Adopting Legal Technology: Matter Management

In an increasingly online world, it's never been easier for law firms to create and manage their own legal matters. Matter creation and management software gives firms easy ways to keep track of their legal matters, from tasks, notes, documents, legal billing, and so much more. Doing so increases a law firm's productivity, increasing time available to actually practice law. It can also improve client satisfaction by giving clients direct access to their case, 24/7. After all, each client is different, so what benefit is there to having a one-size-fits-all model for handling their legal matters?

Identify Your Firm’s Needs

To find the right matter management software, ask questions like:

• How much time does the firm spend tracking down information for a particular matter? How often does the firm tackle cases that deviate from the standard process?
• Does resolving admin items take away from the firm's ability to actually practice law?
• Does the firm regularly spend more time resolving client concerns regarding legal matters than actually working on their cases?
• Does the firm struggle to determine if there is a conflict of interest in a case? Is this due to not having all the information?

Knowing the workflow process, and the regularly problematic areas within, can help firms determine which system best suits their needs. Focusing on the areas where there's the greatest room for improvement will increase the odds a new system has of providing a definitive solution to the firm's problems. After all, identifying a problem is the first step in solving it.

Choose the Right Management Software

The best matter management software provides the firm with more time to practice law while still elevating client satisfaction. Here are few features that matter management software can offer:

• Task and Appointment Management: Managing tasks and appointments to make sure nothing gets missed can not only be time consuming but stressful. Look for software that offers both - specific to any particular matter but also gives the user an overview of all tasks and appointments in one place. The convenience of one 'source of truth' is a real game changer.

• Organization: Tracking notes, documents, billing, and information in one place - no more searching through emails, going to multiple stand-alone apps - not only saves a lot of time but keeps things, well, tidy.

• Automation: You have the data... why not put it to work for you? From client-filled intake forms, whether general information or specifically created to automate documents, put all of that to work. Say goodbye to repetitive processes.

• Client Involvement: Giving clients direct access to their case at any time. Some programs, like SimpleLaw, offer a client portal that makes communication between the law firm and their clients even easier.

• Conflict Checking: Get it done, quicker. With a purpose built CRM (contact relationship manager), opposing parties, and any other roles, get it done in a few clicks. Simple.

Matter management software helps firms get and stay organized. See the information the firm needs at the client level, in just a few clicks. No more searching around multiple data sources.

Get Buy-In from Key Stakeholders

No matter the usefulness of legal software, its' adoption will fail if it's not supported. Here are a few steps to follow in order to secure those key buy-ins:

• Involve employees early: Get feedback from law firm users. Ensure their concerns and ideas for ways to improve matter management are addressed. Remember, focus on the needs of the firm but be open to even more features, too. 

• Highlight benefits to everyone: Show employees how using the matter management software helps save time and increase productivity. Also explain how adopting this technology can benefit the clients, and in turn benefit the firm.

• Nominate a project lead: Choose someone from the firm to lead the charge, preferably someone who has some interest in technology and can rally the firm and clients behind their efforts.

By ensuring support from key players in the firm early on, the odds of successfully adopting matter management software will greatly increase.

Develop a Clear Implementation Plan

Having chosen the best matter management program and gotten key buy-ins, the next step is to create an adoption system that will maximize the chances of success.

A good implementation plan should include:

• A Defined Timeline: Identify the best approach to adopting the software. Perhaps it's using a cut off date - 100% move on a given date. Or perhaps a slower transition where open matters are resolved with the current approach and new matters are started in the new software. 
• Customize Matter Management: Tailor the software to best suit the needs of the firm and its clients. What are the primary pain points to address? After a general familiarity is reached, what are the deeper adoption features the firm can address.
• Provide training: Offer hands-on training for every aspect of the software. Show the firm how to use the various features of the software. Show clients how they can request new matters and view current ones.

Integrate the System into Daily Operations

Incorporating new matter management software into the daily operations of the firm maximizes the chances of successful integration.

Here are some steps to help streamline the integration process:

• Client introduction: Provide clients with an introduction to the matter management software, showcasing how it's used. Work with the provider for video help and training.

• Encourage use: Encourage employees to use the software throughout matter resolution. Outline the primary features to adopt and move through additional benefits. 

• Built-in training: Include training on a regular basis - think of a lunch and learn once a quarter. Review new features introduced by the software provider, let users learn from each other.

• Do away with the old: Emphasize that this matter management software will be the new standard. It will be the only way for employees to create new legal matters and for clients to make requests for new matters or view current ones.

Embedding the matter management software into the firm's operations and culture builds familiarity, consistency, and confidence from both employees and clients.

Monitor and Optimize Usage

Even after full adoption of the new software into the firm's operations, it still requires time to determine if the adoption is successful. Regularly monitor its use by both employees and clients to discern how well it benefits both parties.

Ask questions like:

• How much time have employees spent finding and keeping track of legal matters since the switch?

• Do clients ask employees less questions regarding their legal matters? Or were the old questions just replaced with new ones?

• Have employees become more productive in practicing law and finishing cases since adopting the new software?

Be sure to collect feedback from users. Continue to refine the ways employees and clients use the new management software. Staying updated on new program features also helps because many legal tech platforms release updates that can further streamline operations and add new automation capabilities. After all, software isn’t static-so why should your firm's operational procedures be?

Conclusion

Adopting new matter management software can be tricky. If done successfully, it can:

• Increase the time the firm has to practice law, rather than answering client inquiries and chasing down details.
• Give clients a way to view current legal matters and request new ones, elevating client satisfaction.
• Increase firm productivity and efficiency through the use of a single database for legal matters.

By adopting new legal technology, including matter management software, firms can improve their productivity and efficiency while also elevating client satisfaction. This level of involvement and cooperation maximizes the chances of client satisfaction, while simultaneously providing employees more opportunities to practice law by eliminating the need to track down legal matters and answer inquiries.

SimpleLaw makes it easy with an all-in-one case management solution designed for law firms that want reliable and time-saving matter management software—all without the learning curve.

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