At first glance, the legal field doesn’t seem as replete with technology as other industries. However, technology is just as present here as it is anywhere else, and it is having major impacts on legal strategy and other areas.
Discovery/E-Discovery
One of the more visible ways that technology is affecting legal strategy and other areas of the industry is in terms of discovery. Well, in this case it would be e-discovery. Let’s talk about social media as an example. More and more, law firms are mining social accounts to find information to support their clients’ claims. Social media is also being used to locate people who need to be served, and for many other reasons. The sheer amount of information that people share on Facebook and other social networks (including their geographic location and even the activities in which they engage) make these platforms invaluable tools.
Better, Faster, and Less Expensive
Another way that the legal world is being impacted by technology is that law firms are finding that the client must be their sole focus. That is, they must do all that they can in order to meet client expectations and needs. Service must be of very high quality. It must be delivered faster than ever. Costs must be kept to a minimum. It has become all about speed, flexibility, and responsiveness. Technology can actually be used to address these needs through the creation of client portals and applications.
Automate, Automate, Automate
Another way that things are changing within the legal industry is in the continuing drive to automate mundane tasks to deliver better results, faster. For instance, using artificial intelligence imbued with machine learning, you can automate many tasks. Such tasks include document aggregation and sorting, information gathering, and even due diligence. Because these programs can perform so much faster than human beings, it reduces the time needed significantly. It also helps increase the quality of results and allows humans to focus on the areas where their time is best spent.
Is technology going to replace attorneys? No, it won’t. However, it will increasingly play a central role in all processes within a law firm, including legal strategy.
