The digital briefcase: How firms can leverage IT for office automation

By Carl Mazzanti

The legal industry has long relied on paper, in-person meetings, and traditional workflows. Now that is changing. Small- and medium-sized law firms are discovering that automated IT solutions can streamline operations, improve client services, and reduce overhead.

The question is no longer whether to automate processes. Instead, the discussion is about speed and scope of doing so.

Automation removes repetitive tasks like document drafting, client intake, and billing. This allows attorneys and staff to focus on more important work. Automating administrative processes can also significantly cut costs associated with labor, physical storage, and inefficiencies that result in lost billable hours.

However, with these advancements come challenges that must be navigated carefully. An experienced managed services provider can provide significant assistance.

Automated tools save time

New tools like automated scheduling, electronic case management, and artificial intelligence chatbots can help improve response times and client satisfaction. They can answer common client questions, schedule appointments, and collect case details. These tools also enhance security by reducing human error. They help ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards for handling documents and protecting client data.

Legal practice management software can provide complete case and document management solutions. This software can make it easier to create contracts, pleadings, and other legal documents. It does this by using templates and AI help.

Busy attorneys can save time with customer relationship management (CRM) software. This software allows for automated client intake forms, follow-ups, and marketing outreach.

Another CRM tool, automated scheduling, may seem simple. However, it can greatly help attorneys to organize their day and provide valuable insights. Instead of sending many emails or making phone calls to find a good time, automated scheduling tools do it electronically.

These tools connect with an attorney’s calendar. They let clients book appointments directly through an online portal.

They can also send reminders through email or text. These friendly nudges help clients avoid missed appointments and to arrive on time. They ensure clients are ready for their meetings or can easily reschedule if needed. Many scheduling tools have built-in analytics. These features let you track metrics like the number of appointments booked and the most popular meeting times.

Beyond the basics

Other digital solutions, like AI time tracking and invoicing tools, do more than just automate timekeeping and payments. They can track how much time attorneys and office staff spend on tasks.

They suggest project allocations and create invoices based on your work. This helps simplify billing and understand a legal team’s work habits. It also shows areas where efficiency improvements can be made.

Further, AI-powered research tools can assist with such tasks as analyzing case laws, providing insights in an efficient manner. AI-assisted contract tools help in review and due diligence, saving a team valuable time.

Remaining vigilant

While AI can assist in research and drafting, it cannot replace human legal reasoning. Attorneys must oversee automated processes to ensure accuracy and contextual understanding and to avoid “AI hallucination.” Since AI tools started to gain wider use in 2022, research chatbots and other artificial intelligence-aided tools have been found to create or “hallucinate” fictional case citations.

In cases like Mata v. Avianca, Inc., 678 F. Supp. 3d 443, 466 (S.D.N.Y. 2023), federal and state courts around the country have sanctioned attorneys for submitting AI-aided briefs containing  non-existent cites. These disciplinary cases, in turn, have prompted the adoption of ethical guidelines by courts and bar groups which make lawyers responsible for the accuracy of all filings, including research generated by AI tools.

Other concerns

Digital solutions in general can deliver undoubted advantages, but they can also present data privacy and confidentiality risks. Firms typically handle sensitive client data, so cybersecurity needs to be a paramount consideration. Automated systems, in particular, must comply with strict data protection laws and should include end-to-end encryption. With encryption, if data is intercepted, unauthorized people will only get scrambled data which they cannot read or use.

And as firms’ digital footprint expands, their exposure to phishing and other kinds of cyberattacks inevitably increases. IT managed service providers can conduct cybersecurity training for law firm employees that assists them in spotting phishing emails and helps to reduce or prevent security breaches caused by these emails. They can also manage 24/7 monitoring and threat detection systems to maximize cybersecurity efforts.

A security operations center (SOC), a central command center that uses security information and event management (SIEM) tools along with human oversight, should be part of an overall digital protection system. It helps firms respond to security incidents in real time, with the focus on containment, eradication, recovery, and remediation operations.

A digital age

Digital tools are changing the legal profession. By implementing the right IT automation, small- and medium-sized firms can streamline operations, enhance client service, and improve profitability. However, careful planning, cybersecurity vigilance, and ongoing oversight are essential to striking the right balance between technological efficiency and maintaining the personal touch.

 

Carl Mazzanti is president of eMazzanti Technologies in Hoboken, N.J., providing IT consulting services for businesses ranging from home offices to multinational corporations. The company can be contacted at: 866-362-9926.