14 Feb Break Up With Your Current Practice Management Process

As the Principal Partner at your law firm, you may feel like your current practice management process is sufficient. Because of how familiar it may be, you may find yourself convinced that it is the way to go and that nothing needs to be reevaluated or changed.

However, you cannot be committed to the service of your clients without being committed to efficient legal practices. By reevaluating your procedures and determining where you can improve, you can make the necessary decisions of improvement and break-up with your current process.

No matter what area of law that you practice, your practice management processes need to receive annual attention. You need to make sure that each attorney and each member of your staff are reaching the desired outcome of a task in the most efficient way possible.

That efficiency may begin with the incorporation of a legal case management software. This type of technological update will allow you to swipe right on the future of your firm.

Consider legal case management software

By incorporating the use of some sort of legal software into the processes of your firm, you will have the opportunity to:

• Manage documents related to clients, potential clients, and contacts.
• Manage, track, and assign legal matters.
• Manage and identify present and possible conflicts.
• Manage schedules and communication between attorneys and clients.

When considering the possibility of incorporating technology into the processes of your firm, you need to be cognizant of the choice in technology that you make and understand all of its capabilities. You also have to be aware of the learning curve involved.

Transparency, trust, and communication

Similarly to that of entering a new relationship, there is a level of comfort necessary in adapting new practice management processes. You need to know that this choice is in the best interests of your clients, your attorneys, and the rest of your staff. You also need to know that the individuals involved will be able to efficiently execute these new processes.

All parties involved need to be made fully aware of any new steps involved in these processes. Like any healthy relationship, transparency and communication are key in establishing the trust necessary to execute well-functioning dynamic.

Educate your attorneys and staff

If it does involve the use of a legal software, the attorneys and staff alike need to be educated on its uses. For example, if an assistant at your firm is using it to assist in scheduling, they need to know how to access the attorney’s schedule and how to communicate with the client through the software. They need to be able to utilize these functions, or else, they may return to a former fling, or practice management process, in this instance.

With the necessary education, you need to encourage the asking of questions, in order to cut down on any mistakes related to the process from occurring. Breaking up with an old practice management process means nothing if the newer process causes the same mistakes to be made.

Doing what is best for your law firm

Breaking up with your case management processes also is not about personal feelings. It does not matter who installed the current way your firm goes about legal billing. It is about finding the most efficient way to go about your daily tasks that affect how you serve the needs of your clients.

While learning these new processes may take time, that transitional period is worth the pursuit of something better. You need to feel secure and comfortable with your case management processes, so that you can focus on the future of your firm and the future of your clients.