Benefits of using litigation management software

What if your law firm had a simpler and more effective mechanism for everybody to gain updated legal information, collaborate, and exchange expertise and records? Does it seem too tempting? You will improve productivity and teamwork at your company. While also providing the best experience for your staff and clients by focusing on the right legal case management software.

Numerous legal firms appear averse to change fearing the supposed expenses and complications of introducing new technologies. Concerns about temporary developmental problems soon disappear away once you acknowledge the advantages given to practitioners and clients in terms of pace, continuity, teamwork, and outcomes.

If the firm’s market and case operations lack continuity and expertise, it’s probably difficult to uphold clients’ standards. Fortunately, legal case management software gives your company instant insight into the data tools, and resources it takes to be diligent, helping you to meet and surpass your clients’ aspirations.

It’s vital to understand the firm’s and clients’ unique expectations and priorities while looking at legal case management software solutions. Legal case management software may provide a wide broad spectrum of applications.

Read Also – How Legal Practice Management Software Can Help Law Firms

Must-haves in Legal Case Management Applications

The following are some of the most important features to consider when selecting a technology solution for your business. The following characteristics should remain in a software platform:

• Customizable checklists
• Quick access to legal research via articles and case law
• Capabilities for secure contact and file sharing
• Network for time monitoring and customer billing
• Scheduling and calendar integration
• Email control and tracking
• A cloud-based platform that is safe
• Tracking and control of matters and records
• Templates for forms and documents that are still up to date
• State-by-state and jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legal procedure field reference guides

While choosing legal case management software, please note that laws, as well as the rules and procedures that regulate them, keep changing, and data can easily become irrelevant and useless. As a result, it’s important that improvements are implemented on a regular basis to make sure you have the tools and abilities you need to represent the authentic and trustworthy resource that clients can depend on.

Read Also – Legal Management Solutions

Key benefits of legal management software-

Still undecided on whether or not to purchase litigation management software? Enable us to explain how litigation management tools will help you in a few minutes:

1. Centralization of data

Every day, the legal staff and experts must deal with mountains of data pertaining to a variety of cases. Litigation management solution helps you to keep a record of all of your data in one place. Every piece of information relevant to a particular case or trial, including hearing dates, opposition’ and lawyers’ contact information, court numbers, and so on, is collected and preserved in a common docket. This makes for greater teamwork and more informed decision-making.

2. Easier access and retrieval of data

Every day, lawyers must deal with tonnes of data and they must do so through a wide spectrum of cases and hearings. Consider how frustrating and time-consuming it would be to view or retrieve precise data in real-time if performed manually. Using litigation management software, however, viewing and extracting documents is much easier and simpler due to a centralized and coordinated user base for each case.

3. Better communication

Litigation management software can assist in the integration of legal and non-legal agencies. Business teams will give you new notices from all over the world in real-time or email you for any order.

You may also exchange essential information, records, notes, reports, and other documents with other legal users to ensure reduced dependence and optimum time productivity.

4. Date management

When done manually, keeping track of all the deadlines associated with the various lawsuits and litigations that an attorney deals with on a regular basis is incredibly bland. Hence, good litigation management software can help you keep track of all the deadlines for lawsuits and proceedings. It sets notifications in advance so you don’t miss them.

5. Standardized processes

The use of litigation management tools in the workplace helps to standardize procedures and make the lives of lawyers easier. Therefore, getting all of the details preloaded into the software helps everyone to be on the same page, function more systematically, and keep on top of target dates as they are added to the software’s virtual calendar.

6. Better time management

Collecting data, checking up on deadlines, and synchronizing work around the team used to take up a large portion of the lawyers’ time (s). However, with litigation management tools, the whole system can now become streamlined, saving a large amount of time. Legal practitioners are already able to take on more projects thanks to time management tools.

7. Working mobile

Most Litigation Management Software is accessible digitally. It implies you can access all of your litigation and case files from wherever you have an internet connection and a laptop. You can take your job with you everywhere you go. You’ll never miss another deadline or vital piece of information because it’s always at your fingertips!

However, the advantages listed above are only a few examples of how you can use the power of sophisticated litigation management tools to propel your legal firm to an unprecedented level. It is worthwhile to explore the true possibilities.

Read Also – Why Law Case Management Software is Important to Lawyers?

Today, particularly at a time when the entire world is grappling with a major crisis and is compelled to flee indoors and make one’s home one’s workstation, However, with the increased acceptance of technologies workforces were able to rapidly adjust to the new challenge.

 

How to Become a Virtual Legal Assistant in India

A virtual Legal assistant is a self-employed person who has the job of helping with specific office tasks that can be completed online through a third person. The tasks done by a virtual assistant can be incredibly specific or broad. A virtual legal assistant is a concept that is becoming very common now and more and more law firms are delegating work to such assistants. Virtual legal assistants can be inexpensive and effective at completing administrative tasks, while services of more specialized ones can be used for more complex tasks. Hiring a virtual assistant can help one reduce personal workload as they can do tasks that are not so important but need to be done or are time-consuming. Often legal virtual assistants bring their own expertise to the table that enhances the overall quality of work done by a lawyer.

Read Also: Living Life as a Lawyer

How to Become a Virtual Legal Assistant in India

A virtual assistant is a freelancer who provides online support to professionals by working remotely. The virtual assistant’s job is to work from home only; there is no need to go into their client’s offices physically. If you want to become a virtual assistant, you need to know the basics about how to become one and what skills are needed.

Virtual legal assistants nowadays are in the form of virtual paralegals and legal secretaries that are the perfect solution to the varying needs of a law firm or in-house legal team.  The lawyers work jointly with the assistants on single one-time projects or permanent projects as a continuing outsourced legal support solution to achieve the desired outcome. Being a successful virtual legal assistant in India is not something that comes quick and easy for anybody. A person needs to possess requisite legal skills before he can be of any help to any legal professional.

There is no separate professional course required to become a virtual legal assistant. However, you must be familiar with the job you are applying for and have proper knowledge about the work to be done. There is massive Business Process Outsourcing infrastructure gaining popularity in India, and most Indian legal virtual assistants work in these types of offices.

Work as a freelancer on your own terms and conditions or join an established company that provides you with clients

When you decide to start as a virtual legal assistant, there are two options- freelancing work for law firms or signing up as an assistant with an organization that provides assistance on a temporary basis. If you go prefer freelancing, it is a good option as you’ll be on your own and so you will have full control over your client. You will get to decide working hours and your fees, and you can expand your work in whichever way you want. But if you take the other option, you will register as an assistant under an already established virtual assistant company. There are many companies that provide such services to other organizations.

The advantage of joining a company is that you do not need to make any efforts to seek work; they do the marketing for you and assign clients that suit your skills. This option lacks the risk factor, which will be there in freelancing as finding the right clients require a separate marketing process. But then working with a company also has the disadvantage as you will have to work under somebody on their terms and conditions.

Skills needed to become a Virtual Legal Assistant in India:

To become a successful legal virtual assistant, you must possess these qualities:

• Detail-oriented and quick learners-To become successful; you should be able to learn to do something you’ve never done before. An assistant is expected to embrace the working style of the lawyer he is working with and pick up new skills to perform the job assigned.
• Good communication skills- Working virtually requires good communication skills. A lot of information is to be discussed, which can be in a verbal or non-verbal form before a task is completed. If you are not a good communicator, you will not be able to understand the way in which work is to be done and fail to make a connection with your client leading to dissatisfaction for both of you.
• Adapting- Every person has a unique style of working. While working as a virtual legal assistant, you will have to from time to time, switch your style of working to suit your client. You might even be required to work at odd timings if the client is in a different time zone. Therefore, adapting is very important to succeed. You must actively clarify all the doubts and be ready to adapt to your client’s behavior.
• Passion: Success is not guaranteed in any field, and the same is for starting as a virtual assistant.  You must be a self-motivated individual and not give up easily because of mere difficulties. You should just focus on your work and be passionate about completing it on time. True passion will add value to your work and will get you more clients.
• Honesty: The client completely depends on the assistant for the work that has been assigned. Therefore, the virtual legal assistant needs to be reliable and must always present himself honestly, i.e. tell clearly of his capabilities and accomplishments. The client should be updated on the actual status of the task so that he knows of issues if any. The assistant should always ensure to resolve issues at the earliest to prevent any inconvenience to the client. Also, no tasks should be undertaken, of which you are not capable. It is better to say no than to do anything just for the sake of doing it.

Virtual assistants should work smarter, not harder so that things are done quickly and more efficiently. The clients expect timely delivery, so assistants should try to deliver on time, set clear expectations for communication from the start, and stay consistent on that. An assistant is more effective if he can help the clients find ways to save money in their business and help in making more money.

Read Also: 5 KPIs to Make a Law Firm More Profitable

Conclusion

Managing the workload in the legal profession is no easy task with loads of cases and handling various clients who demand a high level of productivity and low costs at the same time.  Getting the right level of administrative support is the best option to keep clients happy and satisfied. Therefore, becoming a virtual legal assistant is a great option to make use of your skills with a variety of clients. A person is not restricted in any way while working virtually and therefore has more opportunities to explore.

 

10 Things to Know Before Hiring a Lawyer

Lawyers differ in the way their respective firms are structured, ranging in size from single-attorney practices to large, multinational firms with thousands of attorneys on staff or small firms. The reason for hiring an attorney may not, however, be so apparent. A good attorney will provide vital assistance in almost every aspect of your business, from basic zoning compliance and copyright and trademark advice to formal business incorporation and lawsuits and liability.

The key points before hiring are:

 1. CHOOSING THE RIGHT LAWYER

There are a lot of lawyers out there, but how do you find one that best suits your needs? Hiring the right lawyer will make a drastic difference in the way a case is handled. A lawyer with limited experience can end up missing small details that could lead to serious problems.

You need to find one who works in the proper jurisdiction and need to find one who knows how to best handle your case best. Many lawyers specialize in one type of law or another. A specialist in family law won’t be your best option if you need a bankruptcy lawyer.

Consider several lawyers before Hiring a Lawyer. It is important that you find someone who has the skills you need, who will be honest with you, and who will work hard on your behalf.

Looking for legal counsel? Find the best lawyer with Legodesk. Sign Up Now!

2. EXPERIENCE

Every legal case varies. Therefore, it pays to search for a lawyer with the right kind of experience. It is vital to seek out a lawyer with the most experience related to your case. Not only will the lawyer have a thorough understanding of the law, but they will also have experience with the local court system.

However, new lawyers are generally woefully unprepared to actually represent clients. The most effective lawyers have many years of experience in representing clients in pre-litigation matters, a wide variety of creative settlements, both jury and bench trials at all levels, and both state and federal appeals.  

3. LEGAL FEES

The legal process can be expensive. When you are seeking a lawyer, it is important to establish a price range that suits your needs. Compare the costs of flat-rate and hourly billing to determine which is best for you. Hourly rates are the most common type of fee. Depending on a lawyer’s experience and location, an hourly rate can vary quite a bit. Cheaper might be better, but a more expensive and experienced lawyer could very well handle your case faster and better. Before hiring a Lawyer to keep in mind that if a lawyer can settle the case outside of court, you can save a substantial amount of money. A case that moves forward to the courtroom will cost more. Every case is different, which means costs vary.

4. AVAILABILITY

A lawyer that is focused on their clients will keep in touch and advise them about the different phases of the case. A lawyer who is generally unavailable or hard to reach is a waste of money.  Many lawyers are notoriously difficult to reach. Sometimes emergency situations arise which require legal assistance immediately. Lawyers who understand this fact make themselves available 24/7/365 to their clients for such situations.  Never hire a lawyer unless you are confident the lawyer will make you a priority and return all e-mails and telephone calls within 24 hours.

5. FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is another important element. When working with a lawyer it is crucial to find out how flexible the lawyer is with your schedule. Can the lawyer accommodate your schedule needs? Are they willing to communicate via your preferred method of communication? A committed attorney will make certain that your schedule doesn’t interfere with getting updates on your case.

A lawyer who has been personally and actively involved in the general subject matter involved in your case is a good indicator the lawyer is truly interested in your case.

6. CREDIBILITY

To find a lawyer you can trust, find out what people think about them. If a lawyer is well-respected by other lawyers, it is a good sign they are trustworthy. Check customer reviews of the lawyer to find out how other people felt about the process. Credibility is an important element in finding a good lawyer you can trust to handle your case correctly.

A lawyer’s reputation is critical in many ways.  Lawyers quickly develop reputations with their peers, their adversaries, the state bar, and the judges. A reputation for honesty, aggressive representation, and professionalism is indispensable to expediting a favorable resolution of a case.  Lawyers with the best reputations are often called upon by other lawyers for advice and by the press to serve as legal commentators on high-profile matters.  

7. NEGOTIATION STYLE

Lawyers are human, just like you, which means they all possess their own personality traits. A blunt, aggressive lawyer may be ideal for a felony case in criminal court, but you may want a compassionate, likable lawyer to handle your custody case. You also need an attorney who meshes well with your personality, as you will be spending a significant amount of time preparing your case together.

An initial consultation with a number of lawyers is a smart idea. You can interview each one and then make a decision based on who you think might represent you the best. It is also a great way to get an idea of which law offices and attorneys you are most comfortable working with before hiring a lawyer.

8. CASE RESPONSIBILITY

Who is going to be responsible for handling your documents and representing you in the courtroom? You might assume it is the lawyer you initially meet with, but the law firm may not work like that. The lawyer you first meet may pass his duties on to junior attorneys, paralegals, or even office secretaries.

To make sure you know who will be handling your case, come right out and ask. Don’t assume; if anything, suggest you’d like to deal with one person, or a few people, throughout the case. Hiring a Lawyer like them is able to put your mind at ease and ensure that you work closely to resolve your case.

9. PRACTISING TIME PERIOD

A new lawyer may have a lot of youthful enthusiasm, but a lawyer with tenure is something you should consider. Based on the particulars of your case, you may need to search for a lawyer with a lot of experience handling cases similar to yours.

10. PERSONALITY

When you are looking for the right lawyer, it helps to find someone you are comfortable talking to in person. The personality of the lawyer can determine whether or not you feel comfortable with your case and the entire process before hiring a Lawyer. While you want a lawyer you know you can talk to comfortably, it also helps to watch their demeanor in court.

 

Tips for the Young Travelling Lawyer

Introduction

Who doesn’t have responsibilities or commitments? Adding a question mark after that statement would not make it a query relevant to law graduates if you’ve come out successfully from a 3 year LLB course or a 5-year B.A.LLB. Course, the result would be all the same- that you have your priorities sorted in mind. If not, let that be the first tip.

You cannot possibly remain as an individual without priorities by the time you graduate. You have to have an idea of what exactly you want to do and how to go about it. Of course, many would consider applying for the civil service examination or applying for their postgraduate courses. However, my intention is to limit this article to aid those who stay true to the profession of law.
Read Also – 8 Tips on Starting Your Own Law Firm

General Questions About Travelling Lawers

The first question that any law graduate might (or should) have already answered by now is- litigation or non-litigation. This matters a lot. In-house counsel jobs would demand young lawyers to move far from their homes if they’re not from a metropolitan city. It’s a fact that those from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, or Chennai start off with the advantage of having a strong home ground to develop in. It provides multitudes of good internships, placements, and jobs. This would not ask much traveling from a metro-dweller. Moreover, if you’re going the litigation route, starting off with a good High Court practice or a District Court associate-ship would not be difficult. A slow incline regarding income should be expected. Mumbai/Delhi would relatively pay more, but it would not make a difference due to the expenses you could incur while living there.
Read Also – 5 tips to become the best law firm in India

For anyone who is not from a metropolitan area, and otherwise struggles with travelling and procuring internships or placement, you have to strike early and regularly. You should acknowledge your disadvantage in the corporate field. However, this will not hamper your career growth once you’ve established yourself at a company, firm, or wherever.

So from the years after graduation until maybe the age of thirty, expect your career choices to demand time away from home.  Sacrifices and independence would be required of a young travelling lawyer to make the best of the opportunities granted. Litigation jobs will not ask as much of your freedom but will reward proportionately to that. Non-litigation work, just like litigation work, is not for everyone. As stated earlier, this is a decision that one will have to take themselves after assessing their interests and skills. Non-litigation work, at better firms/companies/banks,etc., will provide a good earning but subject to the sacrifices you’re ready to make. The corporate side is rewarding to those who sacrifice for it.

Read Also – How to be Productive When You are a Depressed Lawyer?

A young traveling lawyer should definitely consider his money-saving options cautiously. It is important to have the advantage of a good initial capital invested in yourself, either by anything you’ve earned or saved in the past or from your parents’ pockets. This will go a long way in getting decent accommodation, food, and other amenities to start your career at a destination you might not be too familiar with.
Read Also – Recession Proofing Your Legal Practice

Networking

Networking. This is a tip that is underrated in the legal profession. Every person you meet in the field, every client (subject to non-compete clauses, of course), or any company/firm you have made contact with will be important for you or anyone that needs such a contact. A young lawyer, who would be required to travel a decent length around the country, should definitely take and maintain contact with as many big players as possible. It could go a long way, i.e., anywhere from earning you a recommendation or even landing you a job.
Read Also – 10 Questions to Ask Your Potential Lawyer

One cannot walk into any battle without a strategy. Similarly, it is not wise to enter any platform in the legal world without preparation. Study your friends, your contacts, your enemies, and your clients professionally. Proving yourself as a force of nature will definitely earn credit to your name when working with. Efficiency earns you trust from your clients and your employers.
Read Also – Comprehensive Tech Plan for Indian Law Firms

This next tip should usually come first, but I’ve placed it last on this list so that its importance will compliment the rest of the points. Create a route for yourself. Your path must be set, at least in your mind. You should be aware of where you’re going. Pick the areas of law to specialize in and build a clientele. Work up the career ladder and aim for the best workplace you can find for yourself. All this should be done while giving due importance to your responsibilities and commitments. If you aim to return to a small city or town you’re from, I suggest doing that a decade or two later unless your family or matrimonial commitments require it. And when you do return, do so with a fairly large amount in your wallet. Giving due importance to these points will assist in making key decisions with respect to your career and life, in general.
Read Also – Asking These Questions before Engaging a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Save You a Lot of Grief

 

Reasons Law Firms Becoming Very Important These Days

INTRODUCTION

Every aspect of a deal or daily life requires legal requirements to be fulfilled. There is obviously a difference between a lawman and a layman. And to solve all the legal issues be it civil scenarios like seeking a divorce, entering into an agreement or criminal cases of dishonor of cheque or theft, or just obtaining consultation we have law firms working day and night. Everything that requires legal attention, you need a lawyer for it. The law firms are constantly growing, and there are reasons behind it, which will be discussed in this article.

Read Also – How Lawyers Can Handle Free-Advice Seekers

WHAT DOES A LAW FIRM DO?

A law firm is a business entity that practices law.  They render various types of services primarily being legal consultation and legal assistance. A law firm can be wide-ranging clients from individuals, to banks to big companies. This process of consultation and assistance is about informing the clients of their rights, duties, violations, legal recourse, and what is the exact position of law. Another aspect is a representation of the client in courts whether criminal cases or civil. The size and arrangement of a law firm can vary.

Read Also – 5 tips to become the best law firm in India

The work undertaken by a law firm are as follows:

1. They assist the client in understanding the position of law and rights and liabilities
2. They represent the clients in cases in courts
3. They also help the client settle the cases through Alternate Dispute resolution Mechanism
4. They help transact business taking care of all the legal compliances.
5. They also engage themselves in drafting documents like a will, contracts, deeds, lease agreements, vesting documents, employment contracts, etc.
6. They help in protecting the innovations by way of intellectual property rights
7. They help in mergers, acquisitions, demerger, amalgamation, etc. of companies and many more.

WHY HAVE THEY BECOME SO IMPORTANT?

The law firms are engaged in providing various types of services. People have preferences, and it is often concluded that law firms receive more preference than individual practicing lawyers the reasons are enlisted below

1. Umbrella for legal services

As a law firm provides services in various fields of law and has its expertise in major areas of law. One can approach one law firm and get all types of services like consultation, litigation, corporate sector, etc. However, while approaching an individual lawyer, the person will be expertise in one subject matter, so it is a lot of hassle to get things done. Therefore, here comes the rescue law firms where they can deal with almost any type of subject matter.

2. Quality of work

Since a team of experts is working on the case, there are various ideas and out of box opinions and some very skilled drafting, which is presented for the clients. In law firms, the lawyers are paid more and thus are expected to work with more professionalism and produce the quality of content. So be assured of being on the positive side, if you have chosen a good law firm for yourself.

3. Easily approachable

Every law firm has marked its presence through landmark judgments and online legal marketing. This has let me become aware of the players in the market. They have developed bots that can answer some queries online through the bots. What more ease can one get to find good legal services?

4. Client satisfaction

Since a law firm is not only law but legal business. So, the most important factor stands out as client satisfaction. The law firms work in and out, with exhaustive hours to ensure to meet deadlines, to crack the deals for the client and to win the cases in the court, and ensure that the money they charge is worth it. So, kudos on this.

The weight given to client satisfaction is high as the possibility of having a good representation for a client is high. If the client is not satisfied with one lawyer in the firm, someone else can be asked to carry forward the matter.

5. Hierarchy

Since there is not a single person working, they have a hierarchy of people and a way of dealing with things. They ensure discipline in the workplace and division of work. So, a person works on what is best capable of.

As a law firm has departments for every aspect, the person acting as fresher will only get to deal with things in a way where he learns more and is not that accountable as there are seniors to correct them.

6. Scrutinization

Everything that reaches the client is not just the work of a single person. If a person is engaged in research, the same may be drafted by some, scrutinized by some. Even lawyers may at a time have conflicting opinions and different approaches to deal with a situation. So, all such doubts are first solved in-house, and then the chance of interaction and opinion of the client is the first priority. So, you have an entire legal team working for your case.

Read Also – Some basic tips for choosing the right law firm

CONCLUSION

A good legal team under one roof produces quality services and gives the best legal representation. What is more to ask? There are always added perks of approaching a law firm then an induvial practicing lawyer. Though the reason why law firms are standing out is because of their expertise and excellence in various sectors of law.