The Small Practitioner: The Tech Stack: How tech is driving smarter small-firm communications

By Brenda Keith

Communication is a lawyer’s most powerful tool, and for solos and smaller firms, it’s often their most visible asset. Each email, status update, deposition summary, demand letter, and courtroom argument reflects your skill and professionalism. Unlike large firms with full support teams, small practices must convey clarity and polish with limited resources. For small firms, every touchpoint is a calling card for clients, prospects, and stakeholders.

Consider the following scenarios:

• A personal injury solo uses AI-enabled technology to turn thousands of pages into a concise case brief in under 10 minutes, allowing her to quickly explain to a new client whether the claim can move forward.
• A small employment firm provides the plaintiffs with key highlights and video clips from that day’s deposition, helping the group decide whether to proceed as a class.
• A solo transactional lawyer, recognized for his clarity, tone, and professionalism, attracts calls from reporters who prefer his transparent and well-crafted communication over that of competitors.

In each scenario, technology enables small firms and solo attorneys to succeed. Modern legal-tech and AI tools help attorneys communicate more clearly, consistently, and professionally. When used thoughtfully, technology sharpens the substance of communication.

The efficiency paradox

Solo and small-firm attorneys often are sought out because clients prize personal attention, clarity, and strong communication skills. Most don’t struggle with communication itself. They struggle with having enough bandwidth to do it well. Polishing content into clear, concise, and professional communication takes time and effort. Without support, solos often work late nights or sacrifice business development to keep up with urgent client matters. For small firms, it can mean choosing between thoroughness and timely delivery.

Many lawyers underestimate the true cost of sticking to familiar, outdated workflows. Avoiding technology because it seems expensive ends up creating more work, which reduces the capacity to focus on higher-value tasks and generate revenue. This is the essence of the efficiency paradox. By trying to save on upfront costs, small firms and solos inadvertently pay a far higher price in lost time and opportunities.

If you’re skeptical, test it yourself. Over two weeks, (1) track how long repetitive tasks take, (2) assign a dollar value to your time, such as your hourly rate, and (3) compare that total to the cost of a time-saving tool or workflow improvement. You’ll see that the technology you need isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.

Fortunately, modern legal-tech and AI-enhanced tools offer practical solutions by helping small firms and solo attorneys reclaim time, streamline workflow, and communicate more effectively without sacrificing quality.

Better summarize depositions and records

Tools that generate structured deposition summaries allow attorneys to convert lengthy transcripts into multi-layered summaries with high-level takeaways, detailed breakouts, and topic-based indexing. Instead of slogging through hundreds of pages, you can jump directly to the testimony that matters.

Similarly, medical record insight platforms can turn disorganized files into digestible chronologies. For litigators, especially in personal injury, employment, or medical-related cases, this can accelerate case evaluation while improving the clarity of communication to clients and co-counsel.

These tools don’t replace your judgment. They give you a cleaner, more organized starting point, helping you explain the facts and themes with far greater precision.

Extract themes and contradictions across multiple depositions

More advanced tools can run semantic searches across multiple depositions, identify inconsistencies between witnesses, or surface key admissions that might not be immediately obvious. Lexitas Deposition Insights+™, the product available from my company, uses AI to streamline transcript analysis, making it far easier to identify key admissions, track themes, and build compelling narratives for mediation, trial preparation, or client presentations. Other options include Everlaw’s deposition workspace and Thomson Reuters’ Gen AI tool, CoCounsel.

When complex fact patterns span many witnesses, semantic analysis improves communication and saves time, allowing you to speak more confidently about what the evidence shows.

Effectively deploying AI without losing the human touch

Outside of litigation materials, AI helps attorneys draft and refine everyday communications such as client letters, case updates, marketing materials, negotiation summaries, or internal notes. The lawyer remains in control of the substance, while AI handles much of the heavy lifting of organization, editing, and clarification. AI tools like Grammarly suggest improvements in grammar, tone, conciseness, and readability, helping small firms that may lack paralegals or writers to ensure their communications are clear, professionally formatted, free of unnecessary jargon, and consistently on brand.

For example, a solo practitioner sending a client update about a complex deposition can use Grammarly or Microsoft Copilot to ensure the summary is concise, the tone is reassuring, and technical terms are explained clearly, all without rewriting the draft multiple times. Similarly, when preparing a demand letter, AI can flag overly wordy sentences, suggest clearer alternatives, and ensure the document maintains a professional and persuasive tone.

Many attorneys worry about appropriate AI use, and for good reason. As with any technology, your tools should amplify your communication, not replace it. Some simple rules of the road ensure your communication is genuine and professional:

• Always review and refine AI-generated content. Use AI outputs as drafts, never finished products. Your expertise will always add accuracy and depth that AI cannot.
• Be transparent with clients. Many clients are demanding that their counsel incorporate AI into their workflows to reduce costs. However, it is important to let your clients know that while AI may help you deliver work more efficiently, your judgment and strategy are your own.
• AI tools like Grammarly or Copilot can streamline drafting, editing, and messaging for routine communications. For sensitive client materials, depositions, medical records, or privileged documents, it’s critical to choose tools with strong data-security standards and to regularly review each provider’s privacy practices to ensure client confidentiality.

The communication advantage

For small-firm lawyers, technology is more than another productivity tool; it is communication strategy. The right litigation technologies truly level the playing field, providing solos and small firms access to capabilities that once required entire departments. The result isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about professionalism, confidence, and the ability to present information clearly, succinctly, and effectively, turning every interaction into a strategic advantage.

 

 

Brenda Keith, Chief Marketing Officer at Lexitas, is a seasoned marketing and sales leader with a proven history of driving revenue growth and transforming business outcomes. With expertise in brand strategy, digital marketing, and sales enablement, she has built high-performing teams and implemented data-driven programs to enhance client experience and operational efficiency. She can be reached at [email protected].