Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m A P R I L 2 0 1 7 19 ies of technology to practice law, including the following: Communications technology: Here you want to consider the software and hardware that you would use to com- municate with your clients, and that includes fax, email, teleconferencing and telephone. There are many alternatives to the traditional landline; for example, some lawyers are dispensing with a traditional phone for their cellphone, and others are using a Voice over Internet Protocol — or VoIP — telephone service. If you prac- tise in real estate or litigation, then you still need a fax number. There are now many electronic fax service providers. An example is RingCentral, which basically allows you to send and receive faxes from your email. Email accounts can be set up very easily these days with nominal costs. You can also easily set up an email with your law firm's name at little cost. Receptionist, scheduling or calen- daring: Many solo lawyers are doing away with a receptionist completely. If you cannot do without, then there are many virtual receptionist services, online or through shared office spaces, such as Regus or law chambers. One of the more interesting solutions for scheduling is an artificial intelligence scheduling assist- ant by Clara Labs. Clara is a system that combines human and software to pro- vide scheduling service that understands context but uses automation to take care of most of the process at a very afford- able monthly rate. Practice management, invoicing and accounting: There are many practice management software solutions. What you want to consider in selecting a solu- tion is whether it is cloud based or not, whether there is a one-time installation fee versus a monthly cost and whether the software solution includes accounting or only invoicing/trust accounting. Document management, research and document automation: Here we are considering how legal documents are stored; for example, cloud document storage versus storing documents on a computer or on a server. You may want to consider how documents are backed up. Lawyers have certain obligations in terms of keeping records. You may also consider the location of where the data is stored; i.e., Canada versus the United States. Docu- ment automation tools are essential to cer- tain practice areas such as real estate. We are seeing many new solutions in other practice areas such as a solution called Closing Folders for business closings. Marketing: There are many different options, so it is important to have a strat- egy or some guidance from an expert. Some common software used by lawyers are blogs, social media (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook), email newsletters and/or law- yer directories. Some services offer paid packages that grant access to premium features. It is important to choose the type of tech- nology that best serves your practice, as established through your self-assessment and research. 4. Test Before committing to any technology, test it. Many software providers offer free trial periods. When testing software, consider the following: a. Ease of use: It will be easier to use and implement user-friendly products that have a simple, well-designed interface. What is more, if a tool is easy to use, it may take less time to train staff on its use, thus saving money. It may be worth considering what tools your staff or support staff already know and use. Often, their comfort with a tool or solution can be a key driver in purchasing decisions, regardless of whether it is the best solution in terms of functionality. b. Available support: To assist in the adoption of software, consider the type of support a company/ service offers. Many software providers will provide better support than others. Excellent support can greatly assist in the transition and implementation of the software and/or the addition and training of new employees. Look for software vendors who will spend time speaking with you on the phone and those who will provide on-site training. Some of the cloud-based software providers have a wealth of online videos that can be extremely useful in the training and implementation of the software. c. Cost: It is also important to consider all the costs associated with any technology. For example, some tools and document stor- age solutions become more expensive as the number of users increases. While the urge to quickly decide on and implement technologies in order to get on with firm business may be strong, having to replace them when they turn out to be incompat- ible, unsuitable, redundant or too compli- cated may cost you more time, money and reputational capital in the long run. 5. Purchase and implementation While many law firms have made the appropriate technology investments, they have failed to achieve the desired results because of poor implementation. Part of implementing new technologies success- fully is to ensure that participants under- stand the goals and expectations. To that end, be sure to communicate to the staff when and by whom the software will be implemented. When arranging training on new technologies, be sure to include yourself and other partners. Staff will be less likely to reject new technolo- gies if they see partners committed to its use. To help stay committed, it is vital to make plans to manage, communicate and monitor progress. Finally, it is important to be positive and patient with yourself and your staff while in the transition peri- od. While it may take some time before everything runs as smoothly as anticipat- ed, reporting on and rewarding successes will help keep staff motivated. The use of technology within the prac- tice of law has become ubiquitous. In order to remain competitive, it is impor- tant for firms to adopt technologies to help streamline legal processes and more efficiently deliver client services. In order to make the next technological transition successfully, it is vital that firms develop and implement a technology plan for their practice. Such a plan can provide the insight, direction and support to antici- pate challenges, overcome obstacles and minimize growing pains. What is more, through careful planning, communication and commitment, firms can adapt to suc- ceed within the new legal landscape. Monica Goyal is an entrepreneur, lawyer and tech innovator and founder of My Legal Briefcase and Aluvion. She began her career as an engineer doing research and development for Toshiba, Nortel and Nokia.

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