The conversation around technology integration in business has always been valid, but the subject has become more imperative in this past decade. When businesses are looking to improve their strategy, drive growth, streamline processes, and boost competitive advantage, they turn to technology integration because it makes all the difference.
The legal industry has benefited from technological advancements in e-filing, client communication, credit report integration, and counseling. This post will dive into technology integration in the legal industry using cutting-edge legal software NextChapter as our main case study.
Areas of Legal Practice that have been Enhanced by Technology
Technology has automated most aspects of the legal professional's day-to-day role, allowing for increased productivity, higher client satisfaction, and, ultimately, wider profit margins for law establishments.
Legal software provider NextChapter provides an all-in-one platform where legal professionals can access a combination of relevant features that ease their legal career. In the coming paragraphs, we will look at various areas of legal practice that have been automated by tech and NextChapter's corresponding product provisions.
1. Credit Report Integration
Usually, when a bankrupt client cannot remember all his debts, the attorneys will need reliable documents detailing the client's credit history. The most secure source of clients' credit information is their credit report.
NextChapter's Credit Report Integration tool allows attorneys to seamlessly import clients' credit reports directly into NextChapter. Unlike her competitors, NextChapter has partnered with Universal Credit Services to easily obtain consolidated credit reports from all three credit report bureaus.
The credit information is automatically integrated into the client's case, saving the attorney the stress of manually retrieving and organizing clients' credit data. Visit NextChapter's webpage for steps to navigate the credit report integration tool.
2. E-Filing
Another core area where tech has expedited the lawyer's day-to-day roles is case filing. Most law firms have turned to e-filing as it is less error-prone, timely, and generally more efficient. Unless your law firm is a start-up with a very small customer base, you may encounter multiple, complex cases daily.
To begin with, effective document management would require a lot of effort, and even after establishing a working system, accessibility might not be as seamless. Manual filing also comes with administrative costs, such as expenses on paper and ink. These costs might seem petty, but their compounding value through the accounting year is minimal. E-filing eliminates these different drawbacks.
NextChapter has an ECF integration feature that allows legal professionals to file cases electronically. This eliminates the expense and time spent on physical visits to bankruptcy courts while freeing up the court system.
With NextChapter's ECF integration, users can expect swift and accurate case preparations and bankruptcy filings and a bank of customizable templates to allow users to design case files per their district's requirements.
3. Credit Counseling
Credit counseling is an integral aspect of the bankruptcy process because, when done effectively, it simplifies the bankruptcy process for the client and the attorney. Through credit counseling, clients and their attorneys deliberate and agree on the most viable debt repayment strategy.
Many credit counselors also try to improve their clients' overall financial literacy by explaining concepts such as consumer credit, debt and money management, budgeting, mortgages, and retirement planning. The idea is to prevent said client from becoming bankrupt in the future.
NextChapter has partnered with Debtor CC, a learning hub within the legal software that provides clients the information they need to complete the first and second courses under the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA). This way, clients can easily obtain their counselling certificate within the software.
4. Client Communication Solutions
In some professions, success is only guaranteed by a collaborative effort between the professional and his clients: a vivid example is the legal profession.
Attorneys must form an amicable relationship with their clients to understand their case's facts and what they hope to achieve through litigation. Additionally, legal professionals should have efficient means of communicating any updates and developments to the clients to carry them along throughout the litigation process.
Communication is a two-way process. Therefore, clients must also be willing to give their attorneys all the information they need to represent them effectively. This is the only way both parties can build trust and meet their legal objectives.
To facilitate seamless communications between attorneys and their clients, NextChapter has provided the Client Portal. This in-built questionnaire allows the former party to obtain and import essential details on their clients into the software's database.
To further enhance client communications, NextChapter also presents the Client Texting feature for Attorneys, an instant messaging platform within the software that allows clients and their attorneys to communicate in real-time.
Conclusion
If you're an attorney and have read up to this point, you don't need any more convincing on why technology integration is worth investing in for your firm or practice. However, this realization is only the beginning of the work to be done.
The ultimate goal here is not to effect a generic technology integration process for your organization; you must understand your firm's specific needs and tailor your technology integration processes to cater to these needs.