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How to Be a Tech-Savvy Lawyer

How To Utilize Tech as a Lawyer

By Kari OakleyPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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It's no secret that technology has changed the legal industry. Where e-discovery, coding, paperless organization and streaming are used more and more, law firms that aren't using these tools are falling behind. Here are some tips on becoming a more tech-savvy lawyer.

Invest in Legal Software

In the digital age, there are so many tools out there to make running a legal practice simpler and more efficient. Resorting to legal note pads to take down all of your important information and firm practices is archaic and is hard to organize/access/protect. One of the best ways you can bring your legal practice up-to-date is to invest in legal software.

There are lots of different legal software solutions out there. Whether it's legal case management software, time tracking software for billing, calendaring software, document assembly, contract management, client communication or other software, you can find exactly what you need that will your firm best.

Watch How-To Videos

Once you've found some software solutions you want to try, it's time to watch some how-to videos. You can either watch marketing videos made by the software company itself going over the benefits of using the software and the problems it solves, or you can watch user-generated videos that go over real world situations on how to use the software effectively.

With YouTube and other video aggregation sites, you're sure to find a plethora of information relating to the software you're investigating - assuming it isn't brand new. Even after you've invested in software, how-to videos are always a great resource to help you to master small parts of the software and continually make sure you're making the most of your investment.

Take Part in Demos

Most software solutions have websites and blogs you can read up on to find out more about the way their software works, but the best way to get into the meat of the solution is to set up a demo. Most demos are free, no-obligation experiences where you'll get to ask system experts any of your questions on how the software is used. You'll want to make sure you ask specific questions related to your practice so you can envision how you'd incorporate it into your daily processes.

You'll also have an opportunity to see if the company is running any trial packages or discounts so you can try the software fairly risk-free before making any long-term investments into it.

Frequently Research Online

Outside of just software solutions, you can also become a more tech-savvy law firm by frequently researching competitors and seeing what they are using to run their practices. If there are certain plugins or services they are using on their site that you like (for instance, a live-chat feature or email newsletter), you can work to replicate that experience on your own website to increase your convenience and make sure you are competitive in your niche.

You can also regularly search for new solutions coming on the market and make sure you're up to date on the latest technologies in the legal industry.

Read Tech Blogs for Lawyers

Similar to researching online using search engines, you can also find tech blogs for lawyers that do a lot of that research for you. There are lots of legal tech blogs out there that will curate the best tech solutions from the web and package them in an easy to read format.

Hire Someone Who is Tech Savvy

If doing the research and investing in tech solutions is too far out of your wheelhouse, you can always hire someone in-house to help! Whether that's someone that can help with SEO, online marketing, social media marketing or an IT person to help run your site, server and software tools, you have options.

Ultimately the key to being a competitive lawyer is to utilize the technologies that are out there to make your life easier, more organized and more efficient. This gives you more time to do what you're best at - practicing the law.

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About the Creator

Kari Oakley

Kari Oakley is a fitness trainer from Kenosha Wisconsin. She now lives in downtown Chicago, and loves to get out. She is a big fan of anything adventure, and loves getting a workout in the outdoors.

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