Lawyers Dish: 7 Tools They Can’t Live Without
In this day and age, there is no avoiding technology. Everything is becoming automated or remote, and honestly, we are digging it. Life and business are a whole lot easier when you have systems and processes that help you remember things, handle your billing, and provide access to information at your fingertips – just to name a few.
To successfully run your small or solo law firm, you’ve gotta embrace the tech. We’re making it easy by providing a list of some of the top tools that other lawyers use and love! Read on for 7 tools lawyers can’t live without.
Top Tech Tools for Lawyers
1. Live chat on your website
Implementing a live chat on your website, especially if you have active ads driving traffic, is a game changer for landing clients. Customer service and quick response are two things that prospective clients are not flexible on. They want to talk to you on their time and they want it to be easy to do so. InBound Law Marketing listed reviews on 13 different apps that provide live chat for lawyer websites. Give one a try and watch your lead conversion skyrocket.
2. CaseText
CaseText is a revolutionary legal research tool that every lawyer needs to be using. Don’t believe us? The SCOTUS blog has called CaseText “the best place to read the law on the internet” and we have to agree. Stanford Law School Blog did a test and found CaseText to be accurate in pulling relevant cases and law that were found by an appellate clerk and used to overturn cases of the lower court. Talk about saving yourself time – and a headache!
3. Clio
Clio is a cloud-based software that manages your law firm and your client relationships (CRM). Lawyers rave about the benefits of using Clio on Capterra. This software creates an easy process for client intake, billing, case management (and much more!) to, once again, save you precious time. Clio is also one of the integrations we offer and recommend to clients who want full-service legal practice management software.
4. Evernote
Lawyers have a great ethical responsibility and expectation to keep information straight. Writing things down on paper just won’t cut it anymore! Evernote is a free and easy-to-use organizational tool on your computer or on mobile apps, making your information always easily accessible. Whether you are taking notes in a meeting, saving research in one place, or collecting business cards – Evernote is your tool! Read more on the benefits and uses of Evernote in a law practice here, or watch this video.
5. DropBox
You’ve probably heard of DropBox, but have you considered using it for your law firm? Keeping information in the cloud sounds scary but DropBox transmits your data over an encrypted connection and the data stays encrypted while stored in the server. They also offer two-factor authentication, meaning that if you try to log in to view your stored documents, you will have to enter a pin on your phone to prove that you are, well, you. Lawyerist states that “Dropbox is about as secure as your online banking website.” If you need an easy way to store and share files, DropBox is the way to go!
6. Acuity
Acuity Scheduling is our favorite integration as it’s an impossible easy-to-use calendar and scheduling tool. They make it a breeze to schedule appointments, removing all of the back and forth you’re probably used to. No more hashing out the details of what time works for you and your client; just share your calendar and let your clients pick the time that works for them! Acuity also intakes your client as they schedule with customized intake forms, saving you even more time.
7. Back Office Betties
Obviously, we are all about saving you time (and the shameless plugging of ourselves into this list). When you use Back Office Betties, you save more time than you’ll know what to do with. You’ll also find a new sense of professionalism, an increase in clients (and revenue), and better organization – these lawyers state it best. Our virtual receptionists screen your calls, take messages, schedule appointments, take payments, and so much more.
