The legal industry is often seen as a traditional one, with its processes and procedures steeped in history and requiring manual effort. But with the ever-evolving need for technology, legal teams, and law firms must now consider how automated legal workflows can improve efficiency and accuracy. From streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing client intake processes, automated legal workflows are quickly becoming an integral part of every successful legal team. In this article, we’ll explore the potential applications for automated legal workflows and discuss how you can implement them in your organization. Get ready to revolutionize the way your legal team operates – let’s jump into it!
First, hear from a legal expert: Jenn Berrent
What better way to learn about high performing legal teams than from an expert. With over 25 years of battle-tested experience across legal, operations and business we provide you with an inside look of how the pros do it.
Jen Berrent is the CEO of Covenant, a specialized law firm combining data, technology, and AI to negotiate agreements. Jen also serves as counsel to Buhler Duggal & Henry LLP, a boutique corporate law firm. Previously, Jen was an executive at WeWork for six years during the scaling of the business where she served in several roles, including Chief Legal Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
What is the advice you give to anyone creating a legal workflow? What are common pitfalls to avoid while creating a legal workflow?
My biggest piece of advice in creating a legal workflow is to not do it alone – make sure you get the right expertise involved early. Going from analog to digital is not as easy as it sounds. If you do not have a good process to start, the version memorialized in technology will be clunky. In that vein, I reached out to the COO, Legal from WeWork to get her input as well. Here are some tips:
- Consider your goals when creating a workflow and then prioritize them. You might not be able to get everything you want from a workflow, so don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.
- The workflow design should be driven by business goals. It is important to align the workflow with KPIs – what data do you need to support the metrics the business measure?
- Involve end-users in the design phase so that you understand their preferences. If your workflow is tedious, no one will want to use it and they will find ways to circumvent it. It is helpful to integrate into and adapt to how people are already working.
What is your experience in legal workflows as the headcount has gone up rapidly?
As a business is scaling, oftentimes it is preferable to be flexible rather than fixed. This means the implementation of complex workflows may need to wait until there is stability or predictability. As a company matures, roles evolve from generalists to specialists. If you create workflows too soon, they will not work and you will constantly be fighting the tide.
Given your experience in legal (CLO & COO at WeWork), what inspires you to keep innovating and helping others in the space?
I love the intersection of great lawyering and strong operations. Throughout my career have relied on many tools to make me more efficient and a better service provider. We are now on the cusp of a technological revolution in the legal space, and it is exciting to see how the practice will change in the next decade.
What type of business impact can having/or not having proper legal workflows in place have?
Even though workflows may feel cumbersome, when done correctly they make everyone more efficient. At the same time, they improve quality, consistency, and stakeholder satisfaction. Notably, when workflows are designed to effectively extract data (not just to complete a task), you are able to use that data to find insights.
🙌 Thank you Jen for providing us with her expert opinion on legal workflows that came from years of battle-tested experience.
What is a Legal Workflow?
Legal workflows are the automated process that helps streamline tasks within the legal industry. By automating the tedious, manual aspects of running a legal team, legal workflows help to save time and money while improving accuracy and efficiency.
Legal workflow technology can be used for a variety of tasks, such as client intake, document management, billing processes, and even case management. With automated legal workflows in place, firms can maintain a competitive edge by quickly adapting to changing industry trends and customer needs.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your legal team’s operations, look no further than automated legal workflows – they offer a simple yet powerful solution that can revolutionize the way your firm runs.
By streamlining tedious, manual processes and improving accuracy and efficiency with automated legal workflows, legal teams can stay ahead of the competition and stay on top of changing industry trends. Next, learn how having automated legal workflows can bring even more benefits to your legal teams!
Benefits of Having Automated Legal Workflows
The legal industry is constantly evolving, and having automated legal workflows in place can help your firm stay competitive. Not only do legal workflows save time and money, but they also increase accuracy and efficiency. With automated legal workflows, you can easily manage client intake, document management, billing processes, and even case management.
Plus, with less manual labor involved in these tasks, you’ll be able to quickly adapt to changing industry trends and customer needs. Automated legal workflows are an efficient way to improve operations in your organization – so why not give them a try?
Potential Applications for Automated Legal Workflows
Automated legal workflows can be used in many different areas for legal teams. From client intake to document management and billing processes, automated workflows can streamline these tasks and make them more efficient. This is especially useful for firms that have a high volume of cases or clients as it saves time and eliminates human errors.
Automated legal workflows are also great for tracking data, such as time spent on a case or billing information, so you have an accurate picture at any given moment. Furthermore, automated workflows make it easier to keep up with changes in industry trends or customer needs since they quickly adapt to those changes. All in all, automated legal workflows offer numerous benefits that make operations run smoother and help your law firm stay competitive.
Automated legal workflows are an invaluable tool for organizations with legal teams of any size. By improving efficiency, reducing errors, and providing real-time data tracking, they can help your firm stay ahead of the competition. Ready to take the next step in improving the efficiency of your legal team? Read on to learn more about how automation can help!
Improving Efficiency in Legal Teams
Legal teams, whether you are a legal team within an organization or a law firm, you are constantly looking for new ways to increase efficiency and streamline processes. Automated legal workflows offer an ideal solution for improving operations and staying ahead of the competition. By using automated workflows, law firms can save time on client intake, document management, billing, and more.
Additionally, they can easily track data such as time spent on a case or billing information to get an accurate picture of the situation at any given moment. Automated legal workflows also make it easy to quickly adapt to changes in industry trends or customer needs. All in all, automated legal workflows provide numerous benefits that help legal teams run more efficiently and effectively. If you’re looking to improve the efficiency of your firm, consider implementing automated legal workflows today!
Enhancing Client Intake Processes
Enhancing the client intake process is an important way for law firms to improve efficiency and better serve their clients. Automated legal workflows provide an ideal solution for streamlining this process. By automating the intake process, firms can save time on data entry, document management, and other administrative tasks.
Jetdocs come with an external portal that makes your intake process smoother. How does this work? With the external process, your clients, team, or anyone (based on how you set it up), new or old can ask for legal help through your website, provide information, etc. Based on the process flow you set up for the intake process, Jetdocs auto-assigns the client to one of the team members or leaves it on an open pool where any team member can come and take a look. Jetdocs comes with all essential ticketing features such as SLAs, catalog builder, and conditions, as well as advanced features such as advanced analytics, priority levels, etc.
Having an external portal makes legal processes much smoother because you can request all the information from the get-go, instead of wasting time getting the essential documents you need to start. Have qualifiers and approval processes in place so issues get redirected to the right team member automatically so no time is wasted on that, you can set up SLAs with or without notifications so you do not miss any important work, and so much more!
Additionally, they can easily keep track of all client information in one centralized system which also makes it easy to update or change details as needed. Automated legal workflows also enable firms to quickly adapt to changing industry trends or customer needs. Ultimately, automated legal workflows are a great way for firms to stay organized and efficient while providing the best possible service to their clients.
Streamlining Manual Tasks and Administrative Processes
Many legal teams struggle with manual tasks and administrative processes. However, automated legal workflows are the perfect solution to streamlining these processes. Automated legal workflows reduce the amount of time spent on data entry, document management, and other administrative tasks. Additionally, all client information can be easily stored in one centralized system, making it easy to update or change details as needed. Finally, automation allows firms to quickly adapt to changing trends or customer needs. Automation is an essential tool for any legal team looking to stay organized and efficient while providing the best possible service for its clients.
Increasing the Accuracy of Complex Workflows
Legal workflows can be complex and time-consuming, especially when manual tasks and administrative processes are involved. Automating these tasks is the perfect solution to increase accuracy and streamline operations. By automating, firms ensure that all client information is securely stored in one centralized system, making it easy to update or change details as needed.
This eliminates costly errors that may have occurred due to human error, saving time and money. Automation also allows legal teams to quickly adapt to changing trends or customer needs, giving them an edge over their competitors. With automated workflows, legal teams can rest assured that their data is accurate and up-to-date while providing the best possible service for their clients.
Implementing Automated Legal Workflows
When it comes to legal workflows, accuracy and efficiency are key. Automating these processes can provide significant benefits for legal teams by ensuring that all client data is securely stored in one centralized system. This eliminates costly errors due to human error, while also allowing firms to quickly adapt to changing trends or customer needs.
Jetdocs helps legal teams as well as other organizations with in-house legal teams to streamline their workflows, including legal workflows. Jetdocs comes with amazing features such as 80+ templates, analytics, SLAs, approval steps, and much more! Learn more about how Jetdocs works, you can integrate Jetdocs with Teams and slack.
Automated workflows enable fast and accurate access to current information, giving legal teams a competitive edge over their peers. With automated workflow solutions, firms can rest assured that their data is up-to-date and accurate while providing the best service for their clients.
By automating legal workflows, legal teams can gain a competitive edge while providing fast and accurate access to the most current information. But what should be considered when choosing the right legal workflow software? Find out in the next section!
Choosing the Right Legal Workflow Software
Choosing the right legal workflow software is a key decision for any legal team. Automating your legal workflows can provide several benefits, such as accuracy, efficiency, and quick access to current information. However, there are a few things to consider when selecting the best-automated workflow solution.
There are many things such as monthly costs, features, templates and more to be considered, however, one of the biggest factors is the cost of implementation. You can either choose a platform that takes hours of independent contractors to set up, and teach employees, and clients, or you can choose a platform like Jetdocs that easily integrates into your Microsoft Teams or Slack channels in a few minutes and turns all of your employees into workflow automation experts within couple hours.
Teaching an entirely new system to employees and clients is not easy and takes a lot of resources. This is why platforms like Jetdocs simply integrate into your Microsoft Teams or Slack channels. Thus, you’ll only need basic 20-minute training. Learn more about how Jetdocs can be used to manage and automate legal workflows for legal teams.
First, you’ll need to consider your firm’s unique needs and make sure that the software supports them. Additionally, think about user-friendliness; if your team isn’t comfortable using the software then it won’t be much use. You’ll also want to ensure that the software is compatible with other programs you already have in place and provides adequate security so that all of your client’s data remains safe. Finally, read reviews and customer feedback before making a purchase – this will give you an idea of how easy the software is to use and if it has been effective for other firms in similar situations.
Ultimately, choosing the right legal workflow software requires careful consideration of a variety of factors depending on your specific needs; however, by doing so you can be sure that you’re selecting the best option for your legal team.
Training Internal Clients and Potential Clients on Using the Software
Once you’ve chosen the right legal workflow software for your firm, it’s important to make sure that all of your team members and potential clients are familiar with how to use it. Training both internal team members and potential clients on the software is essential to ensure full utilization of its features and successful completion of tasks.
For internal staff, providing comprehensive training sessions is a great way to get everyone up-to-speed quickly. Make sure each member fully understands how the software works and offers hands-on practice with support available if any questions arise. Additionally, provide a user manual or tutorial guide to refer back to if needed.
When training potential clients on the software, start by providing an overview of its capabilities and how it will benefit them in their day-to-day workflows. Demonstrate sample scenarios in which they would use the software and answer any questions they might have about its usage. If possible, offer video tutorials or webinars as well so that they can refer back to these resources anytime they need help with using the software.
Providing effective training for both internal staff and potential clients on legal workflow software will ensure that everyone gets comfortable using it quickly, making it easier for your firm to provide accurate and efficient services that meet all client needs.
Integrating a Legal Workflow System into Existing Practices and Procedures
Integrating a legal workflow system into existing practices and procedures can be tricky, but is necessary for streamlining processes for both your firm and its clients. Begin by understanding how the software works and what it can do for your team. Educate your employees on the features and capabilities of the software, as well as how to use it properly. Training potential clients on the software is also important so that they understand how it will help them in their everyday workflows.
Integrating a legal workflow system into your firm’s practices and procedures may take some time, but will ultimately lead to more efficient services for both internal staff and clients alike. With proper training and guidance, you can ensure that everyone is comfortable using the new system quickly and easily.
Conclusion
Integrating a legal workflow system into existing practices and procedures may take some time, but it is worth the effort. With proper training and guidance, your firm can reap the benefits of improved efficiency in both internal processes and customer service. Investing in a legal workflow system is an investment that pays dividends for years to come, allowing your firm to provide the best services possible for its clients.
