Digitalization and SimpleLaw.
Digitalization and SimpleLaw.
03 Jun 2020
Digitalization is a common theme in the modern legal world. It means more than a just a “technological jump.” It is a means to an end – a way to be more innovative, productive, and cost-efficient. It is a way to distance yourself from the competition. With new technologies such as SimpleLaw, many firms are now challenging age-old conventions.
Since the field of law’s infancy, the use of paper has been standard protocol – physical mediums which are ultimately subject to many limitations not imposed on digital mediums. With the advent of SimpleLaw, an intuitive and free case management, tracking, billing, and client communication platform built with cloud-based engineering, modern attorneys have been able to improve their law firms from the foundational level. Modern attorneys are foregoing the traditional paper-rich method and in return, reaping many benefits such as improving client acquisition, economics, productivity, and time-efficiency.
Client acquisition benefits:
Digitalization through SimpleLaw helps promote the acquisition of new clients because it allows firms through its communication platform to be more attentive towards client issues. Through SimpleLaw’s communication platform, attorneys can key in on issues that clients may otherwise not be able to discuss as easily through traditional mediums. With a technologically interconnected world, tech-savvy clients will also be more attracted towards a law firm that is digitalized. Aside from being free through SimpleLaw, digitalization allows real-time communication between attorney and client, online invoicing and payment, question and answer submissions through the browser, and a feature which allows for attorneys and clients to exchange documents on its secure storage platform; all tools aimed to improve the attorney-client relationship which in return fosters loyalty and positive recommendations and as a side benefit – improving the image of the firm. Since SimpleLaw is free unlike its competitors, it also allows for lower costs for the firm and for its client.
Economic benefits:
The existence of workplace inefficiencies such as lost legal documents, physical mail delivery, and archaic methods of attorney-client communication cause unnecessary expenses for the law firm which, when added together can be costly to maintain year in and year out.
By reducing labor-intensive processes, streamlining the way a law firm works and reducing the cost of storage. Law firms digitalizing through SimpleLaw are able to free up cash and mitigating the exorbitant amounts of funding being wasted. Additionally, a number of firms, especially start-up firms are also able to decrease real estate expenses and in many cases, are able to work from home due to SimpleLaw’s digital office capabilities and paperless features.
Productivity and flexibility:
The legal market is mature and in mature markets, efficiency may be able to improve a firm’s earnings more than actual growth. Case-tracking, real-time updates with clients, reminders, and other productivity features SimpleLaw offers to its users improve efficiency. Effective implementation of digital initiatives provides a direct path to improved productivity and consequentially increased profitability.
Digitalization also brings about flexibility in the legal workplace for all members including the attorney, clerk, paralegal, and the client. Over the last few years, the idea of the workplace has changed, and the conventional office structure is no longer an absolute. New technological innovations such as SimpleLaw have made it possible for people to work from home, on the move and at a time that suits their convenience or the client’s convenience. The traditional law firm requires onsite presence. However, digitalizing makes documents and client information accessible from anywhere and at any time allowing attorneys to work off-site and even on sick-days from home.
Green-technology:
Many modern companies including law firms are “going green” and understandably since the Earth has finite resources. The use of paper has had and continues to significantly impact the environment. Because of the nature of being a “paper-format” industry and statutorily being required to hold onto certain documents for a certain number of years have all led to an immeasurable amount of paper being used. Digitalization, however, mitigates this use almost completely since it reduces the use of paper and promotes a green working model. In addition to being an eco-friendly and cheaper alternative to paper, digital reduces carbon-dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas production created from the harvesting of trees and creation of the paper.
Competitive Advantage:
Many law firms are quickly converting from a traditional format to a digitalized format and with good reason. Although a majority of firms are still traditional, they are slowly being driven out. As many business professors who have drawn from Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, as one of the most influential pieces of advice any businessman learns in business school, “It is not the most intellectual or the strongest of species that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able to adapt to and adjust best to the changing environment in which it finds itself.” Failure to adaptation leaves the competitive with an advantage and the current theme is digitalization.
How SimpleLaw digitalizes law firms
Digitalization means more than just a technological jump. It means reaping benefits, rewards, and obtaining an advantage over your peers. It is a means to an end, a way to be more innovative, productive, cost-efficient, green, and a way to distance yourself from others in law. With a host of tools such as case management, tracking, billing, and client communication platform, all while promoting your firm through the attorney locator network, SimpleLaw can be the tool you need in order to be on top of the game.
Ed.’s Note: Samuel Alemu, Esq is a partner at the ILBSG, LLP. He can be reached at salemu@gmail.com.
Contributed by Samuel Alemu
Note: released first on Reporter English