In today’s increasingly competitive legal environment, it is more important than ever for law firms to approach their IT as a strategic investment rather than a cost of doing business. By teaming up with a solutions-driven IT partner and involving the IT professionals in your law firm’s strategic planning process, you can develop IT infrastructure and applications that support your firm’s long-term operational needs and business goals. Law firms who invest strategically in IT can gain a competitive advantage over other firms when vying for both clients and top talent.
Attracting and Retaining Top Employees
Today, law firms face more competition than ever in attracting and retaining talent, particularly young associates who will be the future of the firm. Only 23% of millennial attorneys said they wanted to make partner at their current firm, according to a 2021 survey by Major, Lindsey & Africa and Above the Law. Talented attorneys want to be able to work efficiently and productively so that they can provide optimal service to their clients and maximize their success. Firms that can show they are leveraging state-of-the-art technology solutions to fortify attorneys’ success will have a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent over firms with inefficient technology.
In the wake of the pandemic, many law firms have instituted a hybrid work environment, in large part because today’s attorneys demand the flexibility to work remotely at least part of the time. Investing in IT infrastructure that extends beyond the firm’s offices to give attorneys seamless and secure access to applications and data from anywhere – the office, home, court, or even while traveling – will go a long way in supporting their productivity and career goals. If your system hinders ambitious attorneys’ ability to perform, they will look elsewhere.
Making Operations More Efficient
With ever-increasing pressure on profit margins, law firms gain a distinct competitive edge by improving productivity and efficiency. By working closely with your IT partners to design and implement applications that streamline your operations, you can substantially reduce the amount of time it takes to perform tasks while providing more efficient and responsive service to clients. Integration between applications such as document management, time and billing, and case management software eliminates the need for data to be input more than once while allowing team members to seamlessly share information across multiple platforms. Leveraging automating solutions, such as time and billing and legal document automation tools, can reduce manual processes that are time-consuming and inefficient. A strategic IT partner can also provide targeted, ongoing training to ensure team members fully avail themselves of your applications’ features.
Providing Clients with Superior Service
Strategic use of IT not only bolsters your ability to provide more efficient service to clients, but it can allow you to present yourself to current and prospective clients as an innovative, technologically forward-thinking firm. The use of state-of-the-art client-facing tools such as videoconferencing and client portals directly impacts clients by facilitating their communication and interactions with your attorneys and firm.
Providing Clients with Optimal Security
Security is of particular concern to clients, who expect their law firm to have the ability to protect their sensitive data and privileged communications. While many law firms list security as their top or one of their top priorities, cybercriminals are constantly becoming stealthier, and even tech-savvy firm manager are often unaware of vulnerabilities in their system. Security cannot be a one-and-done, set-it-and-forget-it proposition; if you received assurances a year ago that your system was secure, it may not be today. Law firm leaders who invest strategically in IT and continually engage with their IT partners on cybersecurity matters can ensure that current and future vulnerabilities are mitigated. When you sit down with prospective clients, particularly those in highly sensitive industries such as healthcare and financial services, security is an important selling point. Being able to demonstrate to prospects that you are securely using IT – from your digital storage to your data transmission – can make your firm more attractive than many of the firms you are competing with.
Tabush Group is a leading provider of Desktop as a Service (DaaS) and Managed IT services and a strategic IT partner for small and midsize law firms. To learn more about how our state-of-the-art IT solutions can make your firm’s operations more efficient and secure, contact us.