Written by Family Lawyer Magazine contributor
Family law attorneys can easily spend hours obsessing over the online reviews they get from clients and spend a fortune trying to improve their public image. No matter who you ask, each giver of advice seems to tell you that their organization or profession can improve your clients’ impression of you in ways that no one else can. If you ask a hairstylist, they will say that you need a hairstyle that makes you look more like a lawyer or perhaps one that makes you look less like a lawyer. An interior designer will tell you that the décor of your office is the key to improving your customer reviews.
In fact, these superficial changes will do little except empty your wallet. If there is anything you can buy that will make engaging your law firm’s services a more pleasant and less painful experience for your clients, it is software. Choosing a software suite that is easy for your employees to use and contains time-saving features for your clients can help you and your law firm staff do your jobs more efficiently and better meet the needs of clients. The fanciest and most expensive software package is not always the most appropriate one for your legal practice; you only need the features that are useful to your family law firm and its clients.
How to Use Tech to Improve Your Family Law Practice
Shared Online Calendars
Scheduling is a challenge for busy lawyers, but communicating your schedule to the relevant parties is where there is the most room for confusion and stress. When you choose a law firm management software suite, you should consider its scheduling features. These are some shared calendar features that can enable your family law practice to operate more smoothly:
- A work schedule visible to the office staff, which the scheduling coordinator can modify, and where employees can request time off and trade shifts with each other
- An appointment scheduling feature where clients can book and modify appointments. This way, clients do not have to call to get an appointment; you will end up with initial consultations not only with the people who feel ready to call a divorce lawyer by the light of day but those who are up late at night resenting their spouses and are angry enough to click to schedule a consultation with a divorce lawyer. Likewise, with one-click cancellations of appointments, you do not have to worry about the interruptions to your workflow caused by no-shows.
- Timelines of the case are visible only to the client and to the employees working on the case.
Making Documents Visible to Clients and Colleagues
Streamlining your online communications with current clients can avoid misunderstandings and make your clients feel that you are organized and responsive to their needs. Your software package should include a shared document folder where you, all the other employees of your law firm who are involved with the case, and the client can see all of the documents relevant to the case. The shared folder system has several clear advantages:
- As you and your paralegals draft and edit legal documents, you can see the entire version history.
- You do not have to keep searching through your emails to keep track of which documents clients have already sent to you and which ones you have already sent to them.
- Since everyone who has access to the shared folder is part of the same circle of confidentiality, you do not have to worry about accidentally breaching confidentiality by clicking “reply all” by accident or without double-checking all of the people who will be receiving the email.
Software for Accounting, Billing, and Payroll
Law firms are not the only types of businesses that can save themselves a lot of time and mistakes by choosing easy to use software for the accounting functions of their businesses. The easier it is to track your law firm’s expenses through software-generated charts, the easier it is to see how you can save on costs. Likewise, you can free up time for the administrative staff of your law firm by processing payroll automatically.
Automated reminders to your clients that their next payment is due can also reduce negative interactions between your clients and your law firm staff, leading to less stress for everyone. You may even be able to find software that enables clients to modify their payment plans and update their payment information directly through the website or app. Flexible payment options are a reliable way to send the message that you are a client-centered family law practice.
Sources
https://caretlegal.com/practice-management-software-for-family-law-attorneys/
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