4 things you can easily automate in your law firm

Published On : July 4, 2022

When we discuss workflow in any modern law firm, non-billable administrative work is a necessary day-to-day duty that costs a lot of efforts, money and valuable time, that can be used for productive (read “billable”) tasks. With the right touch of automation, your law firm can automate some of the most time-consuming tasks, including document drafting, client intake, payment processing, and invoice reminders. 

In addition, introducing quality law office software will completely streamline your law firm’s workflow, and help it stay organized, while simultaneously increasing productivity, and ultimately boost revenue generation. This article highlightsthe basics of law firm automation, its benefits, and how your firm can easily implement the process. But before diving in, the basic question to be asked here is – 

What is Law Firm Automation?  

Law office automation involves using the best law firm software tools that streamline a wide variety of mundane and manual admin processes that are a day-to-day part and parcel in any office. Introducing legal automation software allows your firm’s staff members to easily create templates, organize and auto-generate some of the most repetitive and time consuming tasks. As a result, you can finally put an end to the endless trips to the printer and mailbox. Again, when you use good law office software, you won’t need to copy and paste hundreds of routine documents mindlessly. These low-risk, routine tasks are automated (and are fully customizable too!), so you can focus more on billable casework and legal consultation. 

Some of the benefits of bringing in automation include: 

• Significantly reduced errors and mistakes when creating documents and entering data manually. 
• Visibly enhanced client satisfaction due to better self-service options and easier payment processes, directly from your software. 
• You can devote more time to revenue-producing casework from all law firm staff.
• Highly improved communication and transparency between law office staff and clients, thus building trust in your business. 

What Tasks Can I Automate for My Law Firm? 

From drafting / reviewing contracts to auto-reminders for pending invoices, your non-billable work will no longer take up large chunks of your staff’s day. That’s because a legal workflow

automation system streamlines low-risk, everyday tasks, giving your firm more time for revenue-generating work. 

There are certain repeating and routine tasks that can immediately be put into automation like: 

Client Intake and Lead Management 

The day-to-day workflow for almost every law firm begins with client intake documents, which can take a lot of time in manual, old-school processes. For every legal practice area, you typically need basic information and signatures from the client before work begins. The best law firm software systems allow you to customize and templatize forms for specific clients. This benefits your law firm by reducing errors from repeated manual entries and eliminating paper forms. Your clients also reap the benefits as they can fill in the information online and sign with e-signatures at their convenience. Once the documents are complete, the software syncs the electronic paperwork to your client intake. 

In addition, lawyer automation tools paired with lead management software provide a dashboard for viewing the lead status of each client. With automation, your firm can spend less time manually gathering PDF client intake sheets and speed up the client lead and agreement process — which automatically translates into more productive and billable casework. 

Workflow Management 

Creating, organizing, and reviewing case-management forms can be a messy process. You and your team shouldn’t be scrambling all over the place to find the location or status of a specific file. Having good law office software helps your law firm’s team customize and create standardized templates for common, repeated documents and organize and separate them case by case. 

You can also easily access and keep tabs on the status of each document created in the system. You’ll instantly know if a document is sent to a client, if itstill requires an e-signature, and when it’s completed — all in real-time! As a result, a task that can take hours (or probably even days) to complete, can be done in minutes, and that too, with fewer errors. In addition, all your documents are more secure through cloud-based storage and safe as each document is electronically encrypted when sent to clients. 

Communication with Clients 

Good law office software can also improve client communication by providing clients with efficient, helpful responses. Every communication cannot be slotted into the automation bucket, as some more technical questions require human responses. However, inquiries related to simple task statuses can be auto-generated and sent, so your clients receive a timely reply, and your firm can focus more on questions and work that require your complete focus and attention.

In addition to automation, top Case Management Software like Beveron’s Smart Lawyer Office allows you automate and streamline your workflow. Also, in the best law firm software available in the market, there are built-in chat tools so you can speak with your clients at the office or while on the go. All you need is an internet connection. 

Automated payment collection and invoice reminders 

Law firm automation improves the accounts receivable process through its electronic payment capabilities and automated invoice follow-ups. A good office automation system replaces slow phone and mail payment processes with automatic electronic reminders. Your clients will instantly know when their bill is due and if there are any pending payments due. And if you integrate this legal automation with Law Firm Billing Software’s credit, debit, and ACH (e-clearing) payment options, you’ll receive instant payment. Clients can pay their bills on the fly while your law firm continuously improves its revenues. 

In effect…. 

It is safe to conclude that automation in law firms is designed to enhance the productivity of routine, manual admin tasks so you can focus more on billable work. Beveron’s software solutions makes it easy for your law firm to seamlessly integrate automation tools into your current workflow processes.