5 ways to save 60% of your day with legal automation
Lawyers spend only 2.3 hours a day on billable hours, according to a study published in Law.com
A large part of the day, up to 60%, is spent on drafting administrative documents and legal documentation.
Every week, on average, a lawyer receives or shares between 50 and 70 documents.
Streamlining the workflows related to this documentation in particular, but also all the legal and administrative checks that need to be done, can save lawyers time, allow them to bill more hours and help them manage all the documentation they are responsible for more quickly.
The automation of exchanges and the transparency of information combine to help lawyers free up time in their diaries. This time saving allows them to focus on their core business, advice, strategy, preparing a litigation file, examining documents or exchanging with their clients to better understand their needs etc.
Collaborative platforms for legal professionals such as Alf allow for the management of “time-consuming irritants”, so law firms, their staff and their clients all benefit.
The real benefit of using legal paperwork automation
Automation, when using a third party provider, allows for faster deployment, lower initial costs and a proven system that can benefit a business. The benefits of legal automation include:
Time Savings
When asked, law firms responded to the following question:
Can the automation of their legal documents help them improve productivity?
Some 71% of firms said that automation helps them to increase both their profitability and productivity.
“Time is money,” and when time can be spent advising high-potential clients or trying to represent clients on complex or high-profile legal matters, it can be extremely profitable for firms.
The right tools are easy to integrate into existing systems to allow for rapid deployment and a lower learning curve for employees. While automation involves an initial investment, the payback over time must also be considered.
Cost-Effectiveness
Cost savings come in many forms, with the right automation platform reducing costs:
- Manual tasks
- IT costs
- Productivity
Alf can reduce manual tasks by 40%, saving companies two hours per day per person and saving an average of €10,000 per year in IT costs alone. By integrating automation solutions, the investment costs are quickly offset by the time saved and the reduction in hours lost per day by employees.It makes economic sense to use automation in law firms wherever possible. Since legal documentation is the work that is done most of the day.
Client Satisfaction
Satisfied customers are returning customers. When automation is in place, it is possible to create a form of standardisation and improve quality. Customer satisfaction increases when the same legal work is produced more quickly and with better quality.
The same survey, quoted above, also asked whether clients would appreciate more automation in a firm, 47% responded that clients appreciate automation when it is offered by their counsel.
It is important to note that many firms have not yet fully utilised automation tools.
Maximising the use of a feature-rich tool could help many respondents save even more time and money. A tool that is easy to use, offers a clean interface, and integrates with other systems is one that law firms can integrate more deeply into their daily operations and service offerings.
More consistency in your expertise
Automation is about efficiency. When the right workflows are automated, and people are put back at the centre to maintain control of those workflows, a higher level of consistency can be maintained across all practice areas and with clients. Consistency and information sharing ensures a higher level of quality of services and assignments handled by staff.
The initial configuration of the platform is critical and will allow human error to play a lesser role in the day-to-day operations of your practice.
Reduce Risk
Automation reduces legal compliance risks, ensuring that documentation is properly managed and that procedures are in place to follow legal guidelines.
Human error can lead to increased risk, but the use of some degree of automation ensures streamlined workflows with very little margin for error.
There are also fewer risks associated with the expiry of legal documents.
Reduced risk mitigates potential legal problems for law firms while improving client satisfaction.
The choice of platform and its potential evolutions, depending on its development axis, allows law firms to:
- Compose smart workflows, dossiers, and forms
- Communicate with clients via email automation
- Provide fast updates on progress in real-time
- Organize documents through classification
- Approve, verify, archive, and centralize documentation
- Collaborate within teams to streamline workflow
- Connect through your existing site
- Offer electronic signature, connect to emails, take payment, store data and authenticate
- Much more
Lawyer for 20 years with international law firms and worldwide companies (Canal+, PwC legal, Nomos, Amazon) I had experienced this observation from the inside: too much useful time wasted to regularly monitor on recurring tasks and time-consuming linked to files, with low added value.
It is to respond to this critical problem that Alf, the first platform for the automation of legal files, was designed and developed.
Customizable, collaborative and accessible in all languages, Alf is also part of a GreenTech approach that encourages responsible innovation by reducing your carbon emissions.
Sabine Zylberbogen
Registered lawyer and Founder