The best digital tools for lawyers

We are in the era of digitalisation and in a position to consider new objectives based on Big Data. Storage capacity has increased exponentially in recent years, this has allowed administrations to have huge databases for a long time. To manage, store, leverage and export this information, it is essential to implement digitisation.

  1. The digital transformation of the justice sector
  2. How do I know what digital tools I need?
  3. Types of Digital Tools
  4. Benefits of using digital tools

1. The digital transformation of the justice sector

Law firms are increasingly relying on digital technology. A study conducted by the consultancy Opinaia revealed that three out of four legal professionals increased their use of technology between 2020 and 2021.

In Spain, measures focused on the digitalisation of justice are also being implemented. Proof of this is the Justice 2030 Plan, based on 3 pillars:

  1. Law on the digital efficiency of the public justice service: it seeks to create a new data-driven information architecture and guarantee digital legal certainty in procedures.
  2. Legislative/judicial analytics: there will be a Big Data system with large amounts of information that is difficult to process. To do so requires the implementation of artificial intelligence that will facilitate rapid prosecution for intelligent justice.
  3. Telematic actions: the objective of the project is to implement actions that allow telematic management through three sub-projects: Digital immediacy and non-face-to-face services, Digital Public Faith, relocated workplace and teleworking.

2. How do I know what digital tools I need?

As we well know, not all companies are the same, the work methodology, the objectives of the company, the organisational culture, or the portfolio of clients they manage can vary, so it is important to know the aspects that must be taken into account to choose the digital tools that best suit the needs of the company:

  • Define what the problem is to know where the difficulty is
  • Know what type of digital tool is required: when the problem is already identified, you can investigate the different platforms that can solve the needs.
  • Think about how to apply the tool in the sector: Many of these solutions come from IT specialists  who do not necessarily know the legal industry in depth, so it is always good to think about how the tool would be applied in daily work.

While there are numerous specialised legal-tech software, choosing the best tools for lawyers should be done carefully, as the goal is to make the job more efficient and practical, rather than becoming an unnecessary burden.

Before choosing a software for lawyers it is advisable to consider the following factors:

  1. The most recommended technology for this type of software are cloud or cloud technologies
  2. Good legal-tech software provides a high level of security
  3. The most efficient lawyer software is versatile and allows you to customise the work
  4. The more compatibility between systems the software presents, the better
  5. The price of the tool must be adjusted to the needs of the firm

3. Types of Digital Tools

There are numerous digital tools based on Artificial Intelligence. These are its most outstanding features:

  • CRM (Customer Relationship Management): is the database with the information of all our customers. It helps us organise the agenda.
  • CMS (Case Management Software): is the management of legal cases that helps law firms manage the life cycle of a case through the handling of processes, documents, lawsuits, etc.
  • Timesheets: essential to keep track of billing and accounting in the office. The financial area cannot be neglected.
  • Digital signature: it is essential to incorporate this solution, which facilitates communication with clients, courts and other offices.
  • Transcription Software: Legal transcription is the conversion of any legal and audio material to text format. An example of this is the PROBUS software: an online platform for legal professionals that allows you to transcribe, index, analyse and edit content from video or audio recordings of court hearings, arbitrations and statements.

4. Benefits of digitalisation in the legal sector

#1. Legal workflow tools help eliminate human error from your legal documents and case procedures. Therefore, there is a saving of time to deal with customers and their cases instead of fixing errors.

#2. In the legal arena, security is paramount. Protecting customer data is a challenging task in conventional legal practices. To avoid theft, data copying or loss of information it is highly recommended to work with a legal document processing system.

#3. In Spain, the systems are not yet compatible between autonomous communities, which can lead to problems of competences. There are many drawbacks due to the lack of communication between administrations. This situation will improve as soon as a centralised software system is implemented.

#4. Most law firms need to hire teams of paralegals just to keep track of legislative changes happening around the world. It’s a huge capital expenditure. You can invest in affordable legal data intelligence software and reduce unnecessary personnel costs.

#5. Many courthouses have entire courtrooms full of records. Legal cases include thousands of references to the penal code, quotes from historical cases, legal documents, etc. Collecting them in one place in an orderly manner requires many billable hours. With digital software you can access them easily and quickly.

This are the best digital tools for lawyers

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The potential of the application of techniques based on Artificial Intelligence specialised in the field of the Administration of Justice, such as Probus’ transcription software, can contribute significantly to an improvement in Justice, since it would allow it to be more transparent, efficient, agile and effective, and offer a closer and quality service to the citizen.