What is legal workflow automation?

Legal workflow automation uses software to automate repetitive tasks, with the goal of boosting efficiency and reducing monotonous clerical work at legal organizations. Automating legal workflows has the potential to transform the way law professionals work, giving back more time for billable hours and exceptional client service.   

Benefits of legal workflow automation

Automating legal workflows can provide many benefits to your firm, including:

• Enhanced efficiency: Automated workflows streamline tedious processes to help cases progress faster, saving time that would have otherwise been spent on repetitive tasks.
   
• Increased productivity: With more efficient processes, legal professionals have the ability to take on more client work. This can give your legal organization a competitive edge.
   
• Improved client satisfaction: Clients benefit from seamless processes for intake, billing, and more.
   
• Better talent acquisition and retention: With automation tools to promote more efficient processes at your legal organization, you are more likely to attract and retain top talent to your firm.  

Key legal workflows to automate

There are countless possibilities for law firm workflow automation, but here are a few key areas that can benefit from streamlined workflows: 

1. Client intake
 

Workflow automation can make the process of client onboarding easier in a number of ways. It enables you to separate leads from clients for better organization, streamlines the process of collecting client details, and promotes efficient document management. For example, if you already have a CRM with client details, workflow automation can automatically create and send client agreement documents for them to sign, and notify the appropriate stakeholders once agreements have been signed.   

2. Matter management
 

From small contracts to major litigations, client legal matters have different needs for review and collaboration. With automated workflows, you can automate the processes that direct the right documents to the right stakeholders at the right times.

3. Billing
 

Accurate billing is important for client satisfaction and your organization’s bottom line. Automated workflows for billing can instantly populate billing statements with information from time tracking software. This saves time that would have been spent on manual entry and helps ensure accuracy by reducing human error.

Common challenges and myths of legal workflow automation

While workflow automation can be a valuable tool to promote efficiency, there are a few misconceptions about this technology. We’ve corrected a few of these myths below. With a workflow automation solution that’s secure, user-friendly, and comes with plenty of support from vendors, your organization can fully benefit from automation. 

Myth 1: It’s too expensive

While adopting new legal workflow automation software comes at a cost, firms often find that it’s more expensive not to implement software to streamline repetitive daily legal tasks. 

Myth 2: It’s not secure

While it’s true that some solutions present security risks, the right technology will enable you to keep sensitive client information protected and secure. Doing research beforehand can help you find a tool that incorporates strong data security.  

Myth 3: Adopting new tools is too difficult  

Finding the right solution is important. While some workflow automation tools may present challenges, the best software solutions are easy to learn and intuitive to use (i.e. no coding required).

Types of automated legal workflow

Here are a few types of automated workflows your team could implement. 

Calendaring workflow

This type of workflow manages calendar notifications. When you send someone an invitation to meet and they accept, workflow automation software can automatically add the meeting to their calendar.

Task workflow

There are a number of ways that workflow automation software can make the process of assigning tasks to team members more efficient. Some systems contain pre-built lists of tasks typically needed on a project, making it easier to assign team members. Other solutions can automatically assign tasks to the appropriate team members once a client matter is marked as open. What works best for you will depend on your firm’s unique employee structure and project needs.  

Advanced automated workflow

Advanced automated workflows require the most effort to configure, but they can also save the most time. They are automatically activated when a certain task is completed, as opposed to having a staff member click a button or start up a program. For example, legal document creation could be part of an advanced automated workflow if collecting a client's details during the intake process automatically created a document related to that client’s case. 

Related read: Balancing Protection and Productivity for Modern Legal Workflows

6 steps to implementing legal workflow automation

Ready to automate your legal workflow processes? Here are a six steps to follow for a successful transition to workflow automation:  

1. Identify tasks: Start by identifying which daily tasks you want to automate. Create a list of inefficient, tedious tasks that slow down operations.  

 

2. Evaluate automation opportunities: Go through each task in your list and evaluate how it might be automated. Consider which tasks are the most time-consuming, repetitive, and time sensitive.

 

3. Strategically plan which tasks to automate: Prioritize automating tasks that will also have the most impact on your day-to-day. Create a plan of action that outlines your ideal workflow, taking all stakeholders into account.

4. Find the right automation technology: With a plan for workflow management laid out, it's time to research legal workflow automation tools that might serve your purpose. Make sure to select tools with all the capabilities you need including strong security and reliable vendor support. 

5. Empower your team to succeed: Adjusting to new tools can be a challenge for staff, even if it ultimately helps save time and lighten workloads. Be sure to educate your teams on the changes, announce updates as soon as possible, and provide education and opportunities to ease adoption. 

6. Regularly source and implement feedback: Workflow automation is excellent for cutting down on manual tasks, but it's important to regularly review and optimize your automation tools. Gather feedback from clients and staff, and stay updated on the latest features. Technology is always evolving, and there's always room for improvements to keep your organization competitive.

3 tips to get started with legal workflow automation software

Here are three tips to help you get started on your journey to legal workflow automation:

1. Understand the software

When implementing a new software solution, be sure to learn everything you can about the product. Invest in user-friendly solutions with the capabilities you need, and be sure to take into account the vendor’s reputation and whether they provide adequate support before, during, and after implementation. Lastly, security is paramount — legal organizations must make sure that sensitive client information is protected at every step.

If you're using automated workflows for client communications, ensure it's secure to protect sensitive information and make clients feel comfortable sharing it.

Related Read: Modern Data Security for Small and Mid-Sized Law Firms

2. Start small

Starting with simple, small workflow automations is a great way for legal organizations to begin using this helpful technology. Even automating just one process can make a big difference. For example, automating client review requests can significantly increase positive feedback, providing a powerful marketing tool.

3. Seek guidance

If you’re unfamiliar with automated workflows and need additional guidance, it can be a good idea to seek help from a legal consultant with experience in this area. Many legal consultants are experienced with legal workflow automation and can help guide your selection process.

Harness the benefits of workflow automation for your law firm

Legal workflow automation can create seamless processes that improve efficiency and productivity, resulting in higher satisfaction for staff and clients. With so many potential use cases for this technology, every legal organization can benefit from incorporating workflow automation into its tech stack. 

Start looking into technology that can be tailored to the needs of your organization — such as custom workflow automation from ShareFile — and be one step closer to automating your legal workflows.