Opportunities don’t normally fall into someone’s lap. Instead, an action is usually needed to stimulate and create ways to attract a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something, or “a favorable juncture of circumstances”:
op·por·tu·ni·ty (/ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onədē/) noun
plural noun: opportunities
Does this involve opening up your chi, thinking good vibes, or exuding a sense of peace? Perhaps, as these are all nice-to-haves. However, in business as in life, negative energy may make it difficult to align an organization’s current “self” with its future “self.”
What opportunities has your organization taken advantage of?
Are there other considerations that the business should focus on to better enhance how it operates?
Efficiency, convenience, and collaboration all play a significant role in how a law firm or corporate legal department function. The introduction of the computer, software, and email, just to mention a few, provided new opportunities for organizations to function better, faster, and smarter.
Gone are the days of writing things down and mailing them off. Instead, word processors and specific digital solutions enable us to work better, and all are incredibly convenient. Today, Zoom and digital signing tools help organizations to conveniently communicate and expedite tasks. These are opportunities that most, if not all of us, have taken advantage of.
What are the next opportunities an organization should consider?
A quick look at the modern law office clearly shows how things have advanced. Almost anything can be accessible at a user’s fingertips. Imagine manually sifting through countless pages in a firm’s law office. It still happens, but it doesn’t need to. The digitization of documents has made this process so much easier.
Yes, the pandemic accelerated the pace at which law firms have embraced new digital tools, but it was inevitable. Ensuring things operate smoothly is so powerful that advancements in legal tech, and considering them to be opportunities, are too hard not to take advantage of:
- Cloud-based software solutions increase productivity and operational efficiencies across firms.
- Remote work environments create opportunities to reduce tasks of manual paperwork.
- Technology enables legal professionals to accomplish more, in less time, and at potentially less cost.
- Investments in cybersecurity and protecting data is a continuous process that is only getting better.
- Legal tech solutions from experienced vendors provide ease of purchase, use, and support.
While the demand for improving business operations and creating convenience remain as desires for any law firm, legal tech will always provide opportunities to improve. As organizations grow, so will the technology that supports it—scalability creates convenience and value, delivering a competitive advantage that includes less effort for many tasks and time savings.
Opportunities for creating convenience: When considering technology to improve how a law firm or corporate legal department operates, creating a culture of convenience that improves how people work and exceeds client expectations are paramount. At the end of the day, the purpose is to make everything easier and a commitment to change will drive success—for adoption.
Opportunities for enterprise-wide support: The entire business must benefit from an investment in technology. Providing access to crucial business data for individuals across a firm, such as contracts, can achieve a high level of convenience and a cooperative ecosystem. These are opportunities that make things easier to manage and control.
Opportunities for enhancing client relationships: Automating low-value tasks and creating self-serve offerings for clients enhances their experience. Legal tech in this way makes the legal professional an assistant to the client’s needs and reduces barriers that could otherwise impact how the two work together.
Future opportunities? There’s no doubt that legal tech produces numerous operational benefits that can be felt enterprise-wide. Whether it’s a small or large law firm or an in-house legal team, the value of technology is a very human experience, one that improves and enhances. The future of the legal sector will be increasingly automated and driven by the latest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and so much more. The sector is showing increased awareness and acceptance of legal tech, but firms must be poised to change today, quickly adopt and adapt, and continue to invest to improve and remain competitive.