Change is not a word most attorneys like to hear. In fact, as a whole, attorneys are known for their reluctancy to accept change and have always been on the slower side when it comes to adaption. In this day and age though, where innovation runs wild, change is inevitable and embracing it is necessary to the overall success of the litigation process.
Digital innovation has rapidly transformed the world around us. From how we communicate to how we interact with clients and colleagues, the legal industry is no exception to this. Each day millions of attorneys and litigation professionals use their smartphone or tablet to check their email, make phone calls, and read the news, but recent advancements in technology have allowed us to do so much more. Need to attend a deposition? You can do it from your tablet. Need to collaborate on exhibits? You can do that from your tablet. Need to do some cite-checking? That too can be done from your tablet. The list goes on and on.
The rulebook on how to conduct business in the legal industry has been rewritten. Attorneys who effectively manage digital innovation in their law practice can expect to benefit in more ways than one.
Here are 4 reasons why attorneys need to embrace digital innovation in the litigation process:
- Digital innovation fuels efficiency – Innovative technology allows us to be more efficient. It allows us to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort. Take attending depositions for example. Rather than spending hours upon hours traveling, using a web-based software like LiveDeposition, you can attend remotely and free up time for other tasks.
- Digital innovation creates opportunity – More and more clients these days are looking for legal teams who are not afraid to use technology in their casework. Being a technology driven firm will open the doors to more clients and creates new opportunities.
- Digital innovation cuts costs – When times get tough, budgets get cut. Attorneys who specialize in corporate law tend to feel budget cuts the most. Corporate clients don’t want to have to pay for attorney travel or unnecessary billables and aren’t afraid to negotiate rates. Embracing digital innovation allows attorneys to reduce operating expenses, which in turn allows them to provide services to their clients that fit within the client’s budget.
- Digital innovation improves accuracy – In the legal industry there is no room for error, the slightest mistake in the discovery process can mean someone’s business or even one’s life. Manually reviewing documents and exhibits leaves room for human error. Innovation in electronic discovery, more commonly known to the legal industry as e-discovery, has given attorneys tools which allow them to be more accurate, more thorough and more informed.
Digital innovation is part of our past, it is part of our present and it will be an even larger part of our future. As a new generation enters the workforce, a generation accustomed to using technology in all aspects of their life, embracing innovation and new ideas is more important now than ever if one wishes to stay relevant and competitive in the legal industry.