Transform your Law Firm with the Microsoft Platform for legal practice management
Law firms typically have a fairly manual and paper-driven way of working. In this blog you will learn how the introduction of legal management software and digital ways of working can drive efficiency and profitability of your law firm.
In the evolving legal landscape, the future lawyer doesn’t wield a pen and paper. Centralized data and manual errors from outdated processes pose significant challenges for law professionals.
Bringing the right legal management software can enable law firms to:
- Centralize data
- Reduce time spent on administrative tasks, reduce risk of manual errors, while maximizing client-focused worktime.
- Enhance productivity
- Ensure the privacy of files with the right security permissions
Read on to learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics with cloud-based add-ons can help your law firm thrive in the digital age!
Matter Management and Microsoft Dynamics
Is Matter Management and Microsoft Dynamics the future for any law firm?
Absolutely. To stay competitive, every law firm stands to benefit from a legal matter management solution on the Dynamics platform. The legal sector is catching up with the digital transformation seen in other industries.
Initially, technology supported basic tasks, like word processing and email. Now, the focus is shifting to automate legal-specific tasks such as:
- Time registration
- Rates setup
- Account & contact management
- Visual representation of relations, matters & stakeholder management
- Invoice Management and billing backlog
- Tax calculation configuration
- Finance
- Integration with Outlook
The benefits of using Microsoft Dynamics Platform for law firms
Originally developed for manufacturing companies, platform solutions are based on network technology and data centralization to connect various operations and departments within a company. For law firms, the Dynamics Platform can help in preparing matters, optimizing processes, sharing data and ultimately simplifying decision-making on a company-wide level. Microsoft Dynamics brings benefits to all levels in your company, from your staff to your management team.
1 | Transparency
Partners and managers can easily assign responsibilities to staff and have a transparent overview of roles, tasks and progress on cases. Depending on user permissions, the team members in the law firm can keep track of activities and can keep associates informed. Thanks to the centralized database internal and external data exchange with clients and partners becomes effortless and flexible.
2 | Increased efficiency and fewer manual errors
A SaaS system for law firms is a time saver and brings 2 substantial efficiencies. Firstly, the centralized database means that data only needs to be entered once. Second, the data is easily accessible from everywhere – no longer requiring onsite infrastructure or cumbersome VPN networks for remote work. Third, the data travels smoothly through your entire organization, ensuring that everyone works with the same info and is always up to date.
3 | Storage & security
With Microsoft Dynamics, all your company data and documentation is stored in the cloud and you no longer need personal servers and maintenance. Moreover, all data is stored safely as SaaS solutions come with enhanced security levels in the cloud, offering accessibility, automated updates and back-ups in the event of a calamity, ensuring data access and recovery at any time.
4 | Integration & collaboration
With Microsoft Dynamics, you integrate an end-to-end solution across all departments of your law firm from HR to your financial department. Your whole team collaborates via a centralized database. A complete integration also offers a helicopter view of all your projects and cases, and insights on your law firm's performance at a glance.
5 | Streamlined workflows
If your law firm has growth ambitions, looking at streamlined ways of working becomes a must. The larger your law firm, the more you need to ensure workflow efficiency. For example, some cases may need the expertise of lawyers and paralegals or more than one expert within the firm. Matter Management guarantees that not one ounce of information is lost and automates all business aspects from the first customer/account touchpoint to the last.
6 | Real-time activity tracking
As lawyers often need to work outside the office a cloud-based solution makes sure that your staff can access files remotely, and easily manage the information flow outside the office. In addition, all activity can be monitored and tracked in real-time.
7 | Better decision making
When your associates and staff work with data from a centralized platform, you can better drive your company’s activities. Moreover, you can use the data in real-time business metrics to gain insights. Combine the metrics that matter to you into dashboards for better decision-making. It is proven that using SaaS, even in the legal industry, leads to better decisions and increases a firm’s efficiency and profitability.
8 | User-friendly
Last but not least, your team will embrace the user-friendliness of the Microsoft Dynamics platform. It is very intuitive in use and requires little to no change management. Attracting new talent and onboarding new employees becomes easier with a user-friendly law firm platform.
How can we help you?
Are you thinking about steps to make the processes in your law firm more streamlined and efficient? Thanks to our close collaboration with some major law firms, we have been able to develop an end-to-end solution that fits the ways of working in the legal industry: the NORRIQ Law Firm Accelerator. Find out more below.