Automation and the Legal Sector

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The legal industry has faced many difficulties in recent years. From the whiplash reforms, to the anticipated fixed costs extension which is due to come into force in October 2023.

It has become increasingly apparent is that lawyers are resilient and will continue to adapt. Some may adapt by diversifying into different areas of law or finding new ways to maximise profits. Many forward thinking law firm are moving in a direction which ensures their entire operation runs like a well-oiled machine.

It is important to understand automation and the legal sector, including the benefits automation can bring.

The dream for many firms would be self-generating work via a strong online presence and then funnelling all of that work directly into a robust case management system. Automation could then be implemented to assist fee earners to swiftly settle cases.

Automation could potentially remove the majority, if not all administrative tasks, leaving only the matters of genuine complexity to be dealt with by the fee earning staff.

The benefits of an efficient system should not be understated, it has always been desirable, but now it is becoming almost mandatory.

If a business’s profits are to drop by a substantial margin action must be taken.

Some companies might reduce staff or limit new projects, which seems smart in the short run. However, this can lead to a harmful cycle of decline and bankruptcy in the long term. It’s wiser to focus on making the most of the company’s existing resources instead.

Those working in the legal services industry should be well aware of the benefits of legal process automation; however, many are still hesitant to embrace automation technology.

Examples of automation for law firms

 

Some examples of automation and the legal sector are outlined below:

  • Legal document management and automation: Document automation software can help legal professionals generate standard legal documents, such as contracts and disclosure agreements, more quickly and accurately. These systems can automate the process of filling in fields and clauses based on predefined templates, reducing the time and effort required to draft documents.
  • Contract Management: Contract management automation tools can help legal professionals manage contracts throughout their lifecycle, from initial drafting to signing and ongoing management. These systems can help track deadlines, monitor compliance, and automate the process of renewals and amendments.
  • Legal workflow automation: Legal workflow automation offers law firms numerous advantages. By automating repetitive tasks and document generation, efficiency is heightened, allowing legal professionals to focus on higher-value responsibilities. This reduces errors, maintains consistency, and speeds up turnaround times. Enhanced client satisfaction, cost savings, improved regulatory compliance, and the ability to scale operations further underline the benefits, making automation a pivotal tool for modern law firms seeking streamlined processes and better outcomes.
  • Due diligence: Automation significantly aids due diligence processes by swiftly extracting and analyzing data from diverse documents, minimizing errors, and ensuring consistency. It accelerates risk assessment and decision-making, making it invaluable in time-sensitive transactions. Moreover, automation enhances collaboration amongst teams, maintains secure data handling, and allows for efficient scalability, ultimately leading to more comprehensive and efficient due diligence in law firms.
  • Billing and Timekeeping: Automation can help streamline billing and timekeeping processes for law firms. Timekeeping software can automatically track billable hours and generate invoices, reducing the administrative burden on legal professionals.

These are just a few examples of how automation can be applied in the legal sector. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative ways of using automation to improve efficiency, accuracy, and client service in the legal industry.

 

Automation and the legal sector

 

With the ongoing rise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, now is the time for legal teams to take advantage of legal technology to reap great benefits for their firms.

Automation can bring several benefits to the legal profession. Below are some of the key ways automation can benefit the legal sector:

  • Increased Efficiency: Automation can help law firms and legal departments work more efficiently by reducing the amount effort required for time consuming routine tasks. For example, document automation software can help legal professionals generate documents quickly and accurately, saving time and reducing errors.
  • Cost Savings: By automating tasks that were previously done manually, law firms and legal departments can save money on labor costs. Automation can also reduce the need for physical storage space for documents and records, which can further reduce costs.
  • Improved Accuracy: Automation can help improve accuracy by reducing the risk of errors that can occur when tasks are done manually. This is particularly important in legal work, where even small errors can have significant consequences.
  • Better Compliance: Automation can help ensure compliance with regulations and laws by standardising processes and reducing the risk of human error.
  • Enhanced Client Service: Automation can improve client service by enabling legal professionals to work more efficiently and effectively, allowing them to respond more quickly to client needs and provide better service.

Overall, automation can help the legal sector become more efficient, cost-effective, and accurate, which can improve outcomes for clients and legal professionals alike.

 

How Legal Practice Support can assist

 

The team at Legal Practice Support have expert knowledge in automation and the legal sector. We help in-house legal teams to embrace the digital transformation by utilising legal tech and developing their case management systems.

Proclaim case management system is ideal software to develop bespoke automations for your business, allowing you to communicate with your clients promptly and effectively.

For example, Proclaim development can be developed to ensure an effective automated client communication system is in place that would enable clients to be automatically updated about key milestones, replacing lawyers spending hours updating, allowing them to focus on their work.

This system will ensure that clients are continually kept up to date and informed meaning lawyers working will get more uninterrupted time to focus on important aspects of their cases.

This in turn, allows for a fee earner to become more productive as they can rely on Proclaim automatically providing the client with a reliable update on case progression.

Additionally, Proclaim legal practice management software can be developed to have automated triggers to notify third-parties at important stages to ensure tasks are kept on top of, such as automated emails, faxes, letters to chase up documentation or appointments.

Other types of automation within Proclaim include:

  • Automated workflows within a case management system
  • Automation of electronic signatures and digital agreements
  • Contract automation
  • Automation of billing
  • Risk and compliance automation 

Our team can provide a range of services to all types of legal professionals to help their firms become more efficient and more profitable.

Our services include:

If you would like to discuss how a Proclaim Developer from the LPS team could assist with automation in your law firm, or discuss any other service we offer, please contact us for further information.

We can be contacted via e-mail at enquiries@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, and a member of our team will be in touch as soon as possible. Alternatively, you get in touch with us via Live Chat or the contact form below.

 

Reviews

Satisfied client stories

"Since we first began utilising the services of Legal Practice Support, we have seen a dramatic improvement in the capabilities of our Proclaim system. The system has seen substantial enhancements with regards to automation; tasks that previously could take staff hours, can now be completed within minutes."

Mark Brierley

Director, Beacon Law

"Prior to their (Legal Practice Support) involvement, we had little to no reporting; and what we did have was generally manually accumulated data on spreadsheets. Since Legal Practice Support began enhancing our system, they have enabled us to receive key management information as and when required, which allows us to evaluate key areas of the business, as well as provide overviews of fee earners' case progression and their performance amongst other things."

Mr L Ali

Director, Hunter Price Khan

" We have had the out of the box Proclaim system for many years, and whilst we were content with its performance, it wasn't until we utilised the services of Legal Practice Support to help streamline and automate our workflows that we really saw its potential to save time and money by maximising the efficiency of our workflows."

 

Yasar Ali

Clarity Solicitors

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