Trend Watch 2023: Must-know developments in legal tech
From note-taking to document creation to file management, the gap will start to widen between those who adapt and thrive, powered by the right tech tools… and those who aren’t keeping up with tech-driven change.
In the upcoming year, legal professionals should be aware of the following trends and leverage them to optimize their workday, out-perform competitors, and deliver superior client service:
Digitization done right
In recent years, firms have been increasingly trading in their filing cabinets for digitized management and storage – and this momentum will continue as technology advances. Innovative speech-to-text solutions, for example, make processes across easier across the organization: capturing notes, automating transcription and routing, creating and editing documents, and more. Because the legal industry is so heavily document-based, the positive impacts new digitization and automation tools can have on a firm’s productivity are significant.
Next-gen cloud software
Today’s cloud-based speech solutions are flexible, powerful, and easily augment and support existing systems and tools for seamless workflows. Further, these future-facing solutions are mobile and device-agnostic to accommodate any work arrangement (in-office, remote, and the newly popular hybrid) with the same comprehensive features and capabilities. Taking advantage of highly configurable voice software means technology meet the needs of the firm, staff, and clients…not the other way around.
New definition of “teamwork”
Voice tech allows productive teamwork without having to be collocated, which is essential for the modern law firm. Remote conferencing, virtual events, and other forms of digital collaboration aren’t new, but the explosive acceleration of their adoption certainly is, largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest voice tech solutions streamline workflows, enable smooth hand-offs between team members, and simplify file storage and management.
Going virtual with clients
Post-pandemic, many attorneys are finding that clients are more open to doing business virtually than in the past. With the help of speech-to-text tools and connected smartphone apps, tasks such as taking spoken notes from raw files to final documents is easier than ever, increasing speed of service and efficiency, which in turn drives overall perceived value and client satisfaction. With native enterprise-grade security, these tools also give attorneys peace of mind that they can share dictations and take data through the entire work-stream while confidential data stays protected.
Insights for action
Lastly, it’s important to note advancements in reporting and analytics. Advanced voice tech and digitization provide a digital audit trail of a dictations’ journey through the firm’s workflow. This is important in tracking and analyzing productivity, team member participation by project, time-to-completion, and more, and it helps firms identify necessary process improvements and areas for investment that will optimize the organization’s performance.
The 2023 Forecast
Is your firm ready to take on 2023 – and beyond? The first step is assessing how these trends can be best leveraged to further your business objectives and incorporated into existing workflows, systems, and teams.