Tech Empowerment for Legal Professionals: Harnessing B2B Tech Products for Productivity Gains

People often think the law industry doesn't like new technology. But, legal tech (technology made for law) has started to change this view in recent years. B2B tech products appeared to change lawyers' perceptions about productivity, streamlined processes, and client outcomes. How exactly is technology helping lawyers improve their work? Let's figure it out.

What is legal tech?

Legal tech refers to using technology and software to provide and aid in legal services. There is no rule that legal tech is only for lawyers. Many legal tech products are made for individuals without legal education. What does the term legal tech include?

• Document management systems;
• Legal research platforms;
• Online legal marketplaces;
• Contract automation tools;
• Billing tools;
• Practice management software;
• E-Discovery tools;
• AI-based legal tools;
• Document automation software;
• Legal calendaring software;
• Client intake and CRM software.

Apart from specific legal tech tools, this can also include all collaboration and communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Docs, and everything that helps facilitate prompt communication and document work.

Also not developed directly for this field but widely used are various project management tools like Asana, Trello, and Jira — they keep all team members updated and ensure deadlines are met effectively.

The Main B2B Tech Products

Legal tech products can meet any user's needs. The very goal of legal tech is to make the existence of lawyers simpler and more interesting while giving the lawyer the freedom to do something besides manual tasks, which could be done better and faster by a robot. So, which companies step up to the plate as reliable allies for lawyers?

Document Management Systems

Document Management Systems (DMS) in legal tech are like digital filing cabinets. They help law firms keep track of electronic documents and pictures. This makes organizing lots of data and legal documents easier — that’s why 44% of law firms use document management tools.

In simple terms, one good DMS gets rid of the need for multiple Excel tables. It helps to find documents quickly, lets more than one lawyer use the system simultaneously, and changes the main database. It can also directly integrate email clients or legal practice management software into the DMS. This makes tasks like summarizing indicators, calculating data, and searching for user information easier.

There are many companies on the market offering DMS, but the three main ones are:

• Clio: Clio's system helps law firms sort documents by case and client, making it simple to find specific files. It also offers safe cloud storage so law professionals can access their files from anywhere.
• Rocket Matter: This tool is a complete system for managing documents. It has features such as tracking changes, editing together, and sharing documents safely. It can also work with Dropbox and Evernote, making things easier.
• NetDocuments: NetDocuments is a tool for managing documents and emails. It lets you share files securely, work together with others, and search the full text of documents in its storage.

DMSs should prioritize safety first. To choose a reliable DMS, companies should consider high-level security, including data encryption and user access controls.

Legal Research Platforms

Legal tech research platforms are digital tools that already make it easier for 67% of lawyers to find, understand, and organize a lot of legal information. They can be similar in features to DMS but are more concerned with necessary legal precedents, statutes, regulations, and case laws required for work. Some key examples include:

• Westlaw: A popular platform for legal research, Westlaw provides a large collection of legal resources. This includes court cases, laws, news, business info, and more from many different places.
• LexisNexis: This tool offers a large collection of legal resources. It has both national and international law materials. But it also has news and business information to help you better understand the world of law.
• Casetext: Casetext uses AI to offer a wide-ranging legal research platform with a big library of legal documents. Its AI tool, "CARA," can recommend related legal cases based on the documents you add.

Legal research platforms in legal tech make the comprehensive job of legal research quicker, more precise, and complete. The choice of platform depends on the needs of the legal company—many legal research platforms may focus only on one practice area, so you need to choose exactly the platform that meets the team's requirements.

Online Legal Marketplaces

Online legal marketplaces connect people and businesses with lawyers. Usually, they don't even require a lot of effort from lawyers or legal teams. All you need to do is register (usually at no cost), and then clients will find you, look at your profile, and contact you.

These platforms work like online shopping sites, but they list different types of lawyers instead of products. Here are some examples of online legal marketplaces include:

• Lawrina Match: Known for a vast database of legal professionals and dedicated search functionalities for various legal specialties and states across the US. Lawrina Match offers people a full lawyer profile, showing lawyers with the necessary levels of accreditation and expertise.
• UpCounsel: This platform is a marketplace for connecting businesses with freelance lawyers specializing in various practice areas. This service is particularly useful for business-related legal matters.
• Avvo: A platform renowned for its extensive directory, Avvo is a go-to resource when people need legal assistance. It houses a vast and comprehensive list of lawyers, making it easier than ever to find a lawyer who suits every need. Beyond its directory, Avvo also stands out by providing a wealth of free legal advice. Avvo also stands out by providing a wealth of free legal advice.

Why do lawyers need online legal marketplaces? In general, it is one of the fastest ways to expand their client base and expose themselves to a broader audience (many law firms register individual lawyers on such platforms to increase client flow). These services also ensure that lawyers encounter clients with queries within their areas of expertise.

For example, if you sign up on Lawrina Match as a probate lawyer from New York, only people seeking help with wills and estates in New York will see your profile and reach out to you. This greatly helps to attract not just many new customers but specifically those who need your help.

Contract Automation Tools

Contract automation tools often include ready-to-use contract templates, features for automatic data entry, digital signature options, and analytics for looking at future contracts. Here are some examples of such software for B2B:

• Concord: Concord's software manages contracts from start to finish. It helps with writing, discussing, signing, and renewing contracts. It also gives a place to work together, gives approval processes, sends alerts for deadlines, and watches for rules being followed.
• Loio: Loio is an add-on for Microsoft Word that makes reviewing and editing contracts easier. It has tools to analyze contracts, such as showing important contract details quickly, identifying clauses, and comparing similar parts.
• Contractbook: This tool helps users make, sign, and keep all their legal papers in one online place. It has a feature that automatically creates contracts. It offers many templates and makes editing and working together easy.

Legal Billing Tools

Legal tech billing tools help record billable hours, make professional invoices, manage payments, and keep track of financial performance. Here are some examples of billing software:

• Clio: This tool has features that allow keep track of the work hours of lawyers (both billable and non-billable), create detailed bills, and handle online payments.
• FreshBooks: This tool is made for small businesses and people who work for themselves, like solo workers. It includes features that track time and automatically handle billing. This means it can create repeated invoices and send reminders about payments automatically.
• Zoho Books: This is a part of the Zoho software set. It makes invoicing easy, helps keep track of hours that can be billed, and manages expenses. It gives law firms a simple look at their money situation.

These tools eliminate hand-written tracking and calculations, lowering the chance of mistakes and missed billable time. Саме тому, e-billing is the most popular legal tech; 48% of law firms use it daily. This lets law firms concentrate more on their legal tasks than office work.

Management, E-Discovery, AI, and Calendaring

Overall, you can find a tool and business that develops this direction under each aspect of a lawyer's or law firm's work. For example:

• Practice Management Software: Tools like PracticePanther or MyCase simplify billing, invoicing, scheduling, and managing contacts, which are essential for running a law firm every day.
• E-Discovery Tools: Platforms such as Logikcull or Relativity assist in finding, collecting, and providing electronic information needed for evidence in court cases, helping save valuable time in the legal process.
• AI-Based Legal Tools: AI tools like ROSS Intelligence or Kira Systems help with legal research, reading documents, and doing routine tasks automatically.
• Legal Calendaring Software: Tools like CalendarRules or DocketBird make scheduling cases and tracking deadlines easier. This helps law firms manage their time better and always meet court deadlines.
• Client Intake and CRM Software: Tools like Lexicata or Zola Suite make it easier to get new clients and manage current ones, helping law firms work better and making clients happier. In general, 71% of small firm lawyers said they have a platform to manage cases and client information.

Conclusion

Legal tech not only boosts productivity but also replaces the need to do monotonous tasks or adjusts to the team's needs. 95% of law firms have already found legal tech tools that made them more responsive to client needs, which increased client satisfaction and improved the level of trust in specific firms.

Don't consider legal tech tools scary or complicated. It would be difficult for businesses to adapt to new tools and break away from the use of old and familiar ways of payment, for example. The world is not standing still, and those lawyers who accept changes and learn to adapt to them win and stay in the market.