Archive for the ‘Tools on the Horizon’ Category
Tools on the Horizon
Online Document Management Systems
When your firm is busy, do you feel more like a secretary than a lawyer? Many firms are taking advantage of online document management – a space and time saving tool that not only makes your life easier, but impresses your clients and keeps them recommending you to friends, family and business partners who need legal assistance.
There are a few areas that are covered by popular electronic document management systems that also provide all-encompassing firm management:
• client information,
• project documents & notes,
• scheduling,
• standard document organization,
• billing, and
• letters and e-mails.
The advantages of adopting such a service are many – your client benefits with the easy access it provides to a variety of documents, from invoices to court forms to copies of lawyer-client correspondence. You and your administrative team will see a noticeable cut-down in the amount of information requests they receive, and you’ll save on the postage costs and demands associated with needing to repeatedly mail copies of various documents. You’ll also save on sometimes huge storage costs for your paper documents by switching to an electronic system.
Documents are hosted securely, and can be indexed and searched for quick referencing. Some companies offer customization of the entire software package to exactly suit your firm’s needs.
As you are likely aware, the federal court system rolled out a PDF-based system (CM/ECF) in 2001, so electronic document sharing should certainly be a focal point of any firm wanting to stay ahead of the curve and further streamline their practices.
The accessibility aspect of online document management a great marketing tool – clients will respect your technology-savvy approach to what some outsiders consider a difficult-to-approach subject (law). Offering this option to your clients will open new doors for a more collaborative approach to legal cases and the sharing of information.