Uses of Computers and the cloud by Lawyers, How the Cloud Can Transform Your Law Practice
Online legal databases make the process of searching for case law, legal forms, and treatises much easier, The most useful use of computers in the legal profession is conducting legal research, Many legal projects require extensive legal research, including references to previously decided cases.
Use of Computers by Lawyers
Technology drives costs down and makes legal services more affordable to greater numbers of people, The computer stores documents for evidence that will be useful in litigation, It can review and create contracts, It helps companies to identify potential fraud and other misconduct or do legal research.
The lawyer’s job is boring through the stacks of paperwork, While the paperwork still is a reality, Now, The law practice has changed drastically due to the computer technology, In large and small firms, the extensive use of the computers is the norm.
The high use of computers in the legal workplace has changed the way the firms are managed, The cases are tracked electronically, which makes the danger of missed court dates or filing deadlines less likely.
Lawyers and computers
Many computers have changed the handling of legal discovery projects, The discovery is the process by which opposing parties to the lawsuit exchange relevant information such as police reports, financial documents, and witness testimony.
The attorneys and support staff had to manually organize and sift through many paper documents looking for relevant information, The important legal documents are scanned and stored in the computer systems, The computer allows the attorneys to organize and examine the documents much faster and more effectively and they can exchange the documents easier.
The attorneys use computers and the Internet to obtain new clients, Many attorney websites provide valuable general information such as explanations of legal rights and the legal process, Many websites enable the potential client to directly email or chat with the attorney before scheduling the consultation, The lawyers use social networking platforms to communicate with the current and prospective clients.
The intranet is composed solely within one company or firm, All communications and documents go no further than that prescribed region of the individuals, The Extranet allows whatever is within the intranet to be transferred to other outside parties via the Internet, These systems represent secure networks by which joint the collaboration efforts may occur as well.
The items that may be secured on a law firm’s intranet contain the internal policies and procedure manuals, company directories, office locations, as well as press releases, To ensure privacy, It is also important that you maintain passwords for each conveyance as well as access to each system.
The computer is a productivity tool that makes the lawyer’s job easier, It can quickly search, evaluate, and summarize information, Automating the lawyer’s job will quickly result in fewer attorneys on the payroll, It is easier to automate some parts of the lawyer’s job than the others, finding and summarizing relevant case law would be a likely target for an initial effort.
The computers can quickly scan millions of documents and classify them as relevant or irrelevant by comparing them against sample documents, which can be expanded and altered until the lawyers are satisfied with the results.
Lawyers using the Cloud
Technology developments in word processor software have helped lawyers in their work, The lawyers can operate remotely with cloud-type systems, and the lawyers using the cloud have more flexibility with their practice since they are no longer tied to a desk or even the office.
Cloud use can save money for the solo lawyer or small law firm, Since employing an IT staff, software & hardware can be expensive, The cloud keeps the costs down while at the same time having a more profitable practice with time-saving management, because there is no need for professional training or troubleshooting the costs or updates by IT professionals.
On using the cloud, Lawyers can be more competitive, especially small or solo law firms, The cloud puts the small or solo law firm in competition with the larger law firms, The lawyers can be more entrepreneurial and have the time to enjoy the strides their practice is making, while at the same time being able to compete and gain clients.
The cloud makes it possible to access and manage the files or the cases from any location that has internet access, You can use smartphones or locations with Wi-Fi access to access cases and manage the files since the use of a tablet or a smartphone can mean obtaining forgotten information or evidence without having to request the judge allow the time to retrieve the evidence.
Time management is another key issue for busy attorneys, but not when using the cloud to keep the calendar that can be accessed from anywhere, Saving time from having to run to the office to retrieve the notes and other information to meet with the client is a thing of the past with this technology.
In legal practice, correspondence and phone contact are made easier when using the cloud, The information for the clients can be accessed whether in the office or out, which means the clients can be kept informed on their case, The payments can be recorded with this kind of technology while keeping the clients’ information updated from anywhere.
This is one way to ensure a successful practice since there is no need to return to the office to retrieve the information on a case for the court or the client meeting, cloud use saves time, the money and easy access to everything contained on the office computer from the tablet, the laptop or the smartphone, The time is money in any type of business including the law firm.
This can be the task that is relatively easy using this technology of digital data using the cloud tools, compared to before the cloud when the information would have had to be complied manually, The lawyer can automatically retrieve the reports regularly which can help to enhance the law practice.
Lawyers using the Cloud disadvantages
The disadvantages are few, We are tied to our phones, so being tied to more data and communications is probably a trade off, Battery times are an issue, You need backup batteries if operating remotely, The data crashes are the problem, but there is also a risk at a static office location, your benefit depends upon many factors, including your ability to be comfortable with technology.
Although highly effective for basic and standardized legal documents, Online document drafting is far more limited concerning more complex and novel documents, There is a flagging risk that the programs will fail to anticipate a contingency and create an error, leading to legal conflict.
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