For years, lawyers, legal professionals, and technology vendors have been finding better ways to improve the way modern legal firms utilize technology. Early in 2014, the legal technology market has seen an increased importance of cloud computing, a heightened need of paperless business, as well as widespread use of mobile platforms.

This article highlights some of the digital tools used and how they reflect the growing trend in the legal industry. Law firms who leverage on cutting-edge technology gains an edge over their competitors.

The ongoing surge in legal technology

In 2012, the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates passed an amendment proposed by the ABA’s Ethics Commission, which aims to redefine “competence” as it pertains to grounds of legal malpractice.

The definition goes: “To keep the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should be updated regarding the changes in the law and its practice, including the advantages and risks associated with relevant technology, engage in steady education and study, comply with all continuing legal education prerequisites to which the lawyer is subject.” If a lawyer wants to avoid lawsuits directed at themselves, then it’s required to keep updated about all relevant technology.

Marketing: Online customer service

In our current digital age, a law firm needs to allocate a big portion of their marketing efforts to online marketing, or more specifically, to online customer service. A firm need to affirm their authority by giving outstanding customer service. When he does, the firm will be able to solidify the lawyer-client relationship in ways a non-tech savvy firm can.

Daily operations: Using the cloud

The top law firms use cloud computing – it’s that simple. When it comes to online business and cloud computing in general, law firms need to be careful to secure client data as well as avoid crossing any legal lines. Cloud computing is so reliable that the ABA provides a comprehensive list of “Popular Cloud Computing Services for Lawyers”.

Legal Research: Automation

Automatic legal research is a huge importance to most tech-savvy law firms. Based on an article of CNN Money, “Lawyers markup important information in a subset of documents and forward that to a computer program that they can be used for legal proceedings and further research later on”. Automated processes like this allows a law firm to accomplish legal work in much less time with lesser hands on the case.

Mobile Technology: Legal Industry Apps

Mobile devices are undoubtedly the norm these days. It’s a powerful tool that any law firm can apply in their dealings. When a lawyer goes to a trial, knowledge of a particular case (client or suspect) will amplify the evidence on a case. One good example of mobile technology lawyers can readily utilize is verification of identity.

InfoTrack’s IDfy, for instance, allows a legal firm, specifically a lawyer to verify the identity of clients for conveyancing transactions. IDfy lets lawyers take pictures of their client and their identification documents in order to satisfy VOI regulations. IDfy’s intuitive system understands the VOI category requirements and guides lawyers through simple steps to ensure a standardized and compliant VOI process within their office.

So, what’s next for your law firm? Technology is everywhere, but by using the most advantageous tools you can make a name or retain your firm on top.

One of the key issues that needs to be addressed before your online business can go live concerns the company that will be responsible for your web hosting. This is a decision you should not make lightly. Doing business with the wrong web hosting company has destroyed many new businesses in the past. You need to make sure that your business is not added to that list. There are certainly many web hosting companies to choose from these days. So how can you tell the good ones from the bad? Here are some tips to use when you are going to be hiring a web hosting company for your online business.

1. Limit your amount of downtime

You will obviously not be able to make any money if your site is offline. This means that you need to affiliate yourself with a web hosting company that has a reputation for being very dependable. There are ways to go about finding out this information. The first thing you should do is talk to the current and former clients of any web hosting company you are thinking about using. Are they happy with the service they have received? Would they recommend that you use the same company to host your online business site? You will be able to tell if the company is good or bad based on the answers they give you. You should also do a simple Google search to see if there are any stories about the company going offline for an extended period of time. 

2. Customer service

You are paying the web hosting company a fee. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for you to expect a high level of customer service for the money you are spending. You should look for a web hosting company that will send somebody out to your house or place of business as soon as you inform them of a problem. Every minute you are offline is costing you money. Therefore, their goal should be to get you back online as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with some of these companies. They act like they are being inconvenienced if you require their assistance. You should avoid dealing with a web hosting company that does not appreciate the business you are giving them. You can go to https://www.networksolutions.com/web-hosting/index.jsp to learn more about ecommerce web hosting services and marketing.

3. Contract

There are web hosting companies that require you to sign a contract. These contracts can actually be advantageous to the business owner because the rates will be significantly reduced from what you would be paying without a contract. However, some people are uncomfortable being under any sort of contract. They want the freedom to switch web hosting companies at any time without the threat of paying a large early termination fee. This decision basically comes down to personal preference and what you feel is right for your business. There is no right or wrong answer. However, think about this decision carefully.