Part of running your law firm successfully means not forgetting you run a business. Yet, the business of being a lawyer is definitely not covered in law school.
To run your own law firm, you need to know about managing an office, client intake, and marketing, among other things.
Add to that the reality that mobile technology and mobile app development have reshaped client expectations for service.
So without further adieu, here are some powerful legal software applications that make all the difference and can help you manage key aspects of your law practice.
Apps for Calendaring
At some point in your life, you have used iCal, Google Calendar, or Outlook. They're like always having a personal trainer to keep you in check.
Of course, nowhere is it more important to prevent calendaring errors than in the world of litigation where a missed deadline can turn a surefire winner into a loser.
- Failure to calendar is the fifth-most-common error of legal malpractice claims
- A less common error is the failure to react to a calendar system
So, keeping track of deadlines, tasks, projects, and meetings is vital. Busy, solo attorneys have a lot on their plate and can fail to manage their own time. In general, law firms simply cannot operate without a calendaring tool.
Centralized, online calendars or rules-based calendaring apps are essential as they allow:
- Tracking and calibrating deadlines for specific jurisdictions and areas of law
- Tracking conflicts of interest
- Seeing an overview of due items from one centralized place
- One member of the firm to catch what another one might have missed
Apps for Document Storage
Electronic document storage is an absolute necessity for your law firm. Look for apps that include the ability to both store and share documents through the use of secure online portals.
Cloud-based, mobile document access is included with most document storage apps, giving easy and secure access from any location via the app.
Box.net and Dropbox are such cloud-based data storage services that provide free storage, are simple to navigate and allow you to access your firm's important documents, anytime you need it.
Apps for Electronic Signatures
Using an electronic document signature app can streamline and expedite contract preparation, execution, and management, reducing costs and saving you valuable time.
Electronic signature apps such as DocuSign and Sharefile provide encryption and a level of convenience for your clients by allowing them a safe, easy way to return documents.
Apps for Case Management
As a lawyer, you have to deal with open loops, client communications, and countless other loose threads. This was one of the first areas for law firm tools - including those developed on the mobile device - to step into, so there's no shortage of services out there.
These tools help you manage your cases and your client's happiness by keeping track of everything in software.
The core differentiators when evaluating these apps comes down to preference: How easy is the app to use? What specific features do you need? By investing a little time you can find just the right fit.
Apps for Marketing, Intake, and CRM
Finally, your law firm needs clients and cases to stay financially viable and grow. Clients come and go, so signing new cases becomes a natural part of the work. That's where the legal niche of nurturing leads and client intake software can help you maximize your marketing ROI.
What you're looking for in a CRM tool is to address specific pain points you encounter when bringing in new clients.
The more you can simplify and organize, the better.
At Atraxia Media, when you request our assistance, our Intake Management System helps us combine for you advertising, first contact and screening operations.
So here you're looking at software that can work great with your workflow and existing toolset, which could include:
- Generating leads via media placement
- Determining how and when to contact and screen potential cases
- Returning calls promptly so that clients feel nurtured
- Putting every document in order and centralizing the papers
- Signing contracts
- Checking in later down the road
Add to that the Araxia Media app which provides reports of ad spends and case intake grouped by daily, weekly, monthly and lifetime criteria. Our app helps you determine how well leads are converting into clients, and if you're just spinning your wheels in a specific area. This information helps you stay efficient and track according to budgets.
From getting clients to signing contracts and from setting the appointment to reminding you of critical paperwork, these must-have apps will keep your plaintiff law firm organized, efficient, and profitable.