Over the past several years, we’ve seen law firms breaking free from traditionally slow moving processes to become technology-enabled agile firms. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has influenced firms’ need to embrace advanced technology, and it’s clear that legal automation is no longer just ‘nice to have’ for the modern law firm. 

According to research from Wolters Kluwer, nearly half of law firms report that they are effectively using technology today, with 47% saying they can improve technology adoption and plan to do so. In today’s world, digital adoption - or a lack thereof - can quickly determine the success of a firm’s digital transformation strategy. 

For many firms, the biggest barriers to digital adoption have traditionally been training, onboarding and implementing new technology. However, if there’s anything that we can learn from the events of the past year, it’s the importance of agility and the ability to adapt. 

Today’s firms need to rethink how they approach technology adoption in order to drive greater efficiency, productivity and collaboration for their lawyers, staff and clients. Fortunately, at Sysero, we’ve had the opportunity to help leading firms around the world design and implement legal automation solutions to power their digital transformations. 

Here, we share some of the real-world lessons from leading firms who’ve successfully implemented legal automation and unlocked the power of digital transformation. 

Clearly Define Processes Upfront 

When it comes to implementing a new technology solution, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve from it. Before starting any new legal automation project, spend the time to create a detailed project plan, map out core processes and consider key stakeholders. By laying the blueprint for your project before moving forward, you’ll be more likely to realise a successful implementation and adoption. 

iManage, the leading provider of work product management solutions for law firms, took this approach when building its Implementation Portal. Over the years, iManage has perfected a process for tailoring and implementing iManage solutions for customers around the world, which relies on seamless configuration and successful onboarding.

With a rapidly growing partner network, iManage sought to empower its partners to replicate its proven approach and methodology. To that end, iManage used Sysero’s workflow automation technology to translate its proven process into a simple, automated solution for its partner network. The result: an easy, accessible way for partners to start new projects in accordance with the guidelines set by iManage. 

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Many times, technology adoption fails because users find the technology either too difficult to use or aren’t interested in spending the time to learn a new tool. To bolster technology adoption, try to incorporate tools and processes with which your users are already familiar.

For example, one of the reasons Vinge, one of Sweden’s premier law firms, selected Sysero for its document automation was its ease of use. Sysero’s integrated Microsoft Office client enables the firm’s lawyers to quickly search for and generate documents directly from within Microsoft Word. As Carolina Landys, Knowledge Manager explained: “Lawyers love Word, and the closer you can bring the materials to them, the better.”

Find Your Internal Champions

As with any internal project, the right champions can have a significant impact on the success of your automation programme. Finding the right people to help promote and educate others on the benefits of automation is key to making legal automation work in the long-term. 

Peter Van Dam, Chief Digital Officer at the leading Norwegian firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig, realised the importance of this early on in bringing automation to his firm. Peter was mindful to include lawyers in the beginning stages of the planning process, and as such, identified the ideal internal champion within the firm’s Employment Law practice. As Peter explained: “The lead lawyer in the Employment Practice is very cutting edge, and she likes to work with automation and brings a lot of new ideas.”

By finding your ideal internal champion, you’ll be able to gain the feedback and support necessary to make your automation project a success. 

Make Automation Part of your Culture

When it comes to driving digital adoption, culture is key. Many of today’s most successful legal automation programmes recognise the importance of culture in creating effective, sustainable digital transformation.

Castren & Snellman (C&S), a full-service business law firm based in Finland, is one firm that’s mastered the art and science of technology and culture. In 2016, the firm launched its Signe automation tool, which uses Sysero technology to ease the workload of the firm’s lawyers and speed up the document drafting process, whilst ensuring quality. 

A key part of Signe’s continued success comes down to how C&S has embedded it into the everyday culture of the firm. Leading the project internally is the Knowledge Management team’s Legal Tech Trainees, who are responsible for maintaining and managing Signe. This includes automating documents and training lawyers and personnel to use the system. Over the years, the adoption of Signe has continued to grow largely due to the team’s ongoing training sessions, collaboration with lawyers and continued automation work. 

When it comes to implementing legal automation, we’ve learned a few key lessons: lawyers need easy-to-use technology to improve efficiency and the right support is crucial to long-term success. Learn more about how Sysero’s solutions can help power your firm’s digital transformations and prepare to take on the future world of work.