Editor’s Note: Legal practice management software has seen abysmal adoption rates by law firms, especially among solo practitioners and small firms. Failed implementations (“shelfware”) and poor-quality implementations are far too common. In the post below, Vinny provides insights as to why. Enjoy.
When a new client signs a legal representation agreement, you must start drawing up documents immediately. Unfortunately, that’s the moment legal case management software practically cements your feet in concrete blocks.
Decades ago, law firms started adopting case management software that promised a smooth-running, efficient law firm. But from the get-go, structural flaws raised time-consuming hurdles that prevent lawyers from working how they want.
As a result, legal professionals avoid using case management software as much as possible and hate it when they do.
It’s time to break the decades-long influence these platforms don’t deserve to have on law firms. Today, new legal applications are designed from the ground up to work alongside lawyers, not against them.
Let’s take a quick look at the shortcomings of legal practice management software below so you can better see how using modern, adaptive tools can help your firm finally achieve the productivity and efficiency gains that technology promised in the first place.
Initial work occurs outside of case management systems
You just want to write a memo about a new matter. But the case management software system covers your screen with a form that demands exhaustive details about you, the client, the matter, and the document you have yet to create.
You must open two or three other applications to find answers. If you don’t enter every detail perfectly, the system denies you entry or generates errors that take days to fix. (Cue the sad trumpet sound of billable hours spiraling the drain: womp, womp, womp.)
Rather than battling the software’s relentless demands, lawyers draft documents and save essential dates outside the firm case management system. There, they know the software won’t deny them access. Unfortunately, that’s also where they can quickly lose track of matter statuses and critical deadlines.
Most law practice management features go unused
When 52% of law firms surveyed say their users lack tech expertise, and 39% say their lawyers struggle to find the time to learn new technologies, user-friendliness should be the top priority for every legal software.
Instead, the location of useful features inside a legal practice management platform is anyone’s guess. As lawyers click through menus with more layers than the federal tax code, panic mounts about all the actual legal work stacking up. Ergo, they do the bare minimum to satisfy the system’s dictates and escape as quickly as possible.
Partners are often disappointed by a platform’s inability to meet their practice area’s unique workflow needs, especially established lawyers accustomed to their own proven processes. Features marketed as “time-saving” rarely apply to their daily to-do items.
When lawyers feel that case management software dictates their work style instead of aiding it, firms rarely—if ever—get the most out of their software investments.
Case management software’s user experience is not built for law firm workflows
Even lawyers who champion technology don’t use legal case management software and hate it when they do. That’s because these programs have an accounting software user experience that clashes with the flow of information and work in law firms.
Consider how daily legal workflows vary fundamentally from those in accounting.
Accounting software requires pre-defined, step-by-step processes. Users must meticulously set up entities and enter data following uncompromising, sequential workflows. Validation occurs upfront or all progress stops. The software needs a picture-perfect foundation before allowing users to do anything else.
Law firms operate differently. Legal workflows are more fluid and dynamic. Information arrives in bits and pieces, often on the fly. Software must offer the flexibility to capture data as it becomes available and not constrain users to a pre-defined order.
Legal software designed to mimic accounting workflows forces lawyers and staff to adapt to a rigidly structured workflow, which clashes with their natural, more versatile work style.
Legal professionals focus more on communication, collaboration, document production, and calendar management. For software to be helpful, it must prioritize the work legal professionals regularly perform, such as creating and sharing documents, managing tasks, and scheduling appointments rather than filling in forms and entering data.
Shoutout to Accountants
Let’s acknowledge the importance of time tracking, billing, and core accounting functions in law firms. A round of applause for the dedicated professionals who ensure these processes run smoothly!
However, we understand the challenges busy legal professionals who wear multiple hats face. When managing the entire practice and ensuring legal services are delivered efficiently, accounting-focused case management software might not be the most intuitive fit. (wink)
We hear you, and we’re here to help!
Adaptive legal software tools assist lawyers naturally
Truly adaptive legal software doesn’t require lawyers or staff to open new tabs or labyrinthine menus. It assists them where they already are, in their calendars and inboxes, and allows them to use advanced features without thinking about how.
Pop-up forms are officially banned. Adaptive software still lets firms collect data to improve efficiency and manage resources. However, rather than filling up a database, it is designed to help lawyers complete their everyday tasks, regardless of practice area or client type.
Work is done with the fewest keystrokes possible through keyboard shortcuts and one-click actions that speed up everyday tasks. And integrations with existing software systems eliminate any need to switch applications and transfer data.
Docket Mob™: A naturally adaptive matter management tool
Docket Mob™ is a naturally adaptive tool that brings the many pieces of your matters together in one place—your calendar. There, you get:
- Comprehensive views of each matter’s deadlines, tasks, and meetings.
- Summarized views of key information such as all matters, task lists, and calendar events.
- Visual task tracking aids with color-coded prioritization levels.
- Automated reminders that help prevent oversights.
- Links to related documents keep you knowledgeable and ready.
Docket Mob™ gives you one place to stay on top of tasks and events, track matter statuses, and access related documents. That way, when a new client signs your retention letter, you can immediately provide legal services.
Try Docket Mob™ today and see what it’s like using legal software that works the way you do.