Technology has come to stay. The law firm of the future must embrace it to stay relevant.

Here is a great article by Adeleke Adedeji of ESQ Law Magazine on lawyers keeping up with technology. He makes a case for the need for lawyers to push through and make room for technology.

According to him:

As a lawyer, keeping up with legal technology is a must for forward-thinking firms focused on growth. Lawyers are constantly in a battle between remaining competitive and minding the bottom line. This battle doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your firm.

The law firm of the future appreciates workflows and systems and leverages law firm technology to improve their quality, efficiency, and client experience. The law firm of the future uses technology not because it’s cool but because they know legal tech makes their work better.

Because legal technology can be complex, because it is changing all the time, and because lawyers were never taught technology strategy in law school, adopting the right tools and keeping up with trends can feel overwhelming. But lawyers need to find a way past these excuses to address real needs around data security, running efficient and effective practices, choosing the right solutions from the longlist available, and making legal tech work for them instead of against them.

Taking advantage of technology will help fulfil operational needs, streamline systems, meet goals, and improve client service.

Finally, the firm of the future is one that exhibits the following traits

• is technologically competent
• runs a paperless law firm by scanning and digitally filing all paperwork, shredding what they don’t need, and appropriately archiving the things they do.
• Runs a mobile firm using mobile technology to work productively and securely from outside the office.
• Conducts data security threat assessments with an up-to-date threat model and a written security policy.
• Has technology systems that reflect the firm’s security needs and those of their clients.

The only way to reach these goals is by fully embracing the technology evolution we’re currently in. If you don’t, you’ll be vulnerable to inefficient operations, loss of revenue, and ultimately be left behind.

Every successful initiative started with a plan. To reinvent your law firm and take advantage of the technology available to you, you must first make a roadmap. A comprehensive tech plan will help you outline the steps to take to reach the tech goals set for your firm.

[ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Adeleke Adedeji https://esq-law.com/keeping-up-with-legal-technology/]