By Legal Futures’ Associates DPS Software
Lawyers working in today’s market must be able to collaborate. Its global, inter-disciplinary and technologically enhanced nature make it a must. Not doing so leaves Lawyers and law firms at risk of being left behind.
Why has collaboration become so important?
Traditional views of law emphasise its hierarchical nature. Lawyers may work together, but there is always a star. One lawyer who brings in the money and is sought after by clients. The measure of success is billing hours, and lawyers are encouraged not to be team players.
But that narrative is changing. Star lawyers are not so much the need of the hour. An increasing number of cases need lawyers to work together in a collaborative way. This gives clients the value they’re looking for. Clients are seeking a balance between cost and relevance. This means that lawyers must collaborate to finish projects promptly and within the client’s budget.
Moreover, as the world becomes more complex, clients are looking for holistic solutions to their problems. This means law firms must now find a way to practice across a range of issues, not just their specialisation. If lawyers can’t work together to meet their clients’ needs, they risk losing their business to a law firm that can.
Benefits of collaboration
There are several benefits of collaboration for law firms:
An increased level of business
Multi-disciplinary law firms that make use of collaboration will get more business from their clients. This is because the client receives holistic solutions to their problems. Clients remain loyal to these firms. They give them more business because they receive greater value from the collaborative work done. This is based (at least partly) on the wider pool of intelligence used to generate those solutions.
Better retention of clients
Law firms that collaborate well are more likely to keep clients. Traditionally,if you lost your star lawyer, clients would often migrate with these venerated employees. This risk reduces with smart collaboration. Clients appreciate the collaborative nature of the firm’s work and the holistic value that it offers.
The role of digital transformation
Digital transformation has introduced a paradigm shift in how we work and how we view work. The introduction of AI and machine learning means that law firms can analyse data much quicker. This removes much of the manual work and enables firms to provide clients value quicker.
But it also means a cultural shift in how we work. The traditional approach of functioning in siloes is no longer effective. Instead, the workforce must be agile and able to collaborate to make the most of digital insights. Old methods don’t work with new tools, and lawyers are quickly learning that a collaborative approach to law is what the digital age demands.
Technology is changing the legal industry and firms that don’t adapt are at risk of falling behind. Collaboration, then, becomes a necessity between different fields and specialisations. Lawyers should work with software developers to streamline their services and improve efficiency. DPS Software has been in the game for more than 35 years. We have worked with thousands of users across hundreds of legal firms, and we only see our role to be growing. The future of law is tech-based. DPS’s vision is to innovate and provide cutting-edge technology to support the development of the legal sector.
To learn more about how DPS can transform your business in this digital age, get in touch with our friendly team.
