How the Right Legal Tech Addresses Key Pain Points in Your Firm
Life is busy and work is nothing short of chaotic.
We feel it every time we walk into the office, a wave of doom that hits us like a whip across the face as soon as we enter the door.
But it doesn’t have to be.
We have tried to paint a picture of what life looks like in our article Turning Chaos into Clarity – it’s what spearheaded this series we have been on – we didn’t realise the chaos that some of our readers have really found themselves in.
So, we have tried to open your eyes to what is possible with the right legal tech should you employ it where it’s needed most – it can completely turn your world around. In all the right ways.
With tools like document management, time tracking, billing and invoicing, workflow automation, e-discovery tools, effortless teamwork, compliance and secure client communication, your firm is basically taken care of – and these are the things that are pretty much stock standard when it comes to any (good) legal accounting and practice management suite.
But – there’s always a but isn’t there – what about the legal tech that’s more specific to the size of your practice?
Small Firms – Simplicity and Affordability
If you’re managing a small firm, you know that small doesn’t mean easy. Often, you have only a handful of staff (if any), so you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you just need solutions that are simple to use and easy to implement – whilst also offering a quick return on investment. After all, we want bang for our buck!
Fewer features. Easy implementation. Quick ROI.
Simple as that.
Some examples of just the right type of legal tech for a small firm
- Chaos 1 – You are the jack of all trades, but it’s impossible to be everywhere at once.
The AJS Solution? Mobile App + Web Access.
Log into AJS from anywhere or capture fees from your mobile phone even if you are out and about.
The Clarity? Capture details as things happen, making it easier to keep track of billing, being able to generate invoices as and when you are ready.
- Chaos 2 – Documents are scattered all over the place causing delayed responses to clients.
The AJS Solution? – Transaction History + Mobile App.
All your financial information, notes and documents contained all in one place – even on your mobile phone!
The Clarity? Instant and organised access to client data.
A small firm that has been taken care of in a BIG way.
Medium Firms – Scalability and Seamless Integration
For medium-sized firms, growth is often the name of the game. Maybe you’ve just merged with another practice or are preparing to expand. In either case, you need scalability, seamless integration with existing tools (avoiding data silos like the plague), and collaborative document management across departments.
Scalability. Seamless Integration. Collaboration.
Some examples of just the right type of legal tech for a medium firm
- Chaos 1 – Because medium firms are often in the mode of scaling up, expanding their teams as they go, it often means patchwork legal tech that doesn’t quite speak to one another. Or speaks to one another but in broken English. And that can result in duplicated work and processes that just don’t work.
The AJS Solution? Task Management + Workflow Lists.
Create tasks for yourself or others or take action on tasks that were created for you by colleagues. Use Workflow lists to select and work on a specific set of accounts.
The Clarity? Manage tasks without the need for back-and-forth emails and reminders. Workflow uses predefined criteria to group accounts and perform actions individually or in bulk.
- Chaos 2 – A constant stream of incoming emails.
The AJS Solution? AJS Toolbar.
Attach emails directly to AJS from your email application and even raise a fee at the same time.
The Clarity? Don’t lose track of important information and – bonus – bill for the work you’re doing as it happens.
- Chaos 3 – Document templates getting you down.
AJS Solution? Template Sets + Document management.
Standardised template sets and documents.
The Clarity? Generate documents for a range of legal processes quickly and seamlessly using information directly from your database – avoiding a duplication of effort and ensuring accuracy.
A medium firm that knows where it’s going and can now get there with ease.
Large Firms – Advanced Reporting and Data Security
If you’re leading a large, established firm, you may already have robust systems in place. But complex structures bring their own hurdles, such as advanced reporting and analytics, enterprise-level strict security, compliance management and multiple office (which are often cross-border) integration.
Some examples of just the right type of legal tech for a large firm
- Chaos 1 – Data, data everywhere.
AJS Solution? BI Reporting + Dashboards.
Set up your own custom queries to drill down or dashboards that provide an instant overview.
The Clarity? Analyse your data and spot issues to address them sooner rather than later.
- Chaos 2 – Bulk transacting.
AJS Solution? AJS import tool + Batch imports.
Import new handovers or payment schedules in bulk – easy peasy lemon squeezy.
The Clarity? Save time by reducing manual data capture and let the system do the work for you.
- Chaos 3 – International clients or multiple branches.
AJS Solution? Foreign Currency + Branch accounting.
Manage client preferences and accounting requirements.
The Clarity? Produce invoices and statements in the client’s currency or manage the trust transfers and bank recons for foreign bank accounts. Branches can be accounted for separately even though they are on the same database, making for easy consolidated reporting.
- Chaos 4 – Compliance.
AJS Solution? KYC Tools + Conflict Checks + Reporting.
Manage KYC internally or integrate with third-party KYC suppliers.
The Clarity? Prevent billing if KYC is non-compliant or if conflict checking is not done – there will be indicators on each account for all to see – with a bonus reporting option to ensure your compliance is always up to date.
A large firm with big hurdles deserves even BIGGER solutions!
Where to Go from Here
You know you need legal tech. We have already proven time and time again the benefits that introducing the right legal tech into your practice can provide. And right now, we are proving that the right legal tech can turn chaos into clarity, often at the click of the button.
Join us next week when we show you how some of our clients have benefitted by starting with or changing over to AJS – an effortless endeavour.
In this regard, if you’re not on the legal tech train turning your chaos into clarity, but are keen to liberate yourself, get in touch with AJS – we have the right combination of systems, resources and business partnerships to assist you with incorporating supportive legal technology into your practice.
AJS is always here to help you, wherever and whenever possible!
