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    The Case for Legal Technology Competence for Attorneys

    by SimpleLaw on
    Case management software

    There has been some discussion about adding tech competence for attorneys. The American Bar Association formally approved a change to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct to that effect. As such, they emphasize the need for lawyers to adopt a duty to be competent in the law and in technology. Frankly, we couldn't agree more. There are real benefits to tech in all fields. And the legal field is decidedly dragging in adoption of tech when compared to many other industries.

    Current Tech Usage

    From the ABA Techreport of December 2018, the percentage of firms that have a budget for technology has actually decreased. Per their findings, only 57% of firms budget for tech. That's not much. The real question is 'Why?' There are certainly concerns with legal tech. Even we get that. Privacy issues. Security breaches. Availability of information if your Wifi goes out. And there are others. Certainly these are issues to address. But the benefits of legal tech far outweigh these concerns. So why are firms holding back? We believe it's mostly down to lack of time to look into options, the old 'it's not broken, don't fix it' mentality, and to some extent, it's simply not required. Unless your state has adopted the new updated Rules of Professional Conduct. And most have.

    The Outlook

    Well, we wish we knew! But, we are exhibiting at the ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago from February 27 to March 2, 2019. We are doing that for many reasons, including, of course, building awareness of our (great!) software. But we are also doing it to continue to support the expanded use of technology in the law. As attorneys ourselves, we know how powerful it can be to a law firm. In fact, that's why we built SimpleLaw. We saw, and continue to see, great benefits in our firm. We saw a big jump in efficiency, ultimately supporting 3x more cases with our existing staff. Imagine that. We saw our outstanding client account balance fall from 40% to 2% once we implemented our platform, which includes online payment options. And the list goes on. So, sure, it can be unsettling to change the status quo, but with benefits like this, who wouldn't?

    Tech Competence

    We are big believers in adding Tech Competence to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. And not just because we are in the business. Remember, we are attorneys first. But adding this area of competence can be the impetus for attorneys to find out more. And, we believe, lawyers will ultimately adopt legal tech. As a result, it will ease the stress and strain on attorneys and law firms. It can also save attorneys a great amount of time. More time to focus on the law, and not managing documents, invoicing, etc. So attorneys have the choice to have a more balanced life or grow their practice. Or maybe even both.

    Hopefully, it leads to making the law more accessible to those who need it.

    To find out more about our great results and our software, visit us at www.SimpleLaw.com.

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