How to make technology decisions

The pace of radical change in legal technology has slowed over the past 18 months. The revolution phase seems to be over and we have entered a period of evolution, elaboration and consolidation.

Nevertheless, lawyers need to continue keeping up on technology. Here are the six major questions to ask when making technology decisions in your law practice:

1. What is our vision of the role technology plays in our practice?

You will likely have either a high-tech vision or a mid-tech vision. A high-tech vision involves using technology to completely change the way you practice law. Mid-tech means a commitment to using technology to perform existing and traditional functions more efficiently and effectively. Most lawyers are comfortable at mid-tech.

The high-tech and mid-tech visions are moving targets. What was high-tech a few years ago is mid-tech now. What is mid-tech in one area of practice may be high-tech in another.

2. What functions do we need to automate to attain our vision?

Front-office systems are those used for law practice, such as document assembly and litigation support. The ones you automate will depend on the nature of your practice. If you are a transactional lawyer, you will want to automate document production and project management. If you are a civil litigator, you should use technology to manage case information and trial preparation.

Back-office systems are the administrative systems, such as accounting, billing, conflict searching, limitations and deadlines management, etc. that provide infrastructure support.

To the extent possible, front-office and back-office systems should work together.

3. What software do we need to automate those functions?

At this point, you will have to do some research to identify the specific programs available in the legal software market. Help is available. You can call me. I don’t keep up with all developments, but I do try to keep track of software trends generally. I can also refer you to other resources, such as books and magazines. You can consult also one of the growing number of a legal technology consultants.

You may also want to engage in some business process analysis at this point to ensure that you get the maximum value from your technology spending.

4. What hardware do we need to run that software?

The hardware decision is subsidiary to the software decision.

Buying hardware has become much simpler over the past decade. For most people now it’s a matter of getting a network of PCs and peripherals with the fastest chips and the largest memory they can afford.

5. What training will we need to do?

Everyone who uses the new technology should get training.

6. In what order of priority should we proceed?

Do not try to do everything at once. Pick the systems that need upgrading the most and proceed with them first. Choose projects that have a high chance of success before moving to more difficult projects.

Even though your vision may be mid-tech, if you proceed in a careful, orderly, planned fashion, you can evolutionize your practice to deliver superior client service and, at the same time, become more profitable.

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