using the Control key to highlight several columns far away from on another.

Reach Cell A1

If you would like to reach cell A1 without delay, hit the Control key and the Home key.  This combination of keys will immediately move the cursor to cell A1.  However, if the Transition navigation keys are on, you can simply press the Home key to reach cell A1.

Select a Column

Press the Spacebar and Control keys in unison to select the full column where the mouse cursor is currently positioned.

Select the Full Worksheet

Hit the Control key and the A key outside of a range of data to select the full worksheet.

Select a Data Range

If you would like to select a range of data, simply hit the Control key in unison with the A key in the data range.

Select a Row

To quickly select a row in your spreadsheet, press the Spacebar and Shift keys at these same time.  This shortcut will select the full row at which the cursor is positioned.

Shortcut for the SUM Function

You can insert the SUM function by pressing the Alt key and the equal sign at the same time in a cell beneath a column of numbers.

Every single minute of your day is valuable.  In fact, it can be argued time is an attorney’s most valuable commodity.  The manner in which your time is billed is likely broken down into 6-minute increments that are carefully tracked and documented for financial purposes.  The question is whether you and your staff are making the most prudent use of your time.

Why Time Matters so Much in the Context of Law Firms

Consider a situation in which a matrimonial attorney bills $300 an hour.  This attorney has been working on a divorce case for 5 hours.  The value of the case after this amount of time is $1,500.  However, the phone rings toward the end of the day, interrupting work on the case.  It is the attorney’s child. She is sick and needs assistance.  The attorney picks up his daughter, finishes another couple work days filled with court appearances and fails to record his time on the divorce case during this time.  Once the attorney shifts his attention back to the divorce case, he finds his paralegal put the case’s timekeeping records in a locked desk drawer.

Automatic time tracking could be the right solution for your firm

If the situation detailed above were to unfold, you would likely undervalue your time invested in the case.  The typical attorney’s tendency is to justify billing less minutes as they do not want to exaggerate the amount of time they invested in the case in the day(s) prior.  As an example, let’s say you worked 5 hours on the case yet estimate you worked 4.6 hours.  This underestimate shortchanges you about 10% of the work you invested in the case.

The average attorney considers the perspective of the client before sending out final billing.  If the attorney questions whether he or she is actually worth the billed amount, consideration might be given to reducing the invoice by 10% to 20%.  At this point, the attorney in the hypothetical situation is already out several hundreds of dollars he or she should be paid.  Extrapolate this figure across multiple clients in the years ahead and it is easy for attorneys to lose out on tens of thousands of dollars or even more.

Automatic Time Tracking is the Solution

Ideally, time tracking will not chew up any time at all.  Consider implementing automatic time tracking.  There is no reason to strictly rely on your memory and gut instincts to bill clients when high-tech solutions are available.  Do not cheat yourself or your law firm out of a single penny.  Try an automatic time tracking solution such as Smokeball and you will rest easy knowing every single minute of your work day is properly tracked.

Attorneys work tirelessly in their pursuit of justice. Requesting payment from a client really is one of the more awkward aspects of the job. Requesting bank routing details or credit card information can prove even more intimidating. In fact, there is some debate amongst attorneys as to whether credit cards should be accepted at law firms. At this point, using credit cards carries a bit of a social stigma. There is nothing dignified about a law firm swiping a credit card yet this payment represents actual dollars while sending out an invoice does not guarantee a single penny in revenue.

Every Law Firm Should Provide Payment Processing Services

Law firms that do not accept credit card payments or compensation through eChecks are at a competitive disadvantage. A growing number of customers are using eCheck payments. Some people refuse to carry cash or checks, instead choosing to put everything on credit. If your law firm does not accept either form of payment, you will undoubtedly miss out on business. It has been legal for law firms to accept credit card payments for services rendered since 1974.

Do not be Intimidated by Payment Processing

Though attorneys are not the most tech-savvy people in the world, setting up and using a credit card payment processing system is not that difficult. Do not shy away from this technology simply because it is somewhat complex. The bottom line is every law firm needs a credit card payment processing system as we gradually transition to a cashless society.

Accept credit cards and you will not have to wait for checks to arrive in the mail then wait even longer for the money to clear and be deposited into your bank account. Credit card payments are transmitted in as little as 12 hours, providing your law firm with much-needed cash. The same is true for eCheck payments made to law firms and other businesses. Once your team learns how to use a payment processing system, you will wonder what took you so long to make this important transition.

Payment Processing and eChecks are the Wave of the Future

Nowadays, people do not think twice about using their bank accounts for withdrawals and deposits. The days of writing checks are long gone. Today, funds are deposited straight into bank accounts. If your law firm is unwilling to accept an eCheck, clients will not hesitate to find a legal practitioner who stays up-to-date with technology and accepts all the latest payment methods. Embrace cutting-edge tech and your law firm will bring in more revenue in the most efficient manner possible.

Every law firm is a business in disguise.  The best attorneys are willing to learn from their peers in the business community.  In particular, those who work at Fortune 500 companies have plenty to teach attorneys.  Here is a look at what legal professionals can learn from the country’s top companies.

Focus on Data

The smartest business professionals wait until they can analyze all of the available data before making a decision.  Do not steer your law firm in any direction until you have done the same.  You should be able to pull together information and analyze your law firm’s business metrics without impediment or delay.  If you cannot obtain or analyze data in a reasonable amount of time, it is time to find a new data processing/retrieval solution.

Online Marketing Might be the Missing Piece to the Puzzle

The country’s leading businesses understand the value of marketing.  Though your firm does not sell any products, you can still benefit from an inbound online marketing push.  Everything from social media marketing to blogging, banner ads and search engine optimization (SEO) will help steer traffic toward your website.  These virtual visitors have a good chance of converting as they have already demonstrated an interest in your services.

A Focus on Cybersecurity

A data breach has the potential to permanently shut your doors.  The last thing you should have to do is attempt to explain data theft to clients.  The best companies are willing to spend for top-notch cybersecurity protection.  This is not to say every attorney should become a computer geek.  Rather, it is better to be proactive instead of reactive to safeguard data.  If you shift your data to the cloud, be sure to vet the vendor ahead of time to determine if they have a reliable disaster recovery plan.  Find out where the physical servers are positioned.  Do not commit until you have a sense of the group’s redundancy plans.

Customer Relationship Management

Fortune 500 companies use content relationship management tools, commonly referred to as CRM tools, to assist organizations manage clients and prospects.  These platforms make it easy to track referral sources, keep the prospect pipeline primed and predict quarterly revenue with accuracy.  In fact, some CRMs have been specifically designed for law firms.

Flexible and Accessible

The nation’s leading companies are willing to spend for worldwide access to software and systems.  Unfortunately, most law firms have been slow to implement remote access.  This is where the cloud comes in handy.  Make the move to the cloud and your legal team can access important data while on-the-run.  This way, your entire team can access all relevant documents, email, contacts and other essential data from any point on the globe with web access.

When it comes to big data, the metrics that provide the most insight into how to boost client sign-up rates often get lost in the shuffle.  Though you might have your cost per lead pinpointed down to the penny, you might not have measured your firm’s intake process or conversion rate.  Thankfully, it will not take too much effort to enhance the client intake process.  Apply the strategies detailed below and your firm will sign more cases in the new year and beyond.

Delegate Responsibilities for Lead Management

Lead management should be designated to particular employees.  In fact, some law firms rely on a group of outside specialists for all aspects of lead management.  There is no reason for paralegals or attorneys to answer calls or touch base with leads.  Delegate the work to the specialists, eat the cost and your in-house legal personnel will be liberated to thrive in their niche.

Answer in a Timely Manner

The vast majority of people do not return calls.  However, those who do take the time to return calls display a genuine interest in your services.  If possible, have someone available to field calls 24/7.  Furthermore, it will help to answer calls in the first few rings to show your law firm truly cares about customer service.

Mind the Call Flow

The flow of the call matters a great deal to the target customer.  Take some time to prepare the call dialogue to create an enjoyable flow.  Craft questions in a manner that does not force the target to repeat him or herself.  Brainstorm some qualifying questions that steer the target toward scheduling an appointment.  Be sure to verify the target’s information to ensure everything is spelled properly.

Follow-up!

If you do not reach back out to targets after the initial conversation or message, they will forget about your and your firm.  Establish a follow-up process that reconnects your legal team with targets quickly after the initial discussion.  If necessary, touch base with the client upwards of half a dozen times to maximize the chances of conversion.

Show Your Group Cares

Clients are looking for a legal services provider who cares.  Humanize your message.  Show target clients your legal team is there for them during this tumultuous period of their life.  This kind and gentle approach lays the groundwork for the all-important rapport that will lead to continued business across posterity.

Every law firm stores sensitive information about clients, employees and the firm itself.  Unfortunately, some law firms have antiquated digital safeguards that put highly sensitive data at risk.  Let’s take a look at some tips that will help your law firm protect important data against hacks, theft and other forms of unauthorized access.

Train Your Team on Data Security

It is a mistake to assume every single employee understands the nuances of digital security.  In fact, some employees have no data security or cyber security training at all.  You can transform these weak links into strengths by providing your team with annual digital security training.  Staffers should know about ransomware, phishing, malware and other digital traps.  This heightened awareness just might prevent a costly data breach that damages your firm’s reputation and sends clients to competing attorneys.

Use Managed Security Solutions

Every law firm should have managed security solutions.  These solutions include spam filters, firewalls and anti-virus software.  The network should be monitored 24/7.  Network traffic and data should be regularly scanned for threats.

Organize Data Storage

It is impossible to protect client data if you do not know its location.  The cloud now allows users to store client data in several locations.  Storage methods include Google Drive and Microsoft’s SharePoint, each of which is extremely easy to use and implement across the entirety of the firm.  Once everyone is working within a single structure, it is easier to obtain and systematize information.  The icing on the cake is that only one system has to be monitored for breaches and updated with the latest digital security improvements.

Your Response Plan Should be Prepared and Ready to Go

Law firms need detailed data protection and data recovery plans in place.  This plan should be prepared well in advance to reduce the amount of time necessary to remedy the breach.  The response time must also include a PR strategy that minimizes the hit to your firm’s reputation.  After all, law firms have a duty of care to safeguard client data at all times.  The American Bar Association (ABA) code of conduct mandates attorneys make all reasonable efforts to prevent access or disclosure of client information to those without the proper authorization.  A single data breach has the potential to result in a harsh regulatory fine or even a malpractice lawsuit.

Life as an attorney is not exactly as portrayed on the hit 90s sitcom Ally McBeal. Legal professionals work in a highly competitive field in which more attorneys exist than full-time positions. The battle for clients makes this line of work that much more demanding. Most attorneys are mentally and emotionally exhausted after an 8-10 hour day. Here is a brief guide to minimizing your stress and improving your wellness.

Establish Boundaries

If you have not yet learned how to separate work from your personal life, it is time to do so. Maintain a work-life balance by delegating tasks to paralegals and other support staff. Do not let work intrude on your personal life in the form of your smartphone. Use a separate phone for work so you are not tempted to check your messages at night or on the weekends during your off-hours. Otherwise, you will feel as though you are constantly tethered to the workplace and always working. That is no way to live life.

Automate as Much as Possible

Automation has the potential to save you and your staff plenty of time. Stay abreast of tech advancements that empower you to automate as much of your legal work as possible. Automating some or all of certain administrative tasks will liberate you to log more billable hours, find new clients or do that much more work on current cases. As an example, consider an application like Case Text that reduces the amount of time and effort attorneys spend conducting legal research. Additional apps and programs that automate billing and administrative tasks include SmokeBall, AllocateLegal and BillerAssist.

Be Honest When Setting Goals

You won’t be able to snag all those top-notch clients in a single year. It is going to take some time to establish a client base, build your reputation and possibly become a partner. So be honest about your professional ceiling for the upcoming months and years. Be patient, set realistic goals and you will gradually progress toward your career aim.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness has quickly entered the mainstream. Attorneys who tap into the power of mindfulness will find they are that much more relaxed. Between yoga, meditating and other mindfulness exercises, you will enjoy a much-needed inner peace free from the constant analyzing and worrying that occurs in the workplace. Mindfulness is not exclusively about oneself. Mindfulness is also beneficial to others. Enhance your mindfulness and you will be that much more conscious about others in your workplace as well as those in your personal life.