Tech Predictions 2023
It's that time of year again! We are excited to get back to ABA TECHSHOW 2023, in person, in gorgeous downtown Chicago. This event is not only a great way for attorneys and all legal professionals to stay up-to-date with all things legal and technology, but also gain a lot of CLE credits. From our perspective, time spent on the trade show floor is critical. Every year companies of all sizes display at the trade show. This is a great way to take the topics you are learning about and seeing how that learning is applied. And most importantly, it's a great chance to see a lot of offerings in one place. While we don't have a crystal ball, of course, we believe these are some of the trends we will see at this year's event.
Return to the Basics
While there is lots of talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatCPT and the like, attorneys and law firms are not quite ready to take that on. With so many law firms only moving to cloud-based options, like Google Drive or Dropbox. The increase seen in this area was really driven by the pandemic.
The legal industry remains a slow adopter of technology. The pandemic helped to get people to move to the cloud, but there isn't a big increase in the use of case management software. Rather than focusing on the AI and some of the breakthrough abilities of technology, we believe the focus of this year will be a return to the basics. How to leverage the power of technology to drive efficiency. How that benefit is positioned will vary from each technology provider, but we believe that is the focus.
Data Security
The continual focus on ensuring online data remains as safe as possible is a key trend. As more and more of life in general moves to the cloud, there is increased need for data security. Consider banking, online purchasing, medical records, and so much more. There is a lot of information online and only growing. How technology can be applied and created to deliver the highest data security possible is another area of focus.
Change Management
Change isn't always easy. People must make a commitment and make the switch. Whether it's moving from a paper-based system to the basic cloud option, or moving from basic cloud to case management software, change is change. And the reality is, no one can make the change for you. It takes focus and determination. It requires some patience on the part of the user and support from the provider. We believe many providers will focus on change management in order to lure potential users to their platform, no matter where they are coming from. As for us, SimpleLaw, we are offering what we like to call 'white glove' service. With our new platform, which we lovingly refer to as SimpleLaw 2.0, we do all the lifting. We provide unlimited virtual training and support, almost any time of the day or night and on weekends. Our goal is to make the change as simple as possible for the user.
Data Management
As data is stored in any number of ways - spreadsheets, documents, various drives, etc - getting all that data combined and fully accessible via any software package is time consuming and tricky. As the saying goes for tech professionals, garbage in, garbage out. Just cleaning, combining, and formatting the data takes users time. Some providers offer to do that heavy lifting for you, for a fee. Some case management software providers, like SimpleLaw, offer to do that work for you, too. With no fees. But encouraging attorneys to adopt case management software requires some serious focus on data consolidation and consistency. Once data is all cleaned and formatted, or maybe the user is moving from one platform to a different one so the data is already consistent, it's about moving the data to a new platform. All of this data management is a big deal and a real challenge for lawyers and law firms that adopt a new platform.
Client Features
As legal clients continue to look for more visibility to their legal matter and want to participate in the resolution of it as a means to reduce costs, software that gives clients this access will be another focus. Most people are more than familiar with online technology and are comfortable using it. Everything from banking to listening to music is all accessible via the cloud. Currently, 84% of music industry revenue is from cloud-based streaming services subscription fees. Do 84% of law firms offer cloud-based access to their clients? That's a hard no. We believe this will be another theme for 2023.
We will report back after ABA TECHSHOW and let you know how we did. What trends do you see for 2023 for law firms and legal technology? What are your concerns?
