Legaltech for Small Law Firms: A Key To Survival

This interview is part of Loio’s series of interviews with legal enthusiasts about the ins and outs of the legal industry.

The following is the interview with Andrew Lacy, Jr, owner, and founder of The Lacy Employment Law Firm, LLC, a Pennsylvania-based boutique law firm “that aims to bring corporate-level representation to everyday people.”

Before founding his own law firm in January 2021, Andrew worked as an Associate at the international law firm Reed Smith LLP and completed a clerkship with the Honorable Cathy Bissoon in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

In the fast-paced digital age, legal technology, also known as legaltech, has become an imperative resource that lawyers cannot overlook. This holds especially true for small law firms that need to leverage tech solutions for streamlined operations, improved productivity, and enhanced client service. 

In the following interview, Andrew Lacy, attorney, and founder of The Lacy Employment Law Firm, LLC, unravels the intricacies of implementing legaltech in small law firms and the significant role it plays in fostering business growth and client satisfaction. From the nuances of adopting the right small law firm technology solutions to the ways they revolutionize daily tasks, the insights provided are an invaluable resource for small law firms navigating the path of legaltech adoption. 

Peculiarities of Using Legaltech in Small Law Firms

When it comes to implementing legaltech in small law firms, certain unique considerations come into play. Typically, small law firms operate with learner resources, so they need to choose a legaltech solution that is cost-effective yet robust enough to streamline their operations. The legaltech solution should be user-friendly and require minimal training, considering that smaller practices may lack dedicated IT support or extensive tech expertise.

Importantly, the chosen technology must cater to the firm’s specific needs, offering customized features that can adapt to their often unique and specialized legal services. Equally crucial is the technology’s ability to scale as the law firm expands, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the tech investment. Thus, selecting the right legaltech requires careful assessment aligned with the specific intricacies that characterize small law firm operations.

How Can a Small Law Firm Ensure a High Level of Services? 

Training. The task of a lawyer is to make the lives of their clients easier, and one can understand what a client really needs only through experience.

“When I was a young associate, I didn’t attach a PDF to an email before sending it to the client. The partner got mad at me, saying: “It’s your job to make the client’s life easier. These are things we do. We attach documents to emails. We don’t make the other person go out and dig out documents.” It’s really that type of stuff.”

Andrew Lacy, Jr., founder of The Lacy Employment Law Firm, LLC.

• Responsiveness. The clients should get their reviews as quickly as possible and feel the lawyer’s support. 

Work product. The product any law firm provides, regardless of its size, should be a high-quality product.

Importance of Using Legaltech for Small Law Firms

Adopting legaltech is particularly critical for small law firms seeking to optimize their operations and improve client service. Legaltech solutions streamline time-intensive tasks such as document management, legal research, and billing, thus allowing attorneys to focus more on their core legal work. The use of such small law firm technology can also lead to decreased overheads by reducing the need for administrative staff. 

Moreover, legaltech can enhance client experiences through transparent, real-time case updates and secure communication channels. In an increasingly digital era, embracing legaltech can equip small law firms with the tools to compete with larger firms, empower their agility, and drive business growth.

“If you are not leveraging technology as a small law firm owner, I don’t know how you survive. Technology allows you to compete with firms with hundreds of people. Thanks to technology, in my small law firm, I can do things that I couldn’t do at my big firm. It’s astounding.”

Andrew Lacy, Jr., founder of The Lacy Employment Law Firm, LLC. 

Small Law Firm Operations To Be Tech-Enabled 

The gradual but steady digital transformation of the legal sector has proven to be a game-changer, particularly for small law firms looking to optimize their operations and improve productivity. The first area for tech enablement in small law firms should be those operations that are routine and time-consuming yet crucial to the smooth running of the firm. 

1. Case management: It involves keeping track of each client’s case details, deadlines, and events. Automating this task helps ensure no important dates or actions are missed and improves efficiency.
2. Document management: Special solo law firm software can help store, organize, and easily retrieve case documents, thereby saving valuable time spent on manual document handling.
3. Billing and time tracking: Tech solutions for tracking billable hours and generating automated invoices can streamline the billing process and help maintain accurate financial records. 
4. Legal research: Leveraging legal research software can expedite the research process and help attorneys remain updated with the latest legal developments. 
5. Client communication: Investing in tech tools to manage client communication can improve responsiveness and keep clients informed and satisfied.

By embracing solo law practice software in these areas, one can significantly reduce administrative overheads, increase efficiency, and provide a better service to their clients, thereby carving a niche for themselves in the competitive legal environment.

“Every single thing I do — if I want to create a new brief or a letter — I have a Google Doc with the template already created. Then I just make a copy (I already have half of the document populated in some cases, depending on what it is).”

Andrew Lacy, Jr., founder of The Lacy Employment Law Firm, LLC.

How To Choose Tech Solutions for Small Legal Business

Choosing the right tech solutions is critical to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and enhance client service in your legal business. Before adopting any legal technology, it is essential to identify your firm’s specific needs and research solutions that can best address them. Here’s a guideline to get ideas about new legal technologies:

1. Attend legal conferences and trade shows: These events often showcase the latest innovations in legal tech and provide an opportunity to see demonstrations and ask the developers questions.
2. Read legal tech blogs and websites: Frequently updated sites can keep you informed about the newest developments in legal technology.
3. Join legal tech forums or social media groups: Engage with other legal professionals and share experiences, insights, and recommendations about various tech tools.
4. Participate in webinars or online training: This will help you understand how certain legal tech tools function and how they might be beneficial for your firm.
5. Consult with legal tech advisers: These experts can provide tailored advice on choosing the tech solutions most suited to your firm’s needs and goals.

Remember, the right legal tech solution should align with your specific business needs, budget, and long-term growth strategy.

“I’m in a Facebook group of like-minded small firm attorneys. I really take their recommendations. I’ve built my own website and done my SEO, but I don’t even understand some of the programs they are talking about. That shows the level of technology and know-how in this group. So, if they recommend something for a specific task, I’d usually listen to them.”

Andrew Lacy, Jr., founder of The Lacy Employment Law Firm, LLC.

Best Tech Solutions For Small Law Firms

Here is a list of the best law practice management software for solo lawyers in small firms can utilize to improve efficiency, communication, and overall productivity:

1. Google Docs: A web-based tool that allows for real-time collaboration on documents, making drafting and editing legal documents a breeze.
2. iCloud: Apple’s cloud storage platform is ideal for backing up and accessing documents and data across multiple devices.
3. Grammarly: This writing tool helps ensure your legal documents are free from grammatical errors and typos.
4. Lawrina: This legal research platform provides easy access to a vast compendium of legal templates and access to a considerable database of lawyers from all over the United States. 
5. Zoom: A leading video conferencing tool, great for virtual meetings or court hearings.
6. Notion: A workspace for notes, documents, and tasks. It’s a multipurpose tool useful for organizing a wide array of work items.
7. Slack: This communication tool simplifies team collaboration with direct messages and group chats, enhancing internal communication for legal teams.
8. Zapier: This web-based service allows different applications to work together, which can automate redundant tasks and save valuable time.
9. CRM Software: Customer Relationship Management tools help manage your firm’s relationships and interactions with clients and potential clients. 
10. Trello: This project management tool uses boards, lists, and cards to organize and prioritize projects, making it easy for legal teams to keep track of their workload.

 This solo law practice management software provides immense support to lawyers in small firms, helping them manage various areas of their legal practice with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Conclusion

Embracing legaltech is not merely an advantageous move for small law firms — it’s a strategic imperative for survival and growth in an increasingly digital world. Leveraging the right tools can streamline operations, optimize productivity, and enhance the level of service provided to clients. Whether it’s managing cases, conducting legal research, handling documents, or improving client communication, tech solutions can provide a significant boost to a small firm’s effectiveness and competitiveness. 

However, making informed, need-based, and budget-conscious choices is crucial while adopting legaltech. By doing so, small law firms can position themselves to compete with larger entities, demonstrating that size is no barrier to service quality or operational efficiency in today’s legal landscape.