“Global legal tech is transforming service delivery” declares  Marc A. Cohen of Forbes referring to recent research by  Thomson Reuters.  The Forbes contributor signaled the distinction between legal ‘practice’ and the ‘business of law,’ underscoring real-time communication, automation and cost and risk reduction. Legal technology is disrupting the way law firms are run, from document management, to lead tracking and to how appearance attorneys are hired.  

The challenges of the information age are transforming the practice of law into the business of law. Law firms are witnessing new trends in management and administration. Increased remote work, emphasis on customer service, online document management, automation of processes and data security have become cornerstones of successful legal practice.

An abundance of legal technology startups are seizing on these trends and solving challenges with technology solutions, drastically altering the traditional conservative approaches and offering new opportunities of legal tech.

In this article, I am going to refer to five top tools that have changed the traditional modes of doing legal business.

AppearMe

AppearMe is a new startup that is disrupting the way  appearance attorneys are hired. AppearMe is a web and mobile app created for attorneys by attorneys. It finds appearance attorneys and pairs them with requested court appearances within minutes. Thousands of attorneys have already registered with AppearMe. They enjoy the outstanding features of the app by finding an appearance attorney or claiming appearances in numerous civil and criminal cases, as well as in areas like business law, family law, and many others.

Clio

Clio is one of the most powerful, easy-to-use, cloud-based legal practice management software solutions. It provides all the tools necessary to run law firms, from matter management, to trust accounting, client payment, document management, legal research to lead tracking. It covers most practice areas including administrative law, civil litigation law and other areas of legal practice. Clio software is available in mobile apps to keep businesses connected and to take immediate actions.

Slack and Jive

By 2020 more than 40% of the US workforce is expected to be freelance.  More and more law offices are switching to remote work doing more contingent jobs than before.

Collaboration tools like Slack can help the remote workforce to stay connected. Slack makes you more productive and less stressed – something law firms need drastically in this rapid age.

Jive is one of the leading providers of communication solutions for businesses, including law firms. Jive Interactive Intranets allow company employees to connect, communicate and collaborate in one place. With Jive Video Pro, you can share documents instantly over video conference calls.

Jive effectively provides process automation, replacing work that was previously done by assistants. Jive Voice takes care of administrative matters with intensive call analytics, available at the push of a button.

Zoom2u

Now you can quickly send important documents, exchange contracts or send other confidential documentation with Zoome2u. Real time tracking allows you to always know what is happening with your deliveries and when they will arrive. Zoom2u is the fastest and the most reliable way of sending documents back and forward. The process is quick and efficient. You don’t need to rely on courier services or drive your car to deliver a document.

And there you have it: the top five techs that are affecting the way things are getting done in today’s successful law firms and driving rapid change and innovation in today’s world.