Alternatives to Practice Management Legal Software: 5 Things You Should Know
Technology is redefining just about every industry, and the legal profession is no exception.
Not only is technology helping make lawyers and law firms more efficient, but most clients now expect it to be a part of their experience, from how they receive their invoices to how they pay their bills.
Implementing technology into your law firm is pretty much inevitable, but how you do it is going to be the bigger question.
Law Practice Management Software: Is It Right for Your Firm?
One of the ways most law firms introduce technology into their firm will be through a practice management software system…but is this the right solution for you?
In the past, law firms have believed that the only way they could get the best technology implemented into their firm was by buying an expensive law practice management software system.
The problem with many of the large and well-known law practice management software companies is that their software programs tend to be so extensive that many law firms may end up only using certain features for certain departments, but don’t end up ever incorporating them into others.
For example, using some of the accounting software features for a firm’s payables and receivables may have become pretty standard, but recording billable hours by hand may have continued to be the norm.
In today’s world, a law firm doesn’t have to settle for a legal practice management software system that is cumbersome to use and difficult to navigate.
A law firm can have the a la carte option to keep what is already working for them, and only integrate where improvements are needed.
As more research and statistics show, every year, legal practices of all sizes are beginning to adopt some form of legal practice management software into their firm’s ongoing operations, but many are opting to look for systems that offer them a more customized alternative to what they’ve been offered in the past.
Lawyers and their law firm staff have grown disgruntled with how law practice management software systems don’t take into account their biggest needs.
Implementing more technology into your law firm is most likely inevitable. But let’s make sure you do it correctly, and only implement the things that your firm truly needs to operate as efficiently and as effectively as possible.
1. The Right Legal Reporting Software Will Increase Your Staff’s Productivity
Perhaps one of the biggest selling points for implementing a more customized practice management system is the amount of time it will save your lawyers and your staff.
It goes without saying that technology, when understood and used correctly, can give all of us back countless hours in our day, whether we are using it to run an accounts receivable report, send out a batch of client invoices, or place our takeout order through an app instead of having to make a phone call.
Giving your staff and lawyers back valuable hours in their day means they can focus their time on tasks that bring more merit to your law practice.
But not all law practice management software will be able to do that.
In fact, many law practices complain that their current practice management system actually takes time away from their employees, as they have to spend more time trying to navigate its complexities than they do being able to get their work done in a timely manner.
For example, it is reasonable to assume that any practice management system you implement will be able to keep track of billable hours and automatically record them, so your lawyers won’t have to worry that they forgot to capture something correctly.
LeanLaw, an alternative to the traditional practice management software systems, does just that.
Another example is that an effective practice management system will also be able to provide three-way bank reconciliations so that your accounting department won’t ever have to worry about being in compliance with industry best practices and state bar standards, while also automating the way your law practice manages client funds.
Again, this is an area that many practice management software models don’t prioritize. LeanLaw is one that does, and this will be vital to your law firm’s success.
2. The Right Legal Reporting Software Will Increase Your Staff’s Satisfaction
Increasing your staff’s productivity can only lead to increased satisfaction as well.
Imagine a firm where people aren’t pulling their hair out trying to reconcile a bank statement that has taken them the entire afternoon to do. Or a firm where clients aren’t calling, confused as to why there are certain charges on their invoice that they don’t remember approving or receiving.
A legal practice that has a system that focuses on removing much of the potential for human error will also remove much of the frustration that’s often associated with it.
Putting the right software in place will immediately make your firm’s matter management flow more seamlessly while also being more accurate.
And we all know that seamlessness and accuracy in all of our matter management tasks are two things that make every person in every law firm let out a big sigh of relief.
3. The Right Legal Reporting Software Will Increase Your Client’s Satisfaction
Knowing that good legal reporting software will change your employee’s productivity and add to their satisfaction is definitely a selling point.
But knowing how it will increase a client’s satisfaction and improve the overall client experience is another thing entirely.
Even the most reputable law firms have to compete in order to be successful.
Prospective clients are becoming increasingly savvy in their own professional and personal lives when it comes to technology, and they will expect nothing less from the lawyer or law firm they hire.
And even clients that are already established with your firm will find it odd or even off-putting if you don’t have certain platforms in place, such as the ability to make online payments, access to their invoices electronically, or ways to upload documents through a secure client portal.
You may already have some of these options in place for your clients to access. But when you implement a legal reporting software system like LeanLaw, you will suddenly be able to incorporate all of these features and more into one platform that is easy for your clients to navigate.
4. The Right Legal Reporting Software Allows for More Remote Work Options
Whether your firm is working remotely full-time or has adopted a hybrid work environment, there are countless benefits to having software that can be accessed at all times, regardless of where the workflow is being done.
From document management to client management to countless administrative tasks, having a cloud-based solution in place for your remote workers is going to be crucial.
Even as more people are coming back to the workplace, many firms and many lawyers still like the idea of remote work being an option, even if it’s no longer the norm for your firm.
Having the right tools in place for any and all internal processes to be able to be accessed and handled from anywhere will not only increase remote worker’s productivity (and satisfaction!) but it will also ensure that everyone is seeing the same documents, invoices, accounting spreadsheets, and other operational tasks and workflow in real-time.
In order for a law office to be able to effectively and accurately have lawyers and/or staff working in a remote environment, they must have reliable and easily accessible applications that anyone can access and that easily interface together.
With a product like LeanLaw, this is easily done so that everyone can continue to work, regardless of where they are.
5. The Right Legal Reporting Software Allows for More Transparency
Whether you are the person tasked with billing and invoicing clients, or you are responsible for reconciling your firm’s bank accounts, knowing that you are able to provide your clients with accurate and transparent statements and reports is going to be essential to your firm’s reputation and client retention.
Accuracy and transparency will also be a godsend if and when you are faced with a trust account audit or your state bar association has reason to ask for your financial reports.
Any well-designed legal reporting software system is going to be able to make it easy for anyone with the proper access to your system to review and track invoices, billing statements, trust transactional statements, and review documents on their own accord.
Of course, it will be tantamount to your law practice’s security and reputation to make sure the application you choose to use has the appropriate measures in place to provide the adequate security for all of your firm’s legal documents.
The onboarding experts at LeanLaw help clients determine it their current document management system is adequately secured and capable of providing the utmost transparency necessary in order to earn and retain the trust of their clients.
Ready to Learn More About an Alternative to Traditional Law Practice Management Software? Reach Out to LeanLaw Today!
If you’re thinking about continuing your research regarding an alternative to law practice management software, then reach out to LeanLaw today.
Whether you are an already established law firm currently using an antiquated law practice management software, or if you’re implementing new software for the first time, our qualified experts at LeanLaw can definitely start you down the path to discovering what’s going to work best for your law office and everyone on your team.
LeanLaw was born from a passion by those who have worked in the legal profession for years and saw all too often the inaccuracies that were a result of poor accounting practices, the hours lost to inefficiency, and the burnout that has resulted because of these factors.
The experts at LeanLaw understand the idea that if lawyers, their legal assistants, their accounting department, and the rest of their staff were able to be unshackled from the excessive overhead burden of running a traditional practice, the entire law firm would be happier, and better able to run their organization on the types of terms that will ultimately truly serve their clients, their business and their communities.
If you’d like to know more about what LeanLaw’s legal reporting software can do for you and your law firm, request that demo today.
