Top LegalTech Trends in 2023 You Can’t Miss
The legal landscape has been forever altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the virus continues to mutate and flare in various sectors of the United States, those in the legal profession and their clients are searching for technological solutions to the problems they face.
There is no room for dinosaurs in this current climate. If law firms want to remain competitive in today’s changing legal field, they must embrace and familiarize themselves with the newest legal technologies. Let’s examine some of the most viable legal technology trends of 2023.
Remote Working
Once workers have proven that they can continue to produce quality work products from the comfort of their own homes (remote working), as they did out of necessity during the worst days of the pandemic, it becomes increasingly more challenging to insist they return to the office to complete their eight-hour shifts.
Skype and Zoom meetings with both clients and staff are now the norm instead of a rare exception. Of course, at some point, clients and attorneys will need to meet face-to-face during extended cases where mediation may be required, e.g., a hotly contested custody battle. But most legal business can continue to be conducted online between clients and their attorneys.
Workflow Automation
Productivity depends on automating tasks like client billing, accounting, client relations, and marketing. Adding an online payment portal to an existing website streamlines the billing process and makes it much more convenient for clients to pay retainers, court costs, and other expenses associated with their legal cases. Emailing invoices also reduces the costs otherwise spent on postage – another plus.
Digital Transformation
Law firms without an online presence will soon be left in the dust of their competitors. In addition to maintaining an up-to-date, user-friendly website, most law firms maintain a social media presence on at least the Big Three sites – LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Twitter is also another option to consider. The main priority is that law firms market their brands appropriately to a targeted audience that reaches potential clients. Each online engagement should begin and end to draw clients to an online website and/or brick-and-mortar law firm.
Adaptable Legal Technology
One major trend in the legal industry is automated technology, where clients have more control over their cases. Using web-based legal services like Dispute to send demand letters and file petitions in small claims courts is cheaper and easier than retaining an attorney to manage simple legal claims.
Dispute generates demand letters, drafts and files petitions for damages, answers petitions for defendants, and arranges for service of process. Better yet, they follow the local rules and guidelines and all state requirements so your lawsuit can proceed without interruption or delay.
Coming to Terms with Artificial Intelligence
Like it or hate it, artificial intelligence (AI) is the future of many industries, including the law. Routine tasks can easily be managed by AI so the data flow is streamlined, and the clients are updated regularly on all developments.
Enhanced Cybersecurity
Accept that every computer system is hackable. Cybercriminals are branching out and striking more nontraditional industries, including the legal field. Cyber breaches are more likely whenever remote-working employees access the law firm’s computer systems. The National Cyber Security Centre states that more than 60 per cent of legal firms reported cyber breaches of sensitive client case information. Using cloud-based systems for storage and retrieval of information is a responsible way to assure peak cybersecurity.
Better Client Experiences
The record is clear that clients expect access to remote legal options. Zoom conferences between attorneys and clients, along with website portals for messaging, document transfers, payments, and other necessary transactions have all proven to be popular with clients. Even mediation and arbitration sessions can be conducted online from remote locations as long as all participants are willing.
Expansion of Small Claims Courts
Those seeking to remedy losses and liabilities are increasingly turning to small claims courts for the relief they seek. There are several reasons for this, including that it is less expensive, faster, and easier to navigate the small claims court system than a civil district or circuit court.
Using an online service like Dispute to assist you with the management of your small claim takes the worry out of filing a claim for damages. If you have a landlord/tenant dispute, business conflict, or legal disagreement over liability after an accident or injury, consider this a worthwhile money- and time-saving option to resolve your legal troubles.
