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The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way many businesses operate. The health guidelines put in place to curb the virus spread forced businesses to adjust to a new reality they had never experienced before. And technology was, and still is, at the core of all of it.
For the legal industry, the main challenges included the disruption of the work location, where law firms had to adopt a hybrid work environment constituting the office and working from home. This introduces the problem of employee collaboration, as well as how to handle client meetings that were previously conducted face-to-face.
Gradually, technology has been filling these gaps to increase efficiency and drive down overall firm costs. Read on to learn more about technologies a personal injury lawyer should watch out for in the aftermath of COVID-19
Employee Collaboration Technology
As law firms fully embrace remote working, there’ll be a need for enhanced employee collaboration. Despite the overhaul in work location, business operations have to run as expected.
Just a few years ago, collaboration tools such as Slack, Trello, and Microsoft 365 were mainly used by tech startups looking to capitalize on remote work.
In the coming years, we might even see the development of employee collaboration tools tailored for specific industries, including legal.
Video Conferencing
Before February 2020, you probably hadn’t heard of Zoom. By the end of that same year, the Zoom mobile app had received nearly half a billion downloads.
This surge is mainly attributed to the pandemic that forced businesses to find new ways of holding in-house and client meetings.
Moving forward, law firms will invest more in both desktop and room video conferencing. For the former, the goal will be to improve the “work from home” experience, while room video conferencing will improve remote communications while operating from the office
Enhanced Internet Connectivity in the Office
Despite the increased remote working activity expected, law firms are not ready to give up the office setting yet. However, several adjustments will have to be made, including the quality of internet connectivity.
Due to the increase in video conferencing activity and emphasis on social distancing while in the office, efficient internet connectivity will be a key requirement throughout the entire office space.
Improvements in Cybersecurity
With increased over-reliance on technology comes more exposure to cybersecurity threats like hacking, phishing, and malware.
Law firms store confidential data that, if leaked, might cause damage, including a tarnished reputation and reduced customer trust. Therefore, law practices must invest in advanced cybersecurity technology, especially for data privacy.
Another way to prevent a data breach or unauthorized access to your systems is by offering comprehensive training to employees on safe internet practices and how to detect potential attack attempts.
Document Automation and Digitization
Lawyers deal with tens of different types of documents. Some have to be drafted, others reviewed, and others reproduced.
Some law firms are already investing in automation software to save both the time and cost of manually creating the documents.
Digital Marketing
The sudden increase in the number of internet users over the pandemic has also shaped the ways through which law firms reach their customers.
In the past years, many lawyers believed in word-of-mouth referrals more than anything else in obtaining new clients. However, this is slowly shifting to the adoption of various digital marketing strategies to create brand awareness and ultimately convert viewers.
More law firms will continue to invest in digital media for advertising, with more emphasis on personal social media branding, as well as search engine optimization.
