There has been a huge push in the legal community for practice management software. In many cases, this improves workflow for firms. But, the basics are always the most important. We are spending time and money buying and learning programs that may not add value to our practices. Don’t allow the loudest sales team to sell you a product. Understand what you need, what you will use and what is important to you. Then, look for software.
Start with the basics: being able to find your documents – Document Management – and creating them – Document Automation – in the most efficient and effective way possible.
1. Get an Excellent Search Function for Your Documents –
Attorneys and staff spending time looking for documents is ridiculous. I can’t count the number of firms who ask me about document naming conventions. The idea is that if we all name our documents exactly alike, we can find them. However. . .
Outside of naming documents randomly as the mood strikes people, documents get filed in the wrong place, folders get dragged and dropped into other folders and documents get saved over the top of other documents.
The answer is to have some sort of fast full-text searching feature for your documents. There are Document Management Systems that do this – NetDocuments, iManage, even DropBox Business offers full text searching. There are add-ons too that will index documents and allow full-text searching on your network and in some practice management software platforms as well.
If you don’t have a system that allows you to fully search the text of your documents, you are putting your money in the wrong places.
2. Get Macro and/or Document Automation Software –
Automation is the key, right? Why are you searching for a document from 10 years ago that you like and cutting and pasting into the document you are creating today? That is hardly the best use of your time. Doing this periodically for a special motion or certain facts is reasonable. However, if you are doing this weekly or daily, you are wasting your time.
Search and replace in Word is not a good way to automate document creation either. How many of us have left incorrect information in a document even after proofing it?
It may take a bit of time and money setting up, but not as much as you think. There are great document automation software products that are very reasonable – even for the smallest firms. The Form Tool, Pathagoras and Hot Docs are excellent document automation tools that are scalable. These aren’t the only ones out there.
Macro packages save hours of time and again, there are products for every size firm. They are a bit more expensive than the software mentioned above, so you may want to start with Document Automation Software. Companies providing legal macro packages include, The Sackett Group, Wizomation and Crowther Macro Systems. They are all developed on different platforms and provide different ways of creating macros for your firm.
Prices vary for all these products and some are subscription based.
Do yourself, your staff and your nerves a favor . . . use your technology to its fullest and get the right tools.