Modernising Your Law Firm
Our guide will provide you with practical insights, best practices, and actionable steps to ensure thoughtful and successful technology adoption and ongoing use.
Change is inevitable in the legal industry and for law firms to stay competitive and keep up with changing client demands, they will need to modernise their practice through technology like a cloud-based practice management platform. However, this doesn’t happen overnight. It can be challenging to know where to start, what technology to bring in, and how to manage this change within your law firm. Below you’ll find the six phases that your firm can follow to embrace the future through successful technology implementation.
Phase 1 - Getting Started
In Phase 1, focus on defining your vision and setting a clear end goal. Determine what your pain points and inefficacies are, how you currently operate and how you want to work, and how do you hope your technology will help you get there. You should also build a strong project team to progress this initiative and define how they will operate together throughout the implementation process. These key principles will guide firms in staying on track to deliver the value you hope for and the outcomes you desire.
Phase 2 - Choosing the Right Technology for Your Firm
Choosing the right technology solution for a law firm is a major decision that requires careful consideration on several fronts. In Phase 2, you will interview and select your ideal technology solution that aligns with your firm’s unique requirements. This is also when you’ll explore the significance of specialist implementation partners, setting clear expectations, and establishing meaningful connections with customer success.
Phase 3 - Embracing Data Cleanup and Migration
Phase 3 is all about bringing order to your firm’s data. This is an important step that centres around meticulous data management before migrating to your new system. Having clean data helps ensure as effortless as possible of a transition to your new system.
Phase 4 - Designing and Connecting Workflows
In this phase, you’ll explore the key components of successful workflows, assess your current operations, define user types, and lay the foundation for effective user testing. It’s important to note that you don’t need to set this all at once. Start with critical and simple processes then add automation or functionality to workflows as your team becomes more familiar with the technology.
Phase 5 - Training Teams and Preparing for Go Live
In Phase 5, you'll prepare your team for the exciting transition to your new software. This is a critical stage that encompasses comprehensive training, change management strategies, and establishing support systems to ensure a successful implementation and adoption of your new technology.
Phase 6 - Empowering Ongoing Usage and Nurturing Success Post-Implementation
In the final phase, shift your focus from pre-implementation to post-implementation activities that involve gathering feedback, nurturing success, and continuously improving workflows and templates. This is an opportune time to set expectations for ongoing engagement and guidance from your provider, explore the resources available for customer success and support, and revisit your firm’s original goals to ensure they are being met.
Unlocking the Potential of Your Law Firm with Successful Technology Implementation
By investing in robust legal technology, such as Actionstep, law firm professionals are equipping their law firm with a powerful tool that can help their team work efficiently, delight clients, improve profitability, and grow their business.
Ready to take the first step of modernising your law firm? Download our step-by-step guide to managing change and driving innovation through technology here.