TECHNOLOGY PROPERTY There Be Dinosaurs in the Room: Introducing Modern Workflow into the Law Office Have you ever entered a law office and felt you were back in Jurassic times when dinosaurs roamed the earth? In this office, there are computer monitors covered with Post-It® reminders; accordion binders filled with papers in sections labeled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; and Polycom® telephones with lots of flashing lights and buttons. Lawyers sit in large offices with upholstered Georgian period chairs and big mahogany desks. The walls are decorated with Federal Reporter casebooks from before the turn of the century. Phone messages are recorded on pink “While You Were Out” message pads. Clients are handed clipboards to fill out multi-page questionnaires before they meet with attorneys. If this describes your office, you may be due for a makeover. Modernday “workflow” can mean many things. At its root, it means the application of digital technology to tasks that were previously handled aurally or with pen and paper. For your office, it can mean that everyone knows what he needs to do and when he needs to do it. It can mean that lawyers are connected whether sitting at their desks, wandering the halls, or out in the wild; that clients can communicate their needs and their approvals asynchronously, without direct contact with lawyers and staff; and that staff and lawyers can get their work done in a timely
Technology—Property Editor: Seth G. Rowland (www.linkedin.com/in/ sethrowland) has been building document workflow automation solutions since 1996 and is an associate member of 3545 Consulting® (3545consulting.com).
Technology—Property provides information on current technology and microcomputer software of interest in the real property area. The editors of Probate & Property welcome information and suggestions from readers. and cost-effective fashion. It can mean greater profits for your firm and greater client satisfaction. Choosing What Can Be Automated Workflow automation should be done to either save money or to make money. Unless you can define a clear return on investment (ROI), don’t undertake the automation project. Workflows Save Money The initial reason most firms implement workflows is to save money. For example, efforts to address docket management can be driven by your malpractice liability carrier, which may require electronic calendaring or offer a discount if you implement a practice management system with electronic calendaring. In this case, you would save money by implementing a workflow process to make sure all court deadlines show up on the attorneys’ calendars. Workflows Make Money By contrast, efforts to automate the creation of lease and debt financing documents can make money if they are coupled with fixed-fee-for-service offerings. Document assembly systems, with their efficient rule-based logic engines,
can deliver high-quality and highlycustomized legal documents in just minutes. Workflows Increase Referrals Clients talk to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues. If a law firm uses a workflow system to enhance communications with their prospects and clients, to keep clients informed of the progress of their transactions, and to deliver quality service, this will be noticed. It can lead to referrals. In fact, a postengagement workflow can be used to solicit and reward referrals. Workflows Reduce Anxiety Lawyers are masterful multi-taskers and delegators. They hand out dozens of assignments a day and need to keep track of where each task is in the task pipeline. A good workflow engine can give lawyers a detailed timeline by project or a list view by lawyers and staff who are assigned to each task and the task priority. Being able to know which tasks are done and which are in progress can reduce workplace anxiety. Workflows Increase Client Engagement Workflows can increase your closure rate. Not all client walk-ins or referrals turn into new business. A workflow can remind a staff member to do a follow-up call. That extra call can be the deciding factor in whether a client signs the engagement letter. A survey workflow can elicit testimonials and provide information about what was done right and what was done wrong. Before You Choose Your Platform Start by defining which workflows you
Published in Probate & Property, Volume 36, No 3 © 2022 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.
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