Technology use has grown at a rapid rate in the legal profession. The American Bar Association Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 requires lawyers to keep up with changes to both the law and the way it is practiced. This also includes the technological aspects.
Apps and software are playing an increasingly important role in handling cases and running law offices, so any Oklahoma law firm that fails to remain current puts itself at a professional disadvantage.
Below are three new technology trends that are predicted to take hold. Cumulatively, they address three issues important to law offices: accuracy, efficiency, and mobility.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is taking the legal community by storm. Services like ROSS, Lawgeex, and Kira Systems expedite the time-consuming process of legal research, contract review, and due diligence.
An attorney using ROSS can ask a question like “Can a company that’s bankrupt still carry on business” and receive an instant answer along with citations and recommended reading.
Proponents of artificial intelligence say that it can lighten an attorney’s workload by improving important routine processes and allowing a busy law professional to focus on the more challenging tasks.
Legal Project Management Software
While legal project management software is not a new phenomenon, law offices throughout the country have been slow to embrace it.
However, experts are now predicting that the newer versions of this software, which include automation tools that support the efficiency clients demand, will result in a more rapid adoption rate.
In an era of shrinking budgets and growing emphasis on efficiency, workflow and automation tools enable Oklahoma law firms to do more for less. Legal management software helps attorneys remain competitive by:
- automating the document drafting process
- integrating compliance tools that preserve the integrity of all output
- managing routine tasks so lawyers can focus on work that requires their expertise
Mobile Law Resources
As legal software becomes an office mainstay, lawyers will search for solutions that integrate seamlessly with multiple platforms: desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. These devices are all a regular part of an Oklahoma attorney’s practice, and mobile law resources support a more distributed workplace.
Law offices that expect their attorneys to work remotely when required will only adopt technologies that can be used on both desktop PCs and portable devices. In other words, if any software does not have an associated app, its chances of being used are minimal.
Bottom Line
Technology has made a positive impact on practically every industry, and that effect has been especially noticeable in the legal profession. To make their daily operations more efficient and effective, Oklahoma law firms have implemented solutions that streamline workflow, support a mobile workplace, and improve the accuracy of document output. The three trends discussed in this article take all three attributes to greater levels.
Has your firm made plans to adopt any of the technology trends described here? If so, which ones? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.
To follow up on the tips introduced in this article, download your complimentary IT Security Checklist for Oklahoma Law Firms while it’s still available.
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