Digital Transformation Trends in the Legal Sector in 2020

Almost every industry is going through some major changes these days, and most of them have been enabled by various technological and scientific breakthroughs. While some industries are expected to rely heavily on modern technology, some are still regarded as immune to such changes and modernization. The legal sector is one of those where you don’t expect technology to play a major part, but that is not true anymore. There is huge potential in this industry to optimize efficiency and improve processes, and here are some of the ways this can be exploited.

Cloud technology and mobility

Every lawyer has, at some point in their career, left some important files on their desk, which led to stress, delay or even lost court cases. Those days can now be over, with cloud and mobile services providing you access to all important documents regardless of your current location. So, client files, old cases, and other legal resources can be available to you on the go, provided you have Internet access. No serious legal representative relies on hard copies anymore.

Virtual law firms

While various legal services have been available online for quite some time, we are witnessing the increase in the number of virtual law firms. This is facilitated by the development of cloud and mobile services and technology, which allow legal professionals to choose from where and how they work. There are now virtual meetings that eliminate the need for traveling, which improves efficiency and lowers the costs significantly. This also means there is less stress for everyone involved.

Social media

The increased amount of time facilitated by mobility and virtual lawyering has led to more legal professionals popping up on social media. Until recently, they were mostly present on LinkedIn, but now they are recording podcasts, sharing or creating content on Facebook and advertising their services on Instagram, as well. The trend is obvious: lawyers are trying to find their place on social media in order to connect with the public. The public, in turn, enjoys much better access to legal issues and can learn a lot about law in general. The better understanding they have, the more they’ll appreciate the work done by legal professionals.

Cybersecurity

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This is a problem commonly encountered by companies operating in almost every industry. Unfortunately, they don’t find the problem of cybersecurity extremely important until something horrible happens and they lose their files, information or valuable data about their clients. This usually means the end of that company. With so many e-mails classified as phishing, it’s easy to see how a law firm can suffer great damage. We can expect that such attempts to break cybersecurity will continue, but that also means that experts will also work on providing more comprehensive protection from such threats.

Document management

More and more law firms are turning to various software solutions to upgrade their business, especially in forward-thinking environments. For example, there is a great demand for modern legal practice management software in Australia, which can combine comprehensive document management and legal accounting functionality. Especially when such a piece of software has been developed in accordance with the Law Society accounting guidelines and facilitates the successful operation of a dynamic legal practice.

Performance Measurement

Like any other business, law is all about performance. You need results in order to build your reputation and attract new clients. How can technology help you boost your performance? Software packages are now used to analyse data, manage caseload, forecast outcomes and even suggest whether a law firm should accept a new client. This type of business intelligence is used by most top global law firms and we can expect that number to rise even more in the near future. Any kind of help that makes it easier to understand your business is more than welcome and if you’re still not using technology for this purpose, it’s time you considered it.

Smartwatches and wearables

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Picture credit: Pixabay

The growing popularity of smartwatches and wearable devices has not gone unnoticed among law professionals. There are even stories about how attorneys from the US used Google Glass to help solve cases for their clients. The device may not have proven to be a success among the general public, but the idea that such gadgets can provide assistance in matters related to law is quite intriguing. Most of such gadgets are now used to help lawyers synchronize their wearables in order to organise their mobile and laptop files and notifications. This allows them to be on-the-go without missing out on any important aspect or element of their job.

The legal industry will probably never be at the forefront of technological breakthroughs, but that doesn’t mean it can’t benefit from such development. On the contrary, it seems that staying in this business is no longer possible without a proper use of technology, which is why it’s vital you keep your finger on the pulse of all digital transformation trends in the legal sector. If you apply these trends successfully, you’ll be able to save time and money and it will also boost your case outcomes. All this will inevitably lead to building your reputation, which is something every business is after.

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