Friday, November 9, 2018

Part II - Business attorney K Todd Wallace discusses the advancements and impact of technology upon the legal profession


In this second article in his series, noted business attorney K Todd Wallace discusses the advancements and impact of technology upon the legal profession, and how it is being utilized to enhance the client experience in terms of satisfaction and customer service.  As technology reshapes all of modern personal and professional life, the legal profession is no exception.

The complete article will be published on the blog of K. Todd Wallace at http://ktoddwallaceblog.blogspot.com/

Technology is advancing, and the legal profession must keep up with these technological and societal changes. Many of us still remember when they first saw a personal computer, when cell phones became widely available, and when cell phones turned into smart phones that have become indispensable for many.

Incorporating technology into a law practice can make the practice more efficient and increase client satisfaction. In fact, technology may enable the practitioner to exceed client expectations. Here are a few, simple-to-implement options.

Research Efficiency

The internet has placed all of society’s information at one’s fingertips, and again the legal profession is not exempt. The speed of research has dramatically increased. An attorney can analyze a legal matter much more quickly without even leaving the desk. However, that is what clients expect nowadays - instant results.

There are a few tools that can make your job easier. For example, many cases and articles are available for free on Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) or on Findlaw (www.Findlaw.com). Most courts post their forms and cases on the Web, reducing search time to minutes and saving you a walk to the courthouse.

Coming back to smart phones, many attorneys today use them even for legal work. A 2016 survey conducted by the American Bar Association found that 88 percent of respondents used smart phones for law-related work. A fifth of them were using research apps, and those numbers have undoubtedly surged since.

e-Subscriptions

To make your law practice more efficient, subscribing to multiple industry-related blogs and news outlets may deliver relevant information right to your email inbox. In turn, you may be able to tailor valuable information to specific clients and send them a proactive communication.

The Cloud/On-Line Repositories

There are many ways to incorporate a secure document repository in your practice. Online document management providers offer some limited client document sharing and also offer full-scale extranets as an add-on.
There are many options and price points for achieving the logical benefit of client document repositories.

Web-based software enables a firm’s documents to be securely stored in “the cloud” and provide accessibility from nearly any location. The safety of such storage systems has increased greatly, and allows you to have remote access while on the road or working from home.

For example, you can set up a system whereby the lawyer uploads the documents he/she wants to share with the client and the client accesses them via a secure log-in.

The benefit to the client includes having all the documents for a matter in a single repository, accessible at his convenience, with the lawyer taking responsibility for document management. One can update or replace the documents as needed, thus eliminating concerns over versions.  Popular examples include www.litigationservices.com and www.alphareporting.com

To be continued.

The complete article will be published on the blog of K. Todd Wallace at http://ktoddwallaceblog.blogspot.com/

*NOTE: The inclusion of a technology or app in this article does not mean an endorsement or approval. The listed technologies are just for illustrative purposes. None of these particular technologies are endorsed or recommended by this author.
 
About Kenneth Todd Wallace

Kenneth Todd Wallace is an attorney and founding partner of the law firm Wallace Meyaski LLC. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the legal and business professions with established excellence in trial advocacy, negotiation, strategic and initiative planning, employment law compliance, government relations, mergers and acquisitions, and team building. 



References

Law Firm Website: http://www.walmey.com/
Facebook page of the Law Firm: https://www.facebook.com/WallaceMeyaski/
Facebook page of Kenneth Todd Wallace, Attorney at Law:
LinkedIn Profile of Kenneth Todd Wallace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-todd-wallace-03895358/
Attorney Profile:
Twitter: www.twitter.com - Todd Wallace@tarheeltodd94



*** K. Todd Wallace is an attorney at Wallace Meyaski in New Orleans. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the legal and business professions with established excellence in trial advocacy, negotiation, strategic and initiative planning, government relations, mergers and acquisitions, and team building. See http://www.walmey.com/our-attorneys/k-todd-wallace/