Special to the Law.com Legal Technology blog
By Bryan Redding
There are more than 850,000 lawyers in the U.S. currently practicing as solo practitioners or with small firms (less than 20 attorneys). This demographic is faced with challenges that firms of all sizes face, albeit on a more pronounced scale: smaller budgets, fewer support staff and the need to spend more time fulfilling clients’ needs on a personal, hands-on basis -- all while providing increased value at lower costs in this tough economy. As a result, more small firms are thinking strategically about making cost-effective investments in technology to help them meet these challenges while growing their practices.
The migration from paper files to electronic documents as the new mainstream for small practices is a clear sign that these firms are ready to make technology investments, when the changes are affordable and easy to use. Gone are the days when even the solo practitioner would draft a brief on a legal pad or store a final document only on paper. Small firm and solo attorneys understand the paramount need for consistent access to information -- in the office, on the road, between attorneys and paralegals, and even from home.
For many small firms, a centralized server and remote access to files are where the technology investments begin and end. High-ticket document management systems are out of their price range, and many of these systems require too much front-end preparation and training to be worth the investment for such a small number of users. While legal software developers are constantly touting their ability to deliver information and knowledge management quickly and efficiently, their tools are aimed almost exclusively at the large or corporate firm. Until now, the small firm and solo lawyer have been left out in the cold, with few choices. Their documents and case files are no less important to the continued growth of their firms -- but historically, their needs have been underserved at best; ignored at worst.
DON'T RE-INVENT THE WHEEL
Why use KM? The simple answer is, it’s a powerful time-saving tool. Whether preparing for litigation or simply managing day-to-day workflow, the ability to cut time associated with drafting legal documents is a crucial best-practice step for the small firm. Leveraging existing legal language, contracts, summaries and other relevant documents saves significant time, especially in a practice where there are new attorneys with limited experience. Efficient document drafting, instead of spending hours "re-inventing the wheel," gives attorneys the ability to re-invest that saved time into better client service, more time for matter preparation/research or perhaps, more free time. This is where KM technology and best-practices play a crucial role in establishing efficient workflow policies for everyone at your firm.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
No small firm or solo attorney could disagree that leveraging their existing knowledge and information is a huge time-saver. But next comes the daunting question of, “How can you leverage your past work product if you can’t find it when you need it?”
Today’s small firm and solo attorney wants to grow their practice, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. This demographic doesn't have the budget to implement firm-wide document management systems that demand rigid file-naming rules, and they certainly don’t have time for training on “smart documents” and complicated metadata, either. They want something that’s easy to install, with minimal training before integrating it into their daily work.
But the alternative to the document management system, with its learning curve and hefty price tag, has historically been freeware such as Google Desktop, Microsoft Windows file search or Apple’s Sherlock. While these solutions are great for the consumer, none of them were made specifically for law practices and do not have the search power to instantly and accurately locate every document or its multiple versions on a network. And when it comes to searching for a document that is housed on your network as an e-mail attachment, none of these free options stand up to scrutiny.
SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE: A COST-EFFECTIVE DELIVERY METHOD
One secure, cost-effective method of delivery for knowledge management is the SaaS model. It used to be that only large enterprises could leverage the rewards of Saas. But according to a new report by IDG, 97 percent of companies are now implementing SaaS for a variety of reasons, from the cost savings associated with the elimination of additional software licenses to the development of a green IT strategy. With SaaS, a service provider licenses applications on-demand instead of storing the application on its in-house server. SaaS has many benefits, such as reducing administrative overhead and rapid deployment. By reducing the amount of hardware you run in-house, SaaS significantly lowers the amount of power you consume. Probably the best benefit for small firms with the SaaS delivery model is that there is no need for additional IT staff to use these services.
SELECTING A SOLUTION: DUE DILIGENCE
Recently, purpose-built knowledge management solutions, offering an alternative to document management systems, have become available to small firms and solo attorneys. But it’s important for attorneys to investigate all the features, functions and capabilities completely before adding them to the technology arsenal. Many solutions currently on the market require too much front-end preparation and training to be worth the investment; others, such as free search tools, are not secure and can put your client data at risk.
Whenever new technologies are being evaluated for possible implementation into an existing infrastructure, there are a few quantifying questions that need asking.
- Investment and maintenance costs. How much time will each staff member need to commit to learning how to use this tool? Once the staff has learned to use it, how often will they need to be re-trained when new features and functionality are added?
- Technical support. Is this a tool that I, as the network administrator and managing partner, have the capacity to manage if there are questions? If not, how responsive is the technology vendor who provides the solution?
- Cost. This includes the cost of training people, the cost of maintenance, licensing agreements, and any up-front network upgrades that might be required.
- Potential disruption. Will implementing this technology be damaging to our well-established attorney work practices and administrative support processes? Are there interoperability issues to consider? Bringing in new technology without weighing its possible negative impacts is a huge mistake.
- Was it made for legal professionals? Many KM solutions aren’t purpose built for the legal industry and don’t offer any customized search parameters based on the way attorneys and courts label files. Why implement a solution that doesn’t discern your environment?
Knowledge management can be leveraged by the small firm that does its research and finds a low-cost but powerful alternative from a smaller vendor with proven experience in the challenges and pain points of the small firm or solo practitioner. A vendor who offers secure SaaS delivery to cut costs is a step in the right direction; one who can offer a purpose-built solution specifically for the legal industry is even better. The right knowledge management solution for the small firm isn’t merely a low-end substitute for what the “big guys” have; instead, it’s a completely new approach to KM as a tool that can actually give the small firm and solo attorney a competitive edge.
Bryan Redding is the vice president and general counsel at Cavo Legal of Indianapolis, Ind. He is responsible for the legal protection of Cavo’s technology, as well as day-to-day legal matters. Because of his legal background and expertise, Redding is also heavily involved in product definition, design and deployment of Cavo Knowledge Search. Prior to joining the team, Redding was in the private practice of law for over 13 years and was a partner at a well-known Indianapolis law firm, where he focused on serving the needs of companies and individuals in a wide array of legal matters. He graduated Cum-Laude from Indiana University School of Law and also received a B.S. degree from Purdue University in mechanical engineering. Find out more about knowledge management at www.cavolegal.com.
