Time is a valuable resource. Being able to do things as quickly as possible without taking away from the quality of work produced is extremely important. This is especially true in the legal industry, where time literally equals money. There are only so many hours in a day and every second counts. Staying organized, removing distractions around you, and having a game plan are true and tried methods for making the most of your time, however you can no longer rely solely upon these solutions in today’s fast-paced society; this is where modern day technology comes into play.
Technology is a remarkably broad subject. By definition technology is a particular method by which science is used for practical purposes It can be used to describe the latest and greatest in computing and mobile devices, but it also encompasses the evolution of products and services. There have been many arguments as to whether technology actually increases productivity or causes more distractions. In the legal industry technology provides a platform for attorneys to do what they have always done, just better, faster, and more effectively.
Technology maximizes time – Using technology in the legal industry allows attorneys to decrease downtime and maximize every minute. For example, important documents can be saved to a cloud-based application, allowing everyone to have access to these documents, at anytime and from anywhere. No more shipping of documents or waiting to get to the office to look over important paperwork. Documents can be reviewed and approved on-the-fly, without holding up team members.
Technology allows you to be more informed – With the internet and e-discovery products, attorneys are able to conduct more in-depth research and be more informed during litigation proceedings. Legal technology has allowed research to be more open source and costs a fraction of what it did in the past.
Technology connects you faster – Technology allows attorneys to connect to their clients and associates instantly without having to travel. From online meetings, to remote litigation events, to virtual brainstorming sessions, attorneys no longer have to spend hours traveling from location to location. That time can be spent preparing for other cases or taking on new clients.
Technology reduces workplace clutter – Law firms have always relied heavily on paper. Before technology this proved to be troublesome and very time consuming, especially when trying to find a specific document among stacks and stacks of paper. Today’s legal technology eliminates the paper by providing a platform to move all documents online. An example of this is electronic exhibits. With electronic exhibits, all files are stored in an online repository where data can be searched by keywords and found within seconds.
The underlying question is “Does legal technology make you more productive?” Every minute spent outside of providing a service to a client is time lost, which results in money lost. If attorneys are using technology throughout the day to check-in on Facebook or post to Instagram, then yes it causes more distractions, but if technology, specifically legal technology is being used to maximize time and simplify the litigation process then technology actually does make its participants more productive and should be used more often.