In today’s new era of agile working, business resiliency has taken on greater significance for the modern law firm. During the pandemic, firms faced a very real scenario where the ability to quickly scale up a moment’s notice had meaningful advantages. According to a survey conducted by The Law Society during March 2020, one of the biggest concerns for larger domestic law firms at the time related to the lifecycle and execution of documents. With firms and their clients working remotely, manual and office-based processes proved a significant hurdle in executing key legal documents and continuing to service clients. 

Now, as things return to normal, firms recognise the importance of being able to quickly adapt to disruptions, whilst ensuring quality and uninterrupted service delivery. Fortunately, best-in-class legal automation solutions empower law firms to quickly and easily design and deploy process workflows that are highly efficient, accessible and scalable. As firms look to build greater resiliency, process improvement techniques and tools must take centre stage in order for firms to reap the benefits of more effective and efficient ways of working. 

Improve existing processes

The benefits of better processes are well understood amongst thriving law firms and include more consistent service delivery, increased productivity and reduced risk of human error. Many law firms have already adopted workflow automation to streamline, accelerate and improve key business processes, such as client intake, document generation, contract management, and risk management. 

By automating key processes, firms can greatly reduce the amount of time spent on busywork and accelerate execution and delivery. And with today’s technology, nearly any process can be automated. 

Take for example, how iManage, the leading provider of work product management solutions for law firms, has successfully employed workflow automation to drive efficiencies across three key areas: partner relationships, implementation, and cloud services. The company partnered with Sysero to turn its existing processes into custom automated workflows to meet the unique needs of its partners and employees. The result: greater accessibility, efficiency and information-sharing.

Build better processes

While the benefits of automation can certainly help enhance current processes, forward-thinking firms are also embracing workflow automation to build better ones. For example, workflow automation can be used to address a number of compliance and data protection challenges.

With the UK GDPR, Know-Your-Client and other data privacy legislation bringing the management of personal data into sharp focus, smart firms are relying on workflow automation to help secure client data and enable enhanced risk management. Workflow automation tools like Sysero offer a simple solution to creating a standardised and enforceable framework for compliance that embeds risk management into everyday processes. At the same time, the inclusion of technical processes like Pseudonymization can greatly reduce the risks associated with data processing and provide compliance protection in case of a data breach. 

Enable systems to work together

Law firms already use a multitude of disparate systems and applications to house information and deliver legal services. By integrating these systems where possible, firms can realise greater long-term benefits and efficiencies. The right workflow automation solution can securely integrate information from various systems, such as CRM, DMS, time and billing, and email.

By bringing together information from disparate systems into a single, streamlined process, firms can not only simplify processes, but also make it easier and more secure to conduct everyday transactions and business processes in case of a disruption.

Selecting the right solution

Firms have access to an array of technology solutions that can help improve efficiencies, however choosing the right solution is crucial. The ideal technology partner will have the technology, knowledge, and flexibility to create a solution that aligns with the firm’s unique requirements and processes. 

Additionally, firms will want to seek out a solution that’s easy to use to ensure user adoption and also includes built-in security features to improve compliance and data security. 

To learn more about how Sysero can help future-proof your firm, please get in touch with us today.