Top Law Firm Problems with Possible Solutions

In this age, almost every sector runs its business on a digital platform to avoid these problems, including the legal industry. After all, digitalization is an essential part of our personal and professional lives. Many law firms are turning to digital solutions, so if you aren’t one of them, it’s time to make the switch.

1. Recurring Billing

According to your arrangement, it’s important but frustrating to edit and send the invoices manually to clients every month or week. Every month a lot of time is consumed in this task which can be utilized beneficially plus it’s a dull job to do.

2. Time Management

One of the most common law firm problems is that of time management. A law firm’s most valuable resource is time. Law firms should learn to handle their time better as by doing so, they’ll be able to assist their clients adequately and have a better work-life balance. It gets even harder to track time if you don’t have a management system for your law firm.

3. Inefficient Client Satisfaction

This is one of the common challenges faced by law firms. Client expectations have been developed over the past few years by the vast technology available to people within their smartphones. A plethora of daily tasks, such as banking, shopping for groceries, booking transportation, can be handled online instantly, and in 2021, people will expect the same from their law firms.

4. Cyber Security

The cybercriminal community was more engaged than ever before in 2020, with 91% of enterprises reporting a rise in cyber-attacks since the pandemic began. Remote working has left law firms more exposed to cyber-attacks, as cybercriminals have attempted to exploit enhanced attack surfaces with modern phishing, ransomware, and refusal of service attacks. Lawyers today are more worried about these challenges like cyber attacks as compared to early years.

5. Poor Marketing Strategy

Lawyers are reluctant towards marketing; however, the typical lawyer seems to believe possible clients are picking through a pile of somehow-public resumes when choosing a lawyer. Mostly, people hire attorneys because they are having a crisis and ask for a reference. The recommender usually just refers the clients to the last lawyer they know. Losing a recommendation, the client just calls whoever is at the top of a google search is a common problem law firms are facing today.

6. Inefficient Case Management

It can be challenging for law firms to handle their increasing caseload, especially in situations when you get many new clients at once and maintain the same level of dedication and assistance. Regardless of how many cases the firm is managing, its primary concern must be the quality of its work. With the growing competition in legal services, every law firm needs a case management system to take care of all the cases with the same importance.

7. Customer Outreach

With a thriving client base, a law firm must try to keep consistent, clear communication with its clients on their unfinished judicial matters. For a law firm to grow, it should implement new systems and technology to assure its clients are kept regularly informed. It gets very frustrating for the clients if they don’t get regular updates on their legal matters, and they start looking for another lawyer. This is the one law firm problem that you don’t wanna have.

8. Daily Tasks Assigning

One of the most time-consuming processes is assigning daily tasks to your team members. Honestly, it is irritating to keep track of who is doing what, and managing the team to distribute work. The time that is used in assigning daily tasks to junior lawyers can be used in some other essential tasks and cases resulting in your firm’s profit.

9. Stay Ahead of the Competition

Its time consuming and tiring but at the same time, it’s also an important job to do legal research for your cases to stay ahead of your competitors in the court. Going through a huge pile of documents and paperwork takes up your valuable time, which you should be spending managing other pivotal tasks. That’s why law firms are leaning towards case management solutions and online legal research to avoid going through offline and irrelevant documents.

10. Time Consuming Document Creation

You didn’t become a lawyer to spend hours on paperwork, routine follow-ups; which you can automate.

11. No Storage Space for Case Files

Solution for All the Law Firm Problems- Legodesk

Legodesk is a new integrated case management system specifically created for lawyers and law firms. This software is here to solve almost any problem faced by law firms and lawyers.

Also, on its all-in-one dashboard, lawyers can track every activity related to their firm. You can also assign and track day-to-day tasks’ progress on this dashboard.

Moreover, Legodesk also offers the feature to create custom form templates for you to collect information. Moreover, lawyers can also choose from predefined templates. Merge and create your documents on Legodesk and through the E-Signature feature save a lot of time by digitally signing the documents.

When you explore Legodesk, you will learn that it offers many features for law firms to solve technology-related problems. There is also a 14-day free trial that you can try out and cancel at any time afterward. So, you can test it, work on it, and if you like then you pay for it.

Originally published at https://legodesk.com on October 2, 2021.

How to Manage a Small Law Firm Productively?

Technological advances are transforming every business in the world, and the legal industry is no exception. It has affected the entire legal system in a positive way. For example, finding a lawyer used to be difficult, but with technological progress and the power of clarity, a lot more lawyers are now easy to find when we require them.

Legal research that used to take days can now be completed in a few hours. Allocated resources that only the biggest firms could access are now accessible by the smallest firms. Eventually, technology has upped the wager of legal services.

In this blog, we’ll tell you all you need to know about how to better manage a law firm productively for a flourishing practice.

1. Hire the appropriate staff

In a smaller law firm, one staff member can make a huge impact on your firm. Unusually, small firms frequently make the error of hiring receptionists and staff with bad people skills. These are not only your office doorkeepers but should be identified as “Director of First Impressions”. Having a team who not only shares your firm’s spirit but also is on board with executing it into a daily reality is important for your firm’s success.

Assigning managing and non-billable work is also key to utilizing the best of the most confined resource you have-time. When lawyers can concentrate on client work with fewer distractions and interruptions, they can be more efficient, productive, and profitable.

2. Focus on client satisfaction

With the fast changes to the legal, economic, and healthcare aspect in 2020, the complete client experience is shifting online-to a cloud-based environment. In a survey, it was found that 68% of legal professionals say technology has assisted their firms to deliver more excellent client experiences during the pandemic.

Clients communicate with law firms and attorneys online through various touchpoints-through an introductory review of a clear and appealing website, effortless client intake process, e-signing of files and documents, or online access to a client portal with important information related to their case. When a client can reach the data they need with comfort and least friction, they will have a more positive experience.

3. Enhance your law firm’s billing process

Correctly, invoices should never shock clients, and neither should their numbers. The absence of attention to these details can result in uncollectible jobs and unsatisfied clients-both of which can be disastrous in a small firm.

Usually, law firms will take an advance and not provide an invoice until the advance has been used up. The outcomes in their client getting a surprise because they were uninformed of the cost of the legal assistance that had been provided so far. While working with a lawyer recently, they mentioned that the client was going to be shocked at the size of the invoice. Whether it was due to the period of time since their last bill or the number of tasks completed if you sense that a client will be upset at the bill, be sure to interact along the way to enhance the client experience.

4. Revise your pricing and payment plans

When considering managing a law firm, it’s essential to go back to basics and reconsider your pricing and payment plans. As we all the obvious fact that clients care about affordability. But attorneys should look at the subject of affordability across various dimensions. “Affordable” is more than just about the total cost. It’s about the benefit your clients see they have got for the price they have paid. How many times have you joyfully paid extra for something perceiving you were getting great customer service? At the same time, how usually have you paid less and been less than pleased with the outcomes?

Also, you should consider offering discounts or reducing prices for your clients, as discounts are a great way to get new business. But the most important factor is the payment methods and plans. As we are all aware of the fact that today everyone considers online and subscription payment easy and hassle-free, hence offer your clients various online payment options and weekly or monthly subscription plans for their convenience.

5. Monitor your firm’s finances

When thinking about managing a law firm, it’s necessary to have a fair knowledge of your firm’s financials. In law schools you learn the law, but not how to run a law firm — particularly its economics. While you do not require to be an accountant, knowing key metrics is essential to making decisions for the firm. And it’s useful for any practice areas that your firm covers.

Reviewing your firm’s finances from time to time (at least monthly) will help you recognize and address issues before they become hazardous. Through this, you can address issues and charge clients and review excellent accounts receivable to classify accounts that might require more aggressive collections.

6. Automate your law firm

Automating lets each employee contribute their respective skills and expertise to the progress and overall goal of the law firm. The automation of duties and methods helps clients receive the services they deserve; there is a rise and upscale in the practice of law, and profitability becomes smooth.

7. Select the suitable legal management system

You can’t just jump on and pick any type of software to help you efficiently manage your law firm. You’ve got to see before you jump. Some law firms get stuck with poor systems just because they don’t do their research. You should always do your research and pick a system that meets all of your needs and your budget. It is important to consider certain factors when picking the appropriate software for your company.

Which software to choose for your firm?

Without beating around the bushes, we will answer the above question with Legodesk. Legodesk is an up-and-coming integrated legal case management system designed for lawyers and law firms. It has every detail and all the features you might need to run your law firm online, in your budget.

Legodesk lets you keep track of cases and tasks in one place, automate billing and send bills automatically to clients. You can store all kinds of unlimited documents online, conduct your legal research in a few clicks, and so on.

Additionally, you can send automated emails to your clients, create unlimited documents automatically, and sign documents digitally without printing them. Also, you can create custom form templates to collect information with Legodesk, you don’t have to worry about losing your data as Legodesk also offers automatic timely backups. Register for the 14-day free trial and see for yourself why thousands of lawyers worldwide trust Legodesk.

Originally published at https://legodesk.com on November 15, 2021.

7 Best Automation Features for Lawyers

 As a lawyer, your role is to give advice, explain your client’s rights, and then represent them in court, ensuring that their cases have the best possible outcome. Doesn’t it seem to be simple and clear? However, as you are aware, it may be so much more. A lawyer’s day is filled with tight deadlines, considerable research, and a never-ending stream of stressed-out clients desperate to see results on their cases.

On top of that, you still have to handle all of the administrative tasks associated with running a practice and attracting new clients. Operating a practice is, at its core, the same as running a business, but law school didn’t educate you on how to do it! It’s all too easy for attorneys to get in over their heads with responsibilities for which they don’t have enough hands.

As a result, an increasing number of lawyers are turning to automation to handle all of their administrative tasks. You probably went into law because you were passionate about fiercely representing your clients and obtaining the best possible outcomes for their problems, not because you intended to spend 60 % of your time doing administrative tasks. Automation can help you operate your firm more efficiently, improve your clients’ overall experience, and make you a happier lawyer! ​​

Benefits of Automation Features for Lawyers

These are some of the benefits of automating your law firm-

1. Good Ratings

People trust a five-star review as much as a suggestion from a close friend in our review-obsessed environment. The more efficient and personalized an experience you provide for your clients, the higher feedback you get. The more positive evaluations your website receives, the more Google favors it and the more leads it generates. Client satisfaction has been proved to increase as automation speeds up and streamlines your clients’ cases, keeping them updated every step of the process without you having to do anything.

2. Reduced Costs

Not every legal business has the financial means to hire a front desk clerk. Reduce your operating costs by downsizing your workforce and relying on automation. Although automation software costs money upfront, the money you’ll save in the long run far outweighs the cost of law firm software.

3. Enhanced Efficiency

By automating your legal practice, you can cut down on delays and provide a more current and thorough approach to your customers’ cases. Your clients don’t just want a comprehensive and systematic investigation of their case; they also want to be kept updated at all times. Automated emails keep your clients in touch with you at every stage of the process, encouraging them that they hired the best lawyer for their case.

4. Saved Time

According to recent reports, lawyers spend more than half of their time on administrative work. When you start depending on automation to handle the time-consuming and tiresome administrative tasks that come with running a practice, you’ll wonder why you didn’t convert to automation sooner. Time is money for lawyers, therefore the more time you have to devote to the things that matter most in practice, the more money you put in your pocket- it’s that simple.

Best Automation Features for Lawyers

After knowing about the benefits of automation features for lawyers, now let’s discuss the center of attention of this blog.

1. Greet new joiners

Whether a potential client fills out a legal client intake form or leaves a voicemail requesting further information, automation provides a strong first impression by responding quickly. You can tailor your email reply by including any relevant information about their sort of case, any success stories your company has on cases similar to theirs, and why you’re the ideal candidate for the job.

Surprisingly, 42 % of the time, legal firms fail to respond to potential new clients within 72 hours. The longer you delay to respond, the more time you give your potential customers to discover another lawyer who responds faster.

You’ll create an elevated client experience that excites and drives referrals if you can make a potential client feel valued from day one with a quick and personalized answer. You’re already ahead of the majority of your competition by reacting quickly with a customized answer using automation.

2. Capture Client Information

You never have to stop what you’re doing to take someone’s name and phone number again since automation takes lead information for you. Not to mention that manually entering contact information is one of the most common sources of mistakes.

Thanks to automation, your team will no longer be scurrying to discover a contact number or risking mixed messages among multiple staff members working on the same issue.

3. Automate Scheduling

By allowing your clients to book their own appointments, automated appointment scheduling takes the hassle out of scheduling consultations. It’s as easy as sending them a link to your schedule, where they can select the most convenient time for them based on your availability. This modern and convenient approach to scheduling will thrill your clients and make your life easier too.

4. Track Leads

From the moment a lead contacts your company, legal software keeps track of every step of the customer journey. Software like Legodesk gives you a bird’s eye perspective of who has been contacted and when, as well as what else has to be done next.

5. Document Generation

There is no shortage of long paperwork that lawyers have to prepare, from attorney retainer agreements to affidavits. Legal document automation allows you to create long papers in seconds that might normally take hours or days to create.

6. Reports and Analytics

You can automatically receive your most important metrics from your software, keeping you abreast of areas in your practice that need improvement. Also, powerful legal reporting software will continuously evaluate in the background, letting you make smarter business decisions on anything from where your top clients are discovering you to how productive each of your employees is.

7. Automate Marketing

You can continue to generate high-quality leads by automating your marketing without ever having to leave a paying client. Furthermore, the correct software makes it simple to create newsletters by allowing you to choose specific triggers that allow you to send targeted emails to the right leads at the right time.

Conclusion-

Finally, the only way to get the greatest results for your clients is to keep your documents structured, respond quickly, and remain on top of crucial deadlines. You can automate the repetitive tasks with Legodesk, so you can focus on what matters most: obtaining the best results for your clients.

Originally published at https://legodesk.com on January 18, 2022.

 

8 Tips on Starting Your Own Law Firm

Entrepreneurship is never easy. Especially, when it comes to professional services where gaining an initial edge over competitors is a tough challenge. However, for those who dream of having their own law firm, their success depends on professionalism and referrals. Naturally, the thought of starting my own law practice may seem hard but with dedication, hard work, and zeal, it can be achieved.

To help you in your efforts to establish a successful law firm, we bring you a list of tips that can be useful.

1. Weigh in your options:

It is true that lawyers that have their own practice earn more money and have a robust clientele compared to their counterparts. However, success is not achieved overnight. This means, if you want to start your own firm, you must be prepared to manage your time and money in the initial years. Much like any business, your law practice may not reap profits since day 1. You need to have a proper financial plan to handle such a situation. It might sound easy to be captain of the ship but make sure you have resources to sustain yourself in the initial days.

2. Plan smartly:

Before you get to the next level and register your law firm, plan which option will be best for you. Will your law firm be a solo practice, or do you have colleagues who can partner with you? What works out best for you- sole proprietorship, limited liability company, a partnership firm, or other options? This question may appear trivial but can be a deciding factor when it comes to the finances and operations of your legal practice. Additionally, to avoid any conflict within the leaders, you should discuss and document individual responsibilities, financial commitments, and confidentiality agreements beforehand.

3. Naming your firm and securing the online presence

A professional and catchy name can help in attracting clients. Make sure you have a logo that can be used as letterhead and in other documents. In the era of technology, where people want to get every information with just a few clicks, it is a necessity to be present online to be accessible. That’s why you should get a domain name registered as soon as you decide on the name of your law firm. A website may seem like an unnecessary expenditure but in the long term, it will be rewarding. People will look for your website when they want to find out about your services, contact details, or other relevant information. You can also use your website to write blogs, invite experts to guest posts, share the latest accomplishments, and so on. Additionally, you can use professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter to reach your clientele.

4. Decide the area of expertise

The factor that will differentiate your legal practice from those of your competitors is your quality of service. So, you should ensure that your law firm focuses on one or more legal domains rather than on any type of matter. Experience and knowledge of subject matter are very pertinent to decide how the firm will grow. Also, specializing in one or two legal matters ensure that you don’t spend all your time in the office. Additionally, discovering unexplored areas can be a bonus. For example, sports law has many takers in India but not as many legal practitioners.

5. Budget your expenses

As mentioned above, rarely a law firm can make a profit from day 1. However, it is important to understand the expenses associated with a law firm. As a law firm owner, you need to judiciously handle these expenses without making a big hole in your savings. The focus should be on increasing income and cutting back on expenses. Ideally, you should start a law firm only after you have saved enough money to work as a cushion for the initial 6-10 months.

6. Build your networks

Law firms work on referrals. Word-of-mouth marketing remains the most trusted tool for lawyers. Contacts can make you and let you survive the market after helping you establish the business successfully. Conclusively, strong networking skills can help sustain the business. You can start off by connecting with lawyers practicing in the same field, members of corporate legal departments, and other relevant people on LinkedIn or Twitter. It is also wise to stay engaged with your network by sharing, commenting, liking, and engaging with relevant posts.

7. Be confident and patient

You are not going to get a hundred clients from the start. Remember, setting up a legal practice is not like setting up a shop and expecting business. It does take time to build your network, be visible, and establish yourself as a trusted source.  When you start your own firm, you are expected to don many hats. It is crucial to keep your spirits high and be consistent with your efforts.

8. Evaluate yourself regularly:

Set aside time to evaluate your progress regularly. As the owner of the law firm, you must be handling a lot of things and evaluation can provide you with clarity. Try to find patterns in ideas that are working and modify the ones that are not. Take the feedback of clients to improve wherever possible and reflect on your business etiquette.

A law firm may seem like a lot of work, but the experience can be rewarding in the long term. While it may be difficult to stay consistent in your efforts, with practice and patience, anything is possible. Luckily, with legal practice management tools, you can introduce automation into your legal practice to streamline repetitive processes and focus on your clientele.

 

How does invoicing work with Legodesk

Legodesk | Legal Practice Management Software

Legodesk | Legal Practice Management Software

Your Instant Virtual Law Firm

Last published just now

Dec 21, 2021·5 min read

When it comes to providing client-centered services, it starts with rethinking your traditional billing model. With respect to law firm pricing, you have more room to experiment now than ever before, and lots of lawyers are getting success with different models.

The prices you charge your clients can be aligned with a variety of pricing models, all of which are designed to encourage your firm to be both creative and efficient in delivering value. Furthermore, pricing and fees for law firms cannot exist in a vacuum; they need to be part of your firm’s overall profitability strategy, as well as competitive solutions in your market.

Read Also — Law Firm Billing: Invoice Adjustments

Different kinds of invoicing and fee structures

Understanding the value of your work is essential to setting your fee structures. Here are some of the common invoicing structures that a law firm can implement:

Fixed fees, also known as flat fees, are fees that are agreed upon in advance before a particular legal matter is completed. If you are drafting wills, filing for bankruptcy, or other forms-based matters, fixed fees may appeal to both the client and the lawyers since these kinds of matters are usually free of surprises and payment collection issues.

Another benefit to a fixed fee agreement is that they award your knowledge and capability. If you’re specifically experienced in a particular matter, you will be able to increase your time and your clients will be glad to have their cases resolved competently.

Fees that are subject to change in either their level or volume would be considered variable fees, such as hourly production wages, sales commissions, inventory, packaging supplies, or shipping costs.

The most common way people think of legal fees is hourly invoicing. However, this method of law firm invoicing is outmoded and not as client-friendly. Increasingly, clients expect their lawyers to be more transparent and predictable in their invoicing. When you charge an hourly rate, your earnings are always limited by your time. If you must charge by the hour, your rate should be based on a combination of these factors:

• The subject matter expertise you possess
• Rates that are competitive in your jurisdiction
• Case and matter type
• Types of clients

A capped fee or camouflaged fee is very much alike to the hourly pricing. In this invoicing structure, a client will compensate you by the hour, but the number of hours you work is hidden at a pre-arranged limit. The client will pay you either after the completion of work or when the predetermined time is met. The advantage to this invoicing structure is that clients will be happy knowing they are not paying more than a fixed amount, but still has all the liabilities of billing by the hour. Plus, if a client is expecting you to have a case closed within the pre-determined time and the case isn’t closed on time, both you and your client may be discouraged.

A sliding fee is also referred to as a sliding-scale fee, this law firm invoicing structure depends on a client’s financial ability to pay, which is often decided by the salary and/or family size of your clients. This means that how much each client will pay, whether hourly or at a flat fee, will be decided by their earnings, rather than you just billing your standard rate. So those clients with lower earnings will be paying a smaller fee, giving those clients who require legal services wide access to otherwise out-of-budget lawyers.

The unbundled fee is referred to when clients hire lawyers for a particular task or to help them for only a single task or problem rather than for an entire legal case. How much you bill them will fluctuate depending on what the client is demanding you to do, and you’ll have the opportunity to bill hourly or at a flat rate. It is a bit harder to decide on a price for unbundled fees, but you can check-in for the charges with other lawyers to know what they are charging.

A subscription fee is a certain amount you bill for your services or a set of services offered for a fixed rate from a law firm on a consistent basis. Offering legal subscription plans can generate a steady flow of earnings for your law firm and assist clients to help themselves. The crucial aspect of generating legal subscription plans is to produce your work. Consider how you might be able to turn your services into products. For instance, you could provide a set of online forms with instructions that clients can buy for a flat fee for various tasks, such as forming a corporate entity. If you’re feeling particularly clever, you can automate the complete process for clients so that the drafting work is done for them automatically. You can choose any legal billing software from the market for setting up a subscription plan but here we are recommending Legodesk.

Read Also — How court fees are calculated in India?

How Legodesk alleviates the invoicing process

You must be thinking why Legodesk? Well, Legodesk is brilliant accounting software for law firms and lawyers which gets you paid faster. It offers you to generate custom invoices and receive payments through multiple payment gateways. With its automatic accounting features, it makes finance management smooth sailing.

With Legodesk you can create and edit invoices as per your and your client’s requirements. You can charge your clients according to your agreement and suitability. Also, Legodesk offers a discount or invoice adjustment feature so if you wish you can also add taxes and discounts on bills.

Furthermore, Legodesk’s reports and analysis feature is a cherry on top as you can keep an eye on your firm’s finances and expenses with ease. Legal services and law firm billing is a matter of being client-centric. As you practice and assist your clients, you want to make them feel safe and at ease not only by providing genuine services but also by making them feel like they’re receiving more services than they’re paying for.