Advertisements would have you believe that software apps are the solution to everything, but the characteristics that make you a successful family law attorney are not something that money can buy or chatbots can emulate. Your listening skills, persuasive use of language, and thorough knowledge of your state’s laws are the true keys to your success. Despite this, time management in family law practice is no mean feat. The right software can help your law firm serve your clients more efficiently, boosting client satisfaction and saving your law firm time and money in the process. You do not need to spend a fortune on software; most of the features you need are standard in most law office software suites. Here are some tech tools that can help family law attorneys communicate more effectively with their clients and with employees of the law firm.
Tech Tools Like Shared Calendars and Shared Documents Prevent Miscommunication Within Your Workplace
Confidentiality between attorneys and their clients in family law cases is a serious matter. For example, family lawyers sometimes have to turn away prospective clients because of conflicts of interest; if a mutual friend refers a client to you, chances are that you already know enough about the prospective client’s ex-spouse to make you ineligible to represent the client. Likewise, you cannot represent someone in a divorce case if that person’s spouse has already had a consultation with you about the divorce, even if he or she did not end up hiring you. Some people on the verge of divorce are even sleazy enough to have consultations with every lawyer in town just to make it difficult for their spouse to find an attorney.
Meanwhile, within the circle of confidentiality, it is important to share information freely. Your client should be candid with you about his or her finances, goals for property division and parenting time, and challenges he or she is facing regarding money, work, co-parenting, or interpersonal relationships indirectly related to the divorce. Attorney-client confidentiality extends beyond you and the client; also included in the circle of confidentiality are other employees of your law firm who are working on the case with you, even if your name is the one that appears on court documents as the person representing the client. These can include other attorneys, paralegals, and even office staff with whom your client communicates about the case. It is a waste of time and money if you and your colleagues miscommunicate so that someone drafting a document, for example, is working with incomplete information because he did not see the files that the client most recently sent by email. By sharing all relevant documents with all relevant people, you can avoid these setbacks, and shared calendars can help everyone keep track of deadlines and workflow.
Online Scheduling and Intake Forms Help You Get to the Meat of the Matter Quickly With Clients
People often complain about the time-consuming task of filling out forms at doctors’ offices, but it can be just as bad at law firms. Most people do not have printers or reliable scanners at home, so even if you send them the forms ahead of time, it will be a hassle for clients to complete them. By sending your clients links to online fillable forms, you streamline the process for everyone. Likewise, instead of having clients call the office and see what times are available, let them choose the appointment times they want by selecting them on an online calendar.
Automated Payments Take the Stress Out of Collecting Payment From Clients
People who are in the process of divorce or are new to co-parenting are already stressed out about money. The last thing you want is to make things worse by constantly bugging your clients about upcoming payments or, worse, payments that are overdue. Part of the solution to this problem has nothing to do with software; your law firm should offer flexible payment options and discuss them with clients starting from the first consultation. Another part of the solution is where the software comes in. Once you decide on an affordable monthly installment, set up your payment processing software to charge it automatically to the client’s debit or credit card on file.
Being a family law attorney requires fundamentally human skills; bots are not going to make your job obsolete anytime soon. You can, however, make your work less stressful for you and for your clients by investing in the right software solutions and tech tools.
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