Solutions to 10 Common Problems Experienced by Law Firms

Antiquated law office management is keeping law firms from operating more efficiently, providing quality client services, and getting paid more quickly. In most cases, these are the exact practice management principles that enable a law firm to make the leap from good to great.

At LEAP Legal Software, we speak with law firms every day. So, we understand the challenges that legal professionals face in creating best-in-class law practice management systems and processes. Here’s a consolidated list of 10 common problems law firms face and solutions on how technology can help to solve them.

Does your law firm currently face any of these challenges?

Problem #1: Numerous costly and disconnected IT systems to support everyday legal tasks

Solution: Adopt a legal practice management software that consolidates all of your workflows into one system. Matter details, forms and templates, email management, time recording, billing, trust accounting, reporting, and more should all be available within one system. Solutions like LEAP also provide automatic data backups, system maintenance, and software updates at no additional cost.

Problem #2: Wasted time having to manually create matters

Solution: LEAP comes pre-configured with matter types specific to states and areas of law. This means that attorneys don’t have to waste time manually opening a matter for a new client upon intake. Law firms can tailor their matter management to the needs of their law firm with LEAP.

Problem #3: Creating complex legal forms and re-keying information in multiple places

Solution: Document management and Microsoft 365 integrations have come a long way with systems like LEAP. As a result, attorneys can save untold hours by letting the software do the heavy lifting. With the right software system in place, it’s also easy to import a firm’s commonly used templates or to quickly find the needed jurisdiction-specific court forms within the system. Moreover, the ability to pre-fill court forms or templates with the correct information allows attorneys to focus on what they do best—practicing law.

Problem #4: Wasting time tracking mountains of email communications

Solution: Law firms can send thousands of emails each day. This communication trail between legal professionals and their clients is the foundation of providing quality legal services. When adopting legal technology, make sure you’re able to keep these details organized by automatically saving incoming and outgoing emails within the centralized matter. That way, you and the rest of your staff always have the latest correspondence and related files at your fingertips.

Problem #5: Losing revenue at the end of each month due to inaccurate time tracking

Solution: The time attorneys spend on a specific matter is often not as accurate as it should be. It’s far too common for law firms to scramble at the end of each month trying to remember and reconstruct their billable time. LEAP allows you to instantly record your time spent on emails, documents, phone calls, and more, right as you are doing the work. Once your billable hours are tracked and captured, it’s easy to review, update, and send your bills.

Problem #6: Having an invoice process that is full of friction

Solution: With systems like LEAP, attorneys can accurately automate legal billing and receive speedier client payments. The ability to generate a report to review and finalize your client bills each month is critical. Once the invoices are sent, you also want a system that allows your clients to pay their bills online with the click of a button. Not only do your clients expect a frictionless payment system, but it also helps you receive and record payments more quickly and efficiently.

Problem #7: Discrepancies between your firm’s records and bank statements

Solution: Law firms need reliable financial records and rules for trust accounting to stay compliant with IOLTA and state bar requirements. The right practice management solution will allow your firm to perform complex trust accounting transactions quickly and accurately. Systems like LEAP also integrate seamlessly with office accounting systems like QuickBooks Online and Xero for a holistic financial management solution.

Problem #8: Running your law firm from anywhere, at any time

Solution: Let’s face it. Lawyers are no longer working a traditional 9 am - 5 pm, office-based schedule. Law firms need legal technology to support modern law practice. Cloud-based legal software like LEAP provides the flexibility and infrastructure to work anywhere, anytime, and on any device. The LEAP Mobile App supports easy communication with clients, access to matters, time recording, billing, and more from any mobile device.

Problem #9: Not enough support resources to efficiently adopt new technology

Solution: Legal technology like LEAP not only provides revolutionary practice management features but also provides firms with dedicated support to implement and make the most of their technology. LEAP has Practice Management Advisors to help guide and advise law firms on how to implement and use the system. Additionally, resources like the LEAP Help Center with access to the HelpDesk, self-help guides, free webinars, and training with LEAP University provide a multitude of ongoing support and training resources at no additional cost. This helps to maximize the ROI of legal practice management software for firms.

Problem #10: Inability to help set the course for your legal technology solution

Solution: Choosing the right legal technology means choosing what’s right for your law firm. It’s important to know that your practice management provider is listening to your ideas, challenges, and needs. Innovation is at the heart of LEAP Legal Software and that’s why we collect feedback on our legal software through an open forum, the LEAP Ideas Hub. LEAP Development monitors the Ideas Hub and formulates plans to incorporate user feedback into future software updates.

Legal professionals often underestimate how beneficial adopting the right legal technology can be for their law firm. If your firm is experiencing any of these challenges, it may be time to look at finding the right solution.

Does your law firm currently face any of these challenges? Let us know in the comments.

LEAP Legal Software provides law firms with everything they need to run their firm. Learn more about LEAP by visiting www.leap.us and find your solution today.