Case Management for Law Firms
Does my law firm need a case management system? This is an interesting question and one that might be difficult to answer for some law firms. For others, it might be a painfully obvious “Yes!” while you are wondering why there is even a debate about the topic. Here are a few factors to consider when making the decision for your law firm.
Law Firm Size
Clearly, large firms need some sort of technology to help manage their business. It is almost impossible to have 50 attorneys working on a variety of cases and projects and expect communication to remain clear and task lists prioritized without the help of some type of tool. The firms that I have seen showing hesitation about bringing on a new technology usually revolve around practices with only one or two lawyers. While I understand the discussion around ROI and whether or not it is truly necessary, many software solutions have a variety of different product offerings that can be tailored to fit the needs of a small firm. This allows small law firms the ability to start using technology and defining processes while not breaking the bank.
Efficiency
Across a variety of industries, we are seeing consolidation, whether it’s larger corporations gobbling up smaller companies and startups or strategic alliances being formed to offer a more attractive product offering. The auto industry went through a technological revolution about a decade ago and legal now seems to be following suit. When deciding to purchase a new tool, a good rule of thumb is that it needs to fulfill at least two needs. Incorporating tools into your process can be a laborious task for a variety of reasons including the managing of another login or the need to integrate the tools together.
This is where a law firm case management system can really shine because they often have the ability to be a comprehensive solution. Many legal technology suites include a plethora of tools including case management, document management, calendaring, billing, customer relationship management, and security. Obviously, different providers have different strengths and areas of expertise, but the beauty of using a single primary tool is that it is fully integrated. This allows you to pick the one that works best for you and your primary needs, giving you the freedom to pick the one that is right for you.
Across the technology landscape (regardless of industry) we find that often a product has tools that go unused and that the buying decision comes down to one or two core solutions that are provided. That allows you to pick a tool and gain efficiencies from having everything live in an ecosystem where a few core pieces are superb and the others are “good enough”.
Lead Management
It is mind-boggling that we live in a world where companies pay incredible amounts of money to generate leads through their website or other third parties only to then mismanage those leads and not capitalize on them. Here at Civille, we offer a wide range of services and are able to customize those services based on the client’s needs. One theme that is almost universal across our clients is lead generation. This might be the desire to generate more leads to grow your business, or it might be better-qualified leads that allow the firm to focus on only those prospective clients that they can really help. Regardless of your reasoning for lead generation, you want to ensure your money isn’t wasted and that you make the most of each opportunity.
Many CMS products have a customer relationship management (CRM) tool. These tools are able to accept leads from your website and present all of the data in a very digestible and usable format. Additionally, the tool has fields that allow you to label the lead with a specific status or create follow-up tasks as you qualify the lead. The CRM can act as a funnel to help ensure that your data stays clean and provide decision-making insights.
In the end, having a legal technology suite is a good idea in our opinion. That doesn’t mean you need the top-of-the-line product that costs the most money, but the sooner a firm adopts different pieces of technology into their process the faster they will learn what works for them and what creates the best experience for their clients. Here are some companies that we have had experience with and are worth a look if you think a CMS is right for you:
