Putting your legal education to work as an independent lawyer can be one of the most liberating and stressful things a legal professional ever does. The ability to set your own hours, select the clients you want to work with, and even simply the perk of picking and choosing where to work can be transformative.
Trying to manage the administrative and organizational side of the business on your own, however, can be overwhelming to first-time business owners. With that in mind, below are some of the important digital tools out there to make the transition to independent practice more seamless.
Reporting and Insight Tools
Reporting and insight tools are two of the most essential for any independent lawyer because they provide the metrics and analytics necessary to plan strategically, set goals and targets, and work towards sustainable long-term profitability. They are both integral to law firm performance management because they allow firms with a strong online presence to make the best use possible of the considerable amount of data they collect on a daily basis.
If you are an independent lawyer set on taking your digital marketing to the next level, these two tools combined will help lay out a roadmap to success. Making good use of data is key to retaining and attracting new clients.
eSignature Tools
eSignature tools are helpful because clients want to be able to handle as much administrative work as possible without having to come into the office. What’s more, many independent lawyers work remotely from their own homes, so having a way to get important documents to and from clients without needing to meet for a signature is key. It doesn’t matter where in the world you or a client is. As long as you have a way to quickly and accurately sign a document digitally, you can operate from anywhere.
Accounting
Accounting software is important, particularly as you grow your practice, because the financial side of running your business can quickly get away from you if you let it. If you are an independent lawyer, you are running a small business, and virtually any small business would stand to benefit from accounting software.
Legal Document Management Systems
A legal document management system provides lawyers and their firms the ability to quickly and safely organize and access documents that are stored electronically, whether on the cloud or a hard drive. These systems allow you to combine your offline and online documentation into one convenient database, eliminating the need for large, cumbersome filing cabinets or having to carry and travel with client documents.
Conclusion
More lawyers are choosing to branch out on their own and start their own independent practice. Working on your own, without the institutional support of a large firm, can be daunting, especially as you attempt to manage the administrative and organizational sides of things while simultaneously handling complex legal work for clients. Keep in mind the above digital tools and make running and growing your independent legal business easy and profitable.
