Historically clients have deferred to the law firm on how their case was being handled. In today’s economy, law firms are facing fierce market pressure. Now clients are very involved in making decisions regarding organization, staffing, and pricing. This shift has encouraged law firms to invest in and adopt new technologies.
Technology in law firms has expanded beyond work product management systems and electronic discovery. Innovations have focused on outcome predictions using data mining and predictive analytics to forecast litigation results. We have also seen the automation of legal guidance and processes for compliance and contract issues. Firms that use digital resources such as project management software are able to reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks and increase billable time.
The adoption of innovative tools will not solve all problems. Information management in law firms calls for collaboration and partnering between different departments, such as the research and information center, marketing, practice groups, and IT. Creating knowledge centers or teams helps improve efficiency and implementation.
To increase employee buy-in and manage information resources, firms are dedicating more time and dollars for training to assist lawyers and staff to implement technology solutions to the fullest. Knowledge of technology and how to use it effectively is critical in the fast-paced world of legal research. It has impacted the speed at which information is expected.
At Access/Information, we take advantage of both our highly-honed analytical skills and cutting-edge technology to provide law firms like yours the information you need.