Partner Article

The role of technology in the modern law firm

‘’Part of the problem is that people now have fabulous IT at home or in their palms- but at work, if they’re in a law firm, it’s a world apart.’’said Richard Jones, Director at Wragge & Co in an article for the October issue of Briefing.

The traditional law firm is bound to change. The different expectations of clients, the changing economic climate and the new Generation Y staffers coming through the ranks makes it impossible for law firms to operate in the same way as 20 years ago. The emergence of new legal models, the growing use of medium sized firms by commercial clients and the slightly improved economic outlooks all affect and threaten to reshape the legal sector as we know it.

While technology is not a panacea for all of a firm’s troubles and challenges, it does allow you to ‘’_systemise and deliver services in a particular way which is highly efficien_t’’ as explained by Andrew Loach, COO of the Transaction Services Team at Addleshaw Goddard.

The role of technology in the legal sector must be understood from an efficiency and cost-saving point of view- enabling fee earners to work more efficiently - spending less time doing admin work, more time on income-generating tasks and saving money in the process.

_As well as affecting law firms, technology is also affecting the client, empowering him/her more than eve_r. Tools like the Internet and social media put the clients in control by giving them access to information and to a larger pool of legal service providers. This in turn means that they can switch suppliers easier, know if you’re not meeting service levels, complain about you publicly and do so reaching a larger audience than ever (think Twitter and LinkedIn).

Client satisfaction can no longer be assigned secondary importance and you can’t afford to be complacent with regards to the quality of the service you provide. But while technology puts the client in control, it can also empower you to respond to these challenges better.

‘’There is a growing recognition that technology will play an increasingly central role in the emerging legal environment.’’ notes global futurist and information technology expert Rohit Talwar in an article for the Raconteur.

This is not surprising at all given the critical support role of IT systems. Different technologies benefit law practices in different ways and this is what we’ve focused on in our recent white paper. Case management systems collate all the information regarding a case or a matter, legal accounts software connect the fee earning and the accounting functions of your firm, digital dictation allow you to work on the go and fully managed IT systems relieves you from the stress of managing technology.

Download our white paper to discover the potential of technology for your law firm.

http://info.dpssoftware.co.uk/legal-practice-management-software

About DPS Software

DPS Software is one of the leading and longest established legal IT solutions providers in the UK, catering to the needs of law firms small and large across the country. Serving over 600 practices and 15,000 individual users, DPS have built a strong and growing market position thanks to their award-winning products- case management and legal accounts software, client portal solutions and digital dictation.

DPS Software is committed to developing products that meet the specific and changing needs of law firms and helping them to move away from outdated work practices and the technology underpinning them.

To learn more about the company please visit www.dpssoftware.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by DPS Software .