Digital Transformation in the Legal Sector

There is a likelihood that you have heard the term “digital transformation” at one time or the other. The concept dates back to the 1940s, and there’s no escaping from it because it will continue to affect and influence the business landscape.

Let us start with a basic question – to help us make a definition. What do you understand by the words “digital transformation”?

Digital Transformation is the universal phenomenon or process of using digital technologies to transform, replace or enhance existing traditional and non-digital processes and services, or create new ones, thus completely changing the management of business or mode of operation of businesses. Put simply, digital transformation is basically the redesigning of business for the digital age.

Digital transformation initiatives can be in form of a bank switching from handling transactions using Bank Tellers to using Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or mobile/online banking, thereby reducing wait-time in the bank, streamlining the way transactions are conducted for customers or improving retail experience for customers through eCommerce or the Internet of Things(IoT). Thereby making it easier to order any product from the comfort of your home and naturally receive it swiftly, just like that!

So, what is Digital Transformation for lawyers and the legal industry?

In the legal industry, digital transformation involves digitizing aspects of legal procedures – service delivery, team collaboration, engagement with clients and more.

Digital transformation for the legal sector means more than adopting a couple of new tools. It also means a culture change and adopting a new way of approaching cases. Putting in place a roadmap to achieve this complicated transition is key. After all, we aren’t building a structure from scratch here: we’re modernizing a cathedral of knowledge and experience.

Why does Digital Transformation matter?

The pesky Coronavirus brought the world to a grinding halt in 2020. Court sessions that used to be physically done were suspended, there were delays in legal processes due to social distancing, on-premise meetings with clients could not also hold and this called for the shift towards digital transformation.

Consequently, the rules of practice have been rewritten, opening our eyes to a range of tremendous opportunities that a combination of technology advancements provides users to tap into and improve quality of legal service delivery, access to justice and the speed at which legal tasks are carried out while eliminating workplace inefficiencies and reducing costs.

Reshaping industry after industry, this disruptive technology sweeping the legal sphere is highlighting the need for legal practitioners all over the country to take the lead and rethink strategies. As technology evolves, the practice approach ought to change to avoid being left behind while others are leveraging technology and data at the top of their strategy list.

More importantly, the clients that legal practitioners across the world are teeming to serve, are changing every day, evolving, embracing technology more and more and making demands of the legal sector along the lines of those changes. Therefore, if your customers have changed, how do you expect to serve them without changing?

In America, the American Bar Association’s Report on the Future of Legal Services in the United States revealed that among the forces that are impacting the profession is a recognition that most Americans cannot afford to hire a lawyer and are seeking lower-cost services; non-lawyer competition in the marketplace, especially from online providers; evolving computer technology, including artificial intelligence and data analytics, and changing attitudes among many within the profession to the end that consumer protection from unauthorized practitioners is often really lawyer protectionism.

Regardless of the industry one is in, anyone from anywhere, either a start-up or a big competitor is preparing to disrupt it, thus, there is no better time for the legal space to embrace technological innovation that touches every area of practice than now. In fact, lawyers and law firms should not be afraid of this technological change. You need to adapt to stay ahead. Adaptation is critical to survival, and advancement.

Benefits of Digital Transformation

When it comes to digital transformation, those repetitive manual processes are automated, thereby leading to increased efficiency.  Not only does digital transformation have the power to unleash incredible amounts of productivity, digital transformation also changes the organization, firm or business from being reactive to being proactive. The far greater opportunity being profitability.

Digital Transformation drivers

Legal tech firms are innovating daily, equipping legal practitioners and law firms with everything they need to digitize aspects of their legal practice. One of the global leading legal tech firms, Clio, offers cloud-based software to digitally transform legal practice, especially law firms.

LawPavilion, for example, is the Number 1 legaltech firm in Africa. LawPavilion has a case and law firm management software that handles various law practice management tasks such as legal research, analytics for building qualitative briefs and legal opinions, regardless of the practice areas. Another such service provider is Legalpedia. Legalpedia creates cutting-edge solutions to enhance productivity.

How do I start? 

Digital Transformation of your practice can be done easily. Start the journey by taking this self-audit test within this Digital Transformation pocketbook designed by LawPavilion for law firms. Click here  Digital Transformation pocketbook.

Closing thoughts

More than anything, the traditional way of legal practice is changing. Thus, lawyers are urged to take active initiatives towards riding the wave of digital transformation positively. Stakeholders in all levels are also enjoined to unlock the opportunities of the data accessible to them and champion the course of digital transformation by taking actions from their end that will encourage practitioners to embrace the change. 

Taking a cue from Sir Richard Susskind, “The winners in this legal evolution are those that find a way to adapt. The positive note of adapting is that with the support and efficiency of legal technology, lawyers can focus more time and energy on higher-value tasks and client care”.