Welcome, lawyers, to the digital age world of law! This world has been entirely reshaped by technology, aiming not only to make your life easier but also to transform the way legal services are delivered. The goal is to make them better, faster, and more personalized for clients.
Gone are the days when going to law school, passing the bar, becoming a lawyer, and retiring at the age of 65 were the norm. Technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), has advanced to the point where modern software can automate processes, streamline communications, and even find relevant casework for lawyers.
According to a McKinsey report, existing technology can automate about 23% of legal work. This automation frees up their valuable time and efforts, allowing them to focus on more strategic and high-value tasks.
However, despite technology’s numerous benefits and ease of work, lawyers need to find a middle ground that balances advancing technologies with their legal know-how. This blog will discuss how lawyers can achieve this balance effectively.
Why should aspiring lawyers like you develop the skill of balancing technology and legal know-how?
A lawyer’s office is filled with stacks of paperwork and a research library. Imagine technology stepping in and simplifying all of that with just a few clicks. That’s why legal tech has gained popularity over the years!
It can assist you with contract review, legal research, digitally gathering evidence, and even predicting case outcomes. And the best part is that it makes law firms more cost-effective. For instance, AI can speed-read through thousands of legal documents in just a few minutes, which could take weeks or even months for humans to complete!
As a lawyer, embracing technology is the key to bringing about change in your work. However, that doesn’t mean overlooking everything you study and practice. To fully leverage technology, you need the right legal know-how because machines can never replace human intelligence. Your validation of every reviewed document is crucial.
In your early years of education, ensure that you develop this core skill to reach greater heights in your legal career by being tech-savvy.
How will you strike a balance between legal technology and legal know-how?
As we have already emphasized the significance of striking a balance between leveraging the benefits of legal technology and maintaining a strong foundation of legal know-how, let’s understand how you can do so:
Stay up-to-date
As a lawyer, you need to stay updated with the latest legal technology trends and developments. You should attend seminars, conferences, and webinars focused on legal tech. This will help you choose the right emerging tools, software, and platforms to enhance your practice.
Continuous learning is the key
Whether it is spending time learning new legal tech or reading new and inspiring legal books, as a lawyer, you need to enhance your technological skills and knowledge. In this way, you will be able to make informed decisions about which technologies will align best with your practice and which cases need what kind of research.
Evaluate your practice needs
Identify your practice requirements and areas where legal technology can streamline processes, improve efficiency, or provide valuable insights. Apart from this, you can also opt for legal outsourcing services to manage document review, legal response, incident response, and contract lifecycle management.
Evaluate and implement
Comprehensively evaluate several legal technologies available on the market before you decide to implement them. Keep in mind the following factors:
- Usability
- Security
- Cost
- Compatibility
Balance automation and human expertise
Legal can dynamically automate routine tasks, but human validation will still be the need of the hour.
As a lawyer, you can implement technologies to streamline processes and boost in-house teams’ productivity, but make sure you keep a human eye on the results.
Also, get legal documents and research thoroughly reviewed and validated by legal professionals.
How do you thrive as a tech-savvy lawyer?
To truly thrive as a tech-savvy lawyer, it’s important not only to choose the right technology but also to maximize its potential.
The goal is to leverage technology to save time, allowing you to dedicate more hours to substantive legal work. By striking a balance, you can achieve the following:
Charge flat fees:
When technology automates certain aspects of your work, you can shift from billing hours to charging flat fees. Let’s consider the example of two trademark lawyers, Emma and Michael:
- Emma charges a flat fee of $500. She utilizes technology for client intake and automatically generates filing documents, completing the task in under an hour.
- Michael, on the other hand, bills at a rate of $300 per hour. He also employs the same technology, but it takes a full hour to complete the task.
Emma’s effective billable rate for the task is $200 higher than Michael’s, as she sells the entire transaction rather than billing based on hourly rates.
Both lawyers use the same technology in this case, but Emma demonstrates true tech savvy by adopting a different billing approach.
Enhance Client Experience through Technology:
When you save time and streamline processes with technology, you can focus on delivering an exceptional client experience. Your legal software is your toolkit, enabling you to compete with your peers by providing efficient and effective services.
Consider utilizing Relativity, Disco, Clio, and LexisNexis software to streamline document review, case management, and scheduling. This will not only increase transparency with your clients but also help build trust for a stronger lawyer-client relationship.
Conclusion
By harnessing technology effectively, you can position yourself as a tech-savvy lawyer, delivering excellent client experiences while optimizing your billing structure for increased profitability and success in the legal profession.
Author Bio: Norma Harris is a senior paralegal at Legal Support World, providing expert legal support to clients. She is a passionate writer with a keen interest in the latest legal topics and trends. Combining her legal expertise and excellent writing skills, she produces insightful content that engages and educates readers. Her articles are known for their clarity, accuracy, and informative nature.
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