Real World Examples of What Technology Can Do For You as a Law Firm

It is always interesting to take a look at what happens in the real world under a particular business process. Unlike some of the sites, The Greatest American Lawyer site recites actual real world applications of new and innovative business principles applied in the law firm. For those of you who have been reading this Blog over the last year and a half, you have seen and evolution of Ideas, application of ideas to practice and changing the practice based on real world results.

I had two interesting experiences today with clients. The first was a client who was extremely cautious about the use of technology in a law firm over confidentiality and privacy concerns. Essentially, he was concerned that e-mails might be intercepted or documents pirated. Our advantage over other law firms is that we have a secure encrypted extranet and a secure and encrypted file transfer system which doesn’t rely on unsecured e-mail. However, the interesting part of the conversation was relating the lack of security in a paper based world and helping him understand that every system has security risks. As we looked at a stack of papers sitting on the floor at one end of the office, we discussed how easy it would be for that paper to get misfiled, accidentally attached to a letter to another client or adverse counsel and other practical real world problems with paper. The light came on for him as he realized that a paper based world still relies on the U.S. Mail and Fed Ex for delivery. What is more likely, someone intercepting a U.S. Mail Carrier or a U.S. Mail Carrier delivering to the wrong address or someone intercepting an e-mail across the internet? Needless to say, his security concerns were relieved in part. At the end of the meeting, he loved the fact that we use secure and encrypted systems which were not e-mail dependant.

I then received a call from a prospective client in another state. He was meeting with another attorney in his home city before making decision on counsel. He expressed concern that the distance between us might make it more difficult for him to be involved in the case. After going through our extranet system through basecamphq.com, our go to meeting capability through gotomeeting.com and are completely transparent to-do system again through the extranet, I think he realized that we would be more accessible to him than an attorney across the street who didn’t utilize these systems.

Technology brings you and your clients closer together. Don’t let security concerns or distance get in the way of securing that next attorney-client relationship.