Legal technology is making the practice of law more efficient, and the time to get familiar with the various options available is while you’re in law school.
Law students spend a lot of time both learning to think like a lawyer and learning the basics through clinics and other practical training. Meanwhile, technology has ramped up in recent years to help lawyers do their jobs, and much of it is still new to law students.
“Technology has been changing the practice of law in small ways for decades,” said Joe Regalia, an associate professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law. “Take the advent of fax machines, printers or word processors. They all disrupted how lawyers do what they do. But we’ve never seen anything quite like the technological evolution we are experiencing now.”
Technology has made the practice of law far more efficient.
Colin Levy, a lawyer and legal technologist, said legal tech can help lawyers automate time-consuming work such as creating documents, onboarding clients and reviewing standard agreements.
“By automating these things, lawyers can use their limited time more productively, which in turn helps clients,” Levy said.
Legal tech can make it easier for clients to access legal resources and make the legal process and clients’ rights more transparent. Levy said it can also help lawyers develop winning litigation strategies and create clarity for clients.
With technology continuing to change the practice of law, it can be a challenge to keep up. But Regalia said it’s necessary.
“By automating these things, lawyers can use their limited time more productively, which in turn helps clients.” — COLIN LEVY, LAWYER AND LEGAL TECHNOLOGIST
“The legal ethical rules in the majority of states now affirmatively require lawyers to have technical competence or face consequences from the bar,” he said. “There are more and more examples of lawyers and law firms facing massive liability for technology mistakes, like failing to secure data from hackers or mistakenly releasing sensitive information to the public. To be fair, it is becoming impossible to practice law without some familiarity with concepts like data collection and review, e-discovery and other common technologies.”
And the time to start familiarizing yourself with legal tech is now.
Cole Reynolds, a 2021 graduate of University of Oklahoma College of Law, said he gained valuable experience while still in law school. He used practice management software and browser extensions specifically designed to assist in the practice of law. He suggests that students become familiar with a wide variety of legal tools they may use in their careers before graduating.
“No practice is the same . . . and the tools you use will be very specific depending on your circumstances,” Reynolds said.
“There is no telling how many different careers a student may pursue from graduation to retirement, and having that wide base of knowledge will do wonders for their level of comfort when contributing to the day-to-day functions of their firm.”
Reynolds said there is no need for students to take a coding class or seek extensive programming experience. A general understanding of the basics will go a long way.
He recommends watching software demos, and then use that software when possible to become familiar with it. He said the experience can provide an additional boost to a job-seeker’s value.
Regalia agreed.
“Just a little familiarity and interest in technology can instantly set new lawyers apart . . . both when getting hired and when developing client relationships,” Regalia said. “Because technology is becoming so central to the practice — but adoption and comfort levels remain so low among lawyers — this is a place where new lawyers can shine.”
So where can you start? Here are the most commonly used legal technologies:
1.Billing software: According to Bloomberg Law, this is the most used type of legal technology. Lawyers use billing software to manage their billing and invoicing. It can track the time spent on each case, generate invoices based on time and expenses incurred, process payments, generate reports on billable hours, and manage client information and communication.
2.Legal research tools: These tools provide lawyers with access to online databases of legal information, helping them stay up to date on the latest legal developments and conduct research efficiently.
3.Practice management software: This helps lawyers manage their day-to-day operations, such as client management, time tracking and billing. It also has analytics capabilities, enabling lawyers to make informed decisions about their business operations. By using this technology, lawyers can improve the efficiency and productivity of their law firms while freeing up time to focus on delivering high-quality legal services to their clients.
4.Contract management software: This helps lawyers review, negotiate and execute contracts, reducing the time and effort required for manual contract review. Lawyers use it to streamline the contract review, negotiation and execution process. They can organize and store contracts in a central location, facilitating collaboration and communication with clients and other stakeholders. The software helps with tasks such as redlining and approval routing, and it provides tools for analyzing and reporting on contract data.
5.Virtual courtrooms: They enable lawyers to participate in court proceedings remotely.
6.Legal document automation software: It enables lawyers to generate legal documents quickly and accurately, using an automated document assembly process.
7.E-discovery software: It assists in the collection, processing and analysis of electronically stored information. The software helps lawyers to identify, preserve and collect relevant electronic data, filter and process large volumes of data to identify relevant information, and review and analyze the data to support their case.
8.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and ML-powered tools can automate tasks such as document review, legal research and contract analysis.
4 ways to get tech savvy
Joe Regalia, associate professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law, specializes in technology and innovation. He recommends four steps to becoming tech savvy.
- Get familiar with the technology that’s on the market.Resources such as LawNext, which acts as a legal tech directory, make it easy to explore all the popular tech tools, learn what they do and be aware of what’s possible.
- Learn about the risks and pitfalls. Data security, cloud storage, AI — they are not without risks. Be aware of the best practices to follow in order to avoid those risks.
- Become familiar with technology trends. How is technology is affecting companies and consumers? Lawyers with tech experience can help clients figure out how to develop and manage technology. This is on the cutting edge of legal practice, and it’s often uncharted territory that clients need help with.
- Be curious. Start a habit of learning about a new type of technology each month. Nearly every tool has free trials (or will give one if you ask). Try out new tools and see how they work. If a tool is so complicated that you can’t figure it out on your own, it’s usually not worth using. The good news is that most tools these days are intuitive and built for non-experts. Just getting your hands dirty and exploring can give you insights your colleagues may not have.
