What can solo and small firm lawyers expect in 2015? We asked the experts to predict what technologies and law practice management trends will have the biggest impact next year.
1. We asked the experts to predict what technologies and law practice management
trends will have the biggest impact next year. Here's what they said:
ATTORNEY, ABSOLUTE LEGAL SERVICES, LLC
AND BLOGGER AT THE DROID LAWYER
Tablet use will remain steady, but mobile phone usage,
especially iPhones, will increase. Chrome OS will adopt more
Android features, including a full release of an easy way to
run Android apps natively in Chrome. And, more lawyers will
adopt smartwatches or other wearable devices to extend
their contact capabilities.
ATTORNEY AT LOWENTHAL & ABRAMS, PC
AND BLOGGER AT JENNIFER ELLIS, JD
Cloud-based software such as law practice
management systems and Office 365 make
previously unaffordable technologies available for
solo and smalls. Continued adoption combined
with flexibility and accessibility will help these
firms compete more ably with larger firms.
NORTH CAROLINA DIVORCE LAWYER AND
BLOGGER AT DIVORCE DISCOURSE
Sophisticated audience targeting for online
advertising will dramatically increase business for
smart, nimble firms. For example, Facebook's custom
and lookalike audience tools will increase tenfold our
impact on people with particular legal needs.
FELLOW, STANFORD LAW SCHOOL CENTER ON
THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Technology used for the unbundling and delivery of
legal services online, both by lawyers and companies
selling to consumers, will have the greatest impact by
changing the consumer marketplace for legal services
traditionally served by solos and small firms.
CEO, LEXBLOG AND BLOGGER AT REAL
LAWYERS HAVE BLOGS
The use of Facebook by lawyers for building
relationships and word of mouth will double
in the next year.
FOUNDER & CEO, SOLO PRACTICE UNIVERSITY (R)
Lawyers will increasingly outsource their entire
front and back end operations, most likely with
multiple providers. This includes bookkeeping,
law practice management solutions, marketing,
and virtual receptionists, assistants, paralegals
and even associates.
ESQ., ASSISTANT DIRECTOR + SENIOR LAW
PRACTICE ADVISOR, MASSACHUSETTS LAW OFFICE
MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Representation has traditionally been viewed in the
broadest possible terms, but the advent of limited
scope representation allows lawyers to work within
discrete projects, at fixed prices -- an arrangement
that appeals to long-term clients.
WASHINGTON, D.C. ENERGY LAWYER AND
BLOGGER AT MY SHINGLE
Mobile will continue to increase the ability of
lawyers and clients to access information from
portable devices. Also important will be
increased open APIs for legal platforms, allowing
the synching of data between different products.
DIRECTOR, OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION
MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND BLOGGER
AT JIM CALLOWAY'S LAW PRACTICE TIPS
Hopefully, it is the increasing ease of using mobile
connections to practice management
software/services. Why try to remember to do a
billing entry tomorrow that you can just enter into
your phone right now?
Whether it's increasing your mobility and flexibility through law practice
management software or revamping your law firm's website, MyCase can help.
Give us a call at 800-571-8062 to learn how MyCase can work for you!