What to Know If You Know Nothing About Legal Tech

When we hired several interns a few months ago, they admitted that they knew very little about the legal tech industry, or that one even existed.

We bet our interns (when they started with us) are representative of most people in this regard. In fact, 54% of people in the United States have never hired an attorney. So it's understandable that people's image of the attorney-client relationship doesn’t include a technological interface.

We thought we’d put together an overview of what legal tech offers you, as clients, who may know nothing about legal tech or the legal industry at all.

A Free Digital Meeting Place

In that same hiring process, one of our interns admitted that he’d Google “good lawyers near me” if he had to suddenly find one.

We presume that most people would do the same. It’s only natural. It’s right there, in your hand. And it’s an excellent place to start. Compared to two decades ago, it’s a revolutionary place to start looking for an attorney. So God bless Google! But even so, there are better ways to find attorneys.

We think an analogy can convey this point:

In high school--and definitely in college--librarians teach students how to use databases, which compile and categorized research for people to find quickly. They’re launchpads that expedite the research process.

When it comes to finding an attorney, that’s the first thing legal technology like ours offers you: a specialized database of established attorneys and law practices interested in your business. We prefer to call it a free digital ‘meeting’ place. After creating an account, you can search for qualified lawyers who specialize in helping you with your specific legal concerns.

And it works!: 84% of potential clients that visit SimpleLaw engage an attorney on the same day!

Because of legal tech solutions like us, you’re free to shop, explore, and inquire, with all of the possibilities already lined up for you.

Legal Tech Lets You Exchange Information … And Save Money

We have no illusions about the anxieties that come with hiring an attorney. Nobody hires one at a high point in their lives. When was the last time a character in a movie said “I need to call my lawyer” and was happy about it?

And we know that, for most people, a root of that anxiety is money: How am I going to pay for a lawyer?

It’s a common question. A recent Legal Trends Report says a third of people hesitate to hire attorneys because the cost isn’t generally worth the benefits!

But what if we told you there was a way for you to save money, on average, in your attorney-client relationship because of how you’re conducting that relationship?

That possibility has everything to do with what legal technology fundamentally does for you.

Once you’ve found an attorney (and hopefully through a digital platform), you’ll participate in client intake. This is just a technical way of saying you’re going to exchange information with your attorney about your legal history, personal history, and your case.

When this is done face-to-face, or even when it’s done over the phone or a video call, a lot of time is required. And those are billable hours for the attorneys, which means its money charged to you.

Legal technology is designed to streamline processes like case intake and management. You can exchange information and respond to your attorney through a shared platform that also organizes that information as it is exchanged. We estimate that you can save, on average, $265.00 in costs simply by using SimpleLaw to engage an attorney and start your case.

Legal Tech Lets You Consult More Lawyers … And Save Money

Even if you start a case with one attorney, that doesn’t mean they’re the only one that’ll be involved. Sometimes, because of the nature of the case, your attorney will have to consult co-counsel or refer you to another attorney entirely. When this happens, your attorney must prepare all of your case documents for transfer. And like in-person, manual intake, this requires additional time and money (from you).

But remember: legal technology stores and organizes all of that information as you exchange it, so transferring it all is keystrokes away through a legal tech platform. The result? Another round of savings for you. Our company metrics show that being able to expedite document transfers for co-counsel and referrals saves you, on average, $310.00.

All in all, that’s $575.00 saved. While it isn’t an overwhelming amount of money, we know saving it can make all the difference for a lot of people.

What Do You Do Now?

Well, if you’re reading this, you’re probably like our interns when we first hired them. And you’re probably in the market for an attorney. And you’re probably really interested in saving time and money while in the market.

Find out more by visiting our website. Clients never pay a fee for using SimpleLaw. So, create your free client account and begin looking for an attorney today--and engaging one before the day is out. Good luck!