Technology and the Legal Industry in 2021
There’s no doubt that technology has overhauled how businesses operate. Tasks are now automated, take less time to perform, and communication among stakeholders is seamless.
The legal industry has not been left behind. In the last few years, more and more law firms have embraced technology in the workplace and all the benefits it has to offer. However, reports still show that even with most lawyers feeling discontent with their current technology, they are still not investing fast enough in tech for them to fully realize the advantages.
With sufficient investment, statistics show that integration of technology can increase workflow and efficiency among attorneys. Having said that, here are the tech trends you can expect to dominate the legal industry in 2021.
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Increased Use for Employee Collaboration
The current global pandemic has had unimaginable effects on businesses, including shifting the workplace to a home office. More and more employees are working remotely and contrary to what most people would expect, overall productivity levels have not declined.
This means that it’s a trend that most businesses will adopt in the coming year or so, including law firms. The rise of remote working will also promote diversity among employees seeing that there’s a larger pool of talent to draw from.
Employees working remotely will require numerous tools to collaborate effectively and produce similar results as they would in an office setting. At the moment, there are many collaboration software options on the market, but the most effective ones are not tailored specifically for the legal industry. In the coming year, we might see an increase in collaboration tools that are customized for law firms.
More Concern on Cybersecurity
In the last year, hundreds of businesses moved their operations online after the pandemic necessitated. Unfortunately, this came with more cybercrime activities affecting both individuals and businesses.
According to reports, COVID-19 caused a surge in cybercrime by 600%. Billions of dollars were lost to these activities as well.
In 2021 and the coming years, many law firms will invest in cybersecurity. Their databases comprise confidential client information which in the wrong hands, could ruin the firm’s reputation and that of their clients.
To Improve Communication
Over the years, technology has improved communication to greater lengths. Businesses have leveraged tech’s accessibility and high reliability to automate tasks, send bulk information faster, keep up with projects, and so on through technology.
Communication is at the core of remote work. As the future of work slowly shifts due to current global events, communication will have a big role to play. Video conferences, web portals, and scheduling systems will continue to gain more traction as communication tools in the legal industry.
Digital Marketing
More businesses revamped their digital marketing efforts within the last year as compared to any other period, including law firms. Websites are no longer placeholders on the internet, but an opportunity to boost conversions if done right.
Website technical optimization, content enhancement, and a consistent presence on social media are among the digital marketing tactics to expect within the next few years.
Personal branding is also an aspect that will take shape in 2021. For instance, a personal injury lawyer can create their professional brand on individual social media accounts, in addition to marketing their firm.
Technology for Research Information
The internet has slowly become the sole source of information. Databases, statistics, raw data, reports, studies, books, and so on are now only a click away. As computer literacy spreads across all generations, law firms will continue to leverage the internet as a resource center for research information. Changes that can be expected include advancement of skills and making more informed arguments in court or negotiations.
Author: Annabelle E
