How to overcome the challenge of adopting lawtech in law firms

Last week I spoke at #LegalTechSummit in Sydney on cost-effective technology solutions for law firms.

If you feel like you are in a never ending stream of new technology solutions for legal services, you are right. Thomson Reuters reported there has been a 484 percent increase in the number of patents filed covering new legal services technology globally in the last five years.

I shared some of the ways that Harris Freidman has been able to partner with technology providers to take advantage of some really clever solutions in a way that, not only doesn't require an upfront cost, but is actually saving us money and provides a better service to our clients.

One of the solutions we have adopted is digitally storing our old files. We had about 800 boxes sitting in a factory. We paid a monthly fee per box to store them for 7 years and a fee each time we needed to manually retrieve the file. It was hard to check which boxes could be destroyed.  That's all now been scanned and can be accessed quickly through our practice management system. We have simplified the tiresome task of managing paper files, dramatically reduced the ongoing cost and are getting better access to the records we need. That one step is a huge advantage to us and to our clients.

People sometimes balk at buzzwords like innovation and paperless office because they think that that you have to re-engineer your practice and unveil an entire digital offering. There is value in starting small. By chipping away at clunky and annoying back end processes you can:  

1. save some money,
2. take advantage of the expertise that these law technology providers put into coming up with a clever solutions for the problems firms face, and
3. get your organisation (and your risk adverse lawyers) comfortable with embracing and implementing change.

If you haven't already, now is the time to start engaging with technology and making changes.

I'm a commercial litigator in Sydney Australia who helps business owners (including the owners of law firms) resolve disputes in a way that minimizes the disruption and expense those disputes can cause. I share posts regularly and tweet @BreakupBusiness. If you wish to keep up to date with issues affecting setting up, and breaking up, businesses follow me or Harris Freidman. If you'd like to talk to someone confidentially about your particular situation, give me a call on +61 2 9023 9114 or email at [email protected].