Spring has officially sprung and you know what that means don’t you? No, it doesn’t mean we get to see beautiful budding trees or smell fragrant flowers. Sure, those are true signs spring has arrived, but more importantly it means it is time to do a little cleaning. Spring cleaning that is.
When one thinks of spring cleaning, they typically picture putting on rubber gloves and getting down to the nitty-gritty, dusting, scrubbing, organizing, and decluttering; basically going through their living space and thoroughly cleaning it from top to bottom. It is important because it gives us a fresh start, improves our mood, and decreases stress. Spring cleaning isn’t just limited to our homes though; in fact a good “cleaning” is just as, if not more beneficial to, our lives outside the home.
There are many ways attorneys can benefit from the time honored tradition of spring cleaning. Tidying up your desk, organizing your client files, and reviewing your finances are just a few, but probably the most important thing you can do is to declutter your litigation technology. We live in a digital world. Technology is a core component of litigation today and is designed to make our jobs easier, increase our productivity and keep us informed. There are software and mobile apps for just about every step of the litigation process. There are online client database products, eDiscovery solutions, calendaring programs, eFiling software, and more. Just the thought of all that is out there can be overwhelming and send a person into technology overload. It’s no wonder attorneys have been so slow to adopt technology in the legal environment!
One way to avoid technology overload is by reevaluating the software used throughout the various steps of the litigation process. You can start by looking over the current solutions you use and asking yourself a few basic questions:
- Does this technology benefit both me and my clients?
- Does it cut costs?
- Does it increase productivity and keep me more informed?
- Are there other solutions available that are more streamlined than what I am currently using?
- Is it an All-in-One solution? Does it provide everything I need in one platform, or will I have to manage multiple software vendors and multiple viewing devices?
- Does this solution play nice with other products on the market?
- Am I able to receive product support without having to jump through hoops or reach out to multiple vendors when my current solution doesn’t work well with other software I use?
If you answered no to any of the above questions, it is time to do some spring cleaning and rethink the litigation software you use.
As an attorney your job is stressful enough; you should be spending your time focusing on how to win a case, and not figuring out if Software A will integrate with Software B and so on. Managing multiple software vendors can be complicated and costly. In our next article we will discuss the benefits of using an all-in-one solution, but in the meantime do yourself and your clients a favor, spring clean your litigation software this season. We promise you will be happy you did!