Running a successful law firm can be challenging, especially in an ever-changing legal landscape. To stay ahead of the curve, firms must prioritize efficiency in operations. If a firm is inefficient, not only will keeping up with changes be difficult, but it will also be difficult to maintain client satisfaction and prevent attorney burnout and low-quality work. 

Here are ways we've seen our legal clients reduce inefficiencies and quickly increase the health of their systems and workplace environment.

1. Automate Administrative Tasks

In a recent study by Thomson Reuters Institute, 74% of surveyed law firms reported spending too much time on administrative tasks. Law firms often have many repetitive tasks that can be automated to save time and increase efficiency. 

Firms can use software to automate data entry for several important steps in the process. For example, automation could be useful for entering client information into a case management system In addition, electronic fillable forms can automate client intakes, and software can be leveraged to generate invoices and track payments to simply billing.

Automating these types of tasks can reduce errors, improve accuracy, and free up your team's time for more strategic work, such as legal research, case analysis, and client communication.

2. Improve Workflows

One major contributor to inefficiencies in firms are repetitive workflows. Streamlined workflows cut out the "What tasks comes next?" in client deliverables. Some examples of workflow improvements include case management software, document automation tools, e-signature tools, and legal research databases. 

• Case management software can help organize client data, track deadlines, and send reminders to clients. 

• Document automation tools speed up content creation. 

• E-signature tools save time and money on printing, mailing, and courier costs.

• Legal research databases can help find relevant case law and statutes more quickly and efficiently. 

Using these tools, attorneys can avoid wasting time searching for information and instead focus on providing high-quality legal advice to clients. 

3. Track Metrics

The old saying "What you measure grows" is still true today. Many companies are busy delivering client work and may forget to consider metrics and KPIs.  Metrics go far beyond just tracking sales and marketing. Metric scores can inform critical decisions like hires, time allocation, and budget. With new technology options available to track and report these numbers automatically, it’s easier than ever to track metrics that can make a difference in your firm. 

Looking for ways to make the numbers more integrated in your work? Your team could view the numbers as a game, one where they try to improve their "score" from the last quarter. Gamification makes a traditionally monotonous task like metrics analysis more enjoyable.

4. Invest in Staff

Training staff, particularly when integrating new tools for efficiency,  is critical to company success. Including the entire team in these upgrades helps them take ownership of their work and increases employee satisfaction. 

Another important investment a firm can make is in professional development. Good professional development can improve productivity, efficiency, and quality of work.

Training can take many forms, such as attending conferences, seminars, workshops, or online courses. Ongoing training is essential to ensure everyone in the firm is current on the latest legal developments, such as changes in legislation or court rulings. Training also improves employee retention and job satisfaction by reducing turnover and associated costs. This helps everyone work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and provide better client service.

5. Outsource

Outsourcing non-core activities, such as administrative tasks, accounting and bookkeeping, marketing, and medical record retrieval, can help your law firm focus on core legal activities and improve overall productivity.

In addition, delegating these tasks to external service providers can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and free up your team's time for more strategic work. For example, iCopy's industry-leading medical record retrieval service specializes in retrieving records reliably and affordably, giving firms back valuable time for other tasks. iCopy’s cutting-edge Nimbus platform provides privacy, ease, and speed to the process. 

Nervous about change? 

We get it. iCopy was founded by attorneys with attorneys in mind. We provide white glove, concierge level service for medical record retrieval. Dedicated case managers walk you step-by-step. As a result, we have fast, accurate turnarounds with easy invoicing and no hidden fees. But most importantly, we are real humans—colleagues who have been there and care about your business. 

Ready to start? Contact us today and leave the details to us!