Regardless of which software you use, your practice management system is the heart and soul of your law firm. From managing essential tasks like conflict checks and billing to utilizing automations and forms, you should be utilizing this software on a daily basis.
According to the American Bar Association, leading legal systems include:
Depending on your requirements, one of these systems is likely the best available tool for your firm.
But then what?
Unfortunately, just purchasing a practice management software is not going to make that pile of documents on your desk or that data dump into DropBox you did last month go away.
But there is HOPE!
Organizing your practice management software with Opulent Landholdings’ Attorney Services is as easy as DATA, DETERMINE, DELEGATE, DONE!
DATA
First and foremost, your practice management system is not going to work correctly if the information is not accurate. Practice management software is only as effective as the data you feed into it. It is important that your contacts, emails, documents, clients, and case information is completed. This is time-consuming but it is an investment, and you will see that adapting to using it is absolutely worth it.
Here is the data you will need to enter to get your practice management system setup:
Contact Data
- Name
- Mailing info
- Email address(es)
- Website (if any)
- Telephone number(s)
- Links to social media accounts (if applicable)
- Relevant personal information
- Martial status
- Work information
Calendar data
- Court hearings/trials
- Deadlines
- Appointments
- Tasks
Billing
- Unbilled time entries
- Unbilled expenses
- Outstanding accounts receivable balances
- Bill payments and trust payments
- Billable rates
Documents
- Correspondence
- Pleadings
- Other Client Documents
- Internal Documents
Templates
- Intake forms
- Pleading templates
- Correspondence templates (letters, etc.)
Depending on your current system, some of this data may be able to be imported rather than being entered manually.
DETERMINE
From there, you will want to determine which features you have and which you will actually use on a daily basis.
- Will you utilize the billing and invoicing platform? Will you sync it to QuickBooks?
- Will you utilize the Client Portal so that clients can upload documents, or do you prefer that they email them to you?
- Do you want to setup workflows? What should be done automatically when you open a matter?
- Do you want to enter statute of limitations dates?
You should use the answers to these questions to create a policy and procedure for your practice management system. Make sure that these policies and procedures can be easily followed by your employees… the clearer they are, the less training you will need to do.
DELEGATE
Finally, you will need to implement the software by introducing it to your staff and training them. They will be essential in ensuring maintenance of the data so that the software continues to run efficiently. Oftentimes this will impact multiple stakeholders including IT, accounting, marketing, intake, etc. Get your staff excited about the new system and all the benefits it gives them.
DONE!
Law practice management software can help to streamline workflows and make your firm more efficient and profitable, but it needs to be setup and managed correctly. You can do all this yourself, or you can stop working below your paygrade and have Opulent Landholdings’ Attorney Services do it for you!
