The events of 2020 have made the relevance of technology in the workplace undeniable. In 2023, TeamStage reported an 8.5% and 3.5% increase in workplace productivity and satisfaction, respectively; Another post by ContentFormula confirmed that 58% of executives report increased individual productivity from hybrid work and 50% of organizations have adopted at least one AI function, more than doubling over five years. 

 

Clearly, technology is rapidly changing the conventional work dynamic and this transformation cuts across virtually all industries and professions, including lawyers.

 

When it comes to tasking jobs like that of a lawyer, the importance of organization cannot be overstated, and a great way to ensure an organized work life is by deploying adequate software where possible. This post will focus on innovative legal software, NextChapter, and their excellent attempt to deliver features that enable users to easily keep track of notices, schedule hearings, and sync dates across external calendar tools, thereby contributing to a seamless bankruptcy filing process. 

 

Precisely, we’ll be looking at the “NextChapter Notices” and the “NextChapter Calendar Sync” tools. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

NextChapter Notices

NextChaper offers a robust "Notices" feature that allows users to track court notices by saving documents instantly and directly in their Notices Inbox and categorizing them using labels. Additionally, the "Notices" feature schedules hearing dates in your firm's calendar, making it virtually impossible to miss such important dates.

 

The "NextChapter Notices" feature is also engineered to integrate with your organization's PACER account and downloads new court notices and documents to your Notice Inbox." This rules out the need to save documents independently and significantly cuts down your organization's quarterly PACER fees.

 

In the coming lines, we’ll itemize steps that illustrate how the Notices feature works and how it optimizes the overall bankruptcy filing process: 

 

1. The “Notice” feature is engineered to be compatible with the Public Access to  Court Electronic Records (PACER). Therefore when court notices are given, the “Notice” feature directs them to your “Notice Inbox” along with any accompanying documents. New notices appear in “Quick View” to ensure timely viewing and facilitate seamless file management.

2. Once you've acknowledged a notice in the "Quick View" by marking it as read, it will be transferred to the case, so you can proceed to the "Notice Inbox" to find corresponding case files that have been automatically downloaded and saved accordingly. "NextChapter Notices" comprises features such as "tags," "Document Quick View," and a local exportation tool to convert documents to PDFs, all of which contribute to a seamless bankruptcy filing process.

 

3. As a hearing notice is received, NextChapter Notices not only tags and saves your hearing notices but inserts the date and time of such hearing in your firm’s calendar. This way, missing essential dates will become a thing of the past. 

Benefits of NextChapter Notices

Below are some spelt out benefits of subscribing to NextChapter’s Pro or Pro+ accounts to enjoy the Notices feature, viz:

 

1. Receive Hearing Notices

For most lawyers, the amount of time spent preparing for court hearings imparts the quality of their delivery. NextChapter Notices ensures users receive hearing notices instantly, giving ample time to review accompanying files and draw arguments. In addition, the "Quick View" feature makes it such that hearing notices are in the faces of the lawyers, especially those who need prompts to check their "Notice Inbox."

 

2. Download and Saves Notices

NextChapter Notices safely stores your firm's court notices in one place and allows users to export files when needed. This safekeeping of case documents will enable users to find and refer to previous cases hassle-free.

 

3. Automated Scheduling and Integration with Local Calendar

Another fantastic quality of the NextChapter Notices is the scheduling feature, which works with the user's local firm calendar. Hence, the feature automatically recognizes dates and times of court hearings and uploads them to the company's calendar, minimizing any chances of forgetfulness or ill-preparedness for court hearings. 

 

4. Compatible with PACER

The goal of every private organization is to maximize profits. NextChapter’s Notice feature operates in collaboration with PACER, enabling notices from the latter to reflect in the former within mere seconds. This implies that law firms or legal departments can now afford to spend less PACER fees with NextChapter.

 

5. Customizable

Usually, when it comes to tech, consumers always look for brands that combine quality with ease of use. To ensure comfort for users, the software developers made it such that users can categorize notices based on the type "proof of claims," "hearings," and more.

 

6. Overall Organization and Seamless Bankruptcy Filing Process

The primary aim of the "NextChapter Notice" feature is to help the lawyer organize his/her cases, schedule court hearings, and facilitate the bankruptcy process leaving room for little to no error while the lawyer focuses on his main job, which is to find the law. The NextChapter Notices feature comprises all the tools lawyers need to thrive.

NextChapter Calendar Sync 

NextChapter also offers "Calendar Sync," another feature that facilitates the bankruptcy filing process by integrating all other calendar tools, such as Google Calendar, Personal Outlook, and iCalendars, to sync all case events across them. The "Calendar Sync" feature is available to "Pro" and "Woah" account users.

 

To add events to your calendar, click in the case and locate the Case Dashboard at the top bar, then select “Events,” and click the “Sync” icon.

 

If you wish to add events from the Homepage, click the + icon beside your calendar, save it and then click the “Sync” icon.

Conclusion

One key takeaway from this post is that the digital workplace is the future, and investing in adequate technology for your workplace is becoming more imperative. Although tech in the workplace has generally had a positive impact, and many corporations have been very receptive to a digital workplace, only 26% of employers consider their organizations to have a mature digital workplace.

 

For law firms, legal departments, and legal professionals looking to invest in technology, NextChapter presents an all-in-one, cutting-edge legal software combining various tools and services at commensurate rates that give you adequate value for your money. Take a bold step today and try them out!