CoCounselor is the only cloud-based practice management solution designed with the Personal Injury Firm in mind. Gain operational efficiencies, keep your entire staff on the same page, work from anywhere on any device, and build valuable dashboards and reports to keep you up-to-date on important deadlines and the overall health of your firm.

Creating A Succession Plan With Law Practice Management Software

One of the major draw backs that any firm is bound to experience is the retirement of an important senior partner in the business. This creates a major problem especially among clients who feel unsatisfied with disappearance of a loved and familiar face. When it comes to a law firm, Law Practice Management Software can be of great help in enhancing a smooth and efficient transition. This way, you are assured of handling succession in a better way that everyone including clients will be comfortable with.

One of the major ways in which law practice management software guarantees a successful succession plan is through providing a definition of the roles of every partner in the firm. Documenting the responsibilities of every major and minor partner is very useful and when the time comes for the partner to leave the practice, the remaining partners will have no problems in handling the tasks previously handled by the leaving partner. It therefore becomes very easy to redistribute the vacated roles among the remaining partners or even hire a new staff member to replace the retired person.

When a well formulated retirement plan is in place, there will surely be a better transition and no operations will come to an abrupt halt just because a partner has retired. Any focused law firm must think about getting practice management software as the law firm has a lot to benefit from its installation. So, the next time one of the partners is going for retirement, you don't have to worry about problems that might arise during the succession process as it will be easy and smooth with the software.

Well, individual lawyers can handle such information themselves within outlook itself, but a law firm with more than 3 lawyers on board would certainly reap the benefits of using a proper case management software.

With so much of paper trail involved in legal business, it would be a welcome change to consolidate all in centralized document management module and have it access from anywhere. Since lawyers of law firms normally work it teams, it's important that they work is collaborated across the entire team. With so much information, data security is important and in that case a law firm should also look at an 'on-premise solutions' than a hosted one.

Sources Of Liability Exposure

Three major sources of malpractice liability are mismanagement of trust funds, noncompliance to court rules and mistakes in documents. Typically these are small errors, such as a missed court deadline or a misplaced comma, yet these seeming trivial errors can lead to expensive and drawn-out court battles. No matter how vigilant an attorney is, a fleeting lapse can lead to long-term repercussions.

More errors are introduced when trying to streamline operations. An attorney might take an existing document and repurpose it for a new client, changing the names and details as needed. However, one missed detail, even a single "he" not changed to "she," can invalidate the document and lead to serious problems for both the practice and the client.

Software Solutions

Law practice management software helps practices avoid these mistakes. Calendar applications ensure not only that everyone knows of relevant deadlines, but also that they manage their time effectively. Law accounting software manages trust funds and alerts users to non-compliance dangers. Document generation applications guide attorneys through each document, ensuring that no detail is overlooked, and no errors are introduced by trying to recycle old materials.

It's important to use an application specific to the legal industry, rather than trying to repurpose generic applications. Dedicated law accounting software has features designed to deal with issues specific to trust accounting. The same cannot be said of a typical business bookkeeping program. Trying to convert general systems for use in legal practices doesn't provide the same protection as using industry-specific products.

Improved Documentation And Communication

Law practice management software centralizes documentation and simplifies the process of data protection, backup and recovery. Calendars, client contact information, trust accounting history and other information is tracked, saved and safeguarded more effectively than would be possible with paper or generic applications. Each attorney has instant access to needed materials, and everyone works from a centralized source ensuring they are viewing the same data.

Law accounting software and other applications enhance client communication. Reports are generated with a click, making it easier to get clients any and all information they need and ensuring both attorney and client are on the same page. Less miscommunication means better client service and less chance of liability issues due to misunderstandings.

You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first, and the same should go for a product that will have such a significant impact on your practice. Get a hands-on feel for how intuitive and responsive the system can be to your needs. Come up with specific scenarios you want to see, like how practice management software would generate a client report for a specific period, or how you can view two attorneys' calendars at the same time.

Installation And Training

You cannot install a new program on your law firm's network and assume that's the end of it. This is just the beginning. After installation and testing on your firm's computer systems, training and consulting for your attorneys and staff are critical to ensure you get the most value from the newly integrated law management software.

As a rule, expect to spend as much on these services as you spent on the original product. Third-party consultants provide the education necessary to get all employees using the system with confidence from day one. They teach your organization to use the application to its full potential, and assist in customizing the application to your law firm's specific needs. Consultants ease the transition period and get your organization back up to speed more quickly, rather than stumbling along on your own.

Compliance

Some attorneys will be resistant to the new practice management software. Routine tasks may be perceived as more challenging because they don't know the system anymore. They are tempted to find ways around the new technology, stubbornly clinging to old methods. Don't let them. Distribute written policies that make it clear that all tasks must be carried out with the new firm management system.

Often the most resistant users are the senior attorneys in the law firm. It is critical to get them on board from the beginning, because if they won't comply with the new system it sends the wrong message to other employees and can potentially jeopardize paper trails and audits, to name a few.

The Major Benefits of Using a Law Practice Management System

Hundreds of thousands of elite level professionals all around the world are taking advantage of practice management systems to help them better and more efficiently run their law firms or other professional services. Offering the perfect blend of out-of-the-box capabilities (and infinite customization), the very best practice management systems can give even brand-new businesses the exact same advantages that they are more established competition has been using for years and years.

Secondly, you're going to be able to enjoy a more efficient use of assets - human or otherwise

Having a large legal practice (or any professional service, for that matter) is like trying to operate a delicate machine - any minor faults or cracks in the system can quickly bogged down of efficiency to ridiculously low levels.

Just by installing matter management software and practice management systems - in training each and every one of your practice employees or members in the use of these platforms - gives you a decided advantage in eliminating much of the waste and confusion that can arise. No, you'll be able to effectively and efficiently tap into human assets (getting inside information, professional insights, or outside advice from experienced members who may not be working on a specific case at any given time) or other assets as well, allowing you to better serve your clients.

Check out the following characteristics that make up high-quality law management software.Avail your software only from trusted manufacturers on the web. You must talk to their manager that will look upon your firm's specific needs and guarantees you that the installation, trainings, modification, data discussion and systems will work well. Purchase software that is truly compatible to your office hardware.

The next thing to check is that the management software is capable of granting your particular demands. You must be able to change the screens case, intake and name, as well as modify files, reports, forms, inquiry and workflow regulations according to your requirements.

You should get practice management software that is arranged to be paperless. Look for automatic document organization which is an essential feature of the software since it creates a customary naming conference and path for saving PDF forms, Work Perfect and Word, getting away with the usual manual system of case folders and the naming of case papers.