Sometimes it feels like the challenges that come with managing a small law firm just won’t end. You have 10 million things to think about on the business side of things, and that’s all before you even get to client service. But law firm management doesn’t have to be a thorn in your side.
By using the latest technology and legal matter management software solutions designed specifically for personal injury law firms, you can reduce your business burden and focus more of your time and energy helping clients get justice. Here are some of the top challenges facing small personal injury law firms and how you can overcome them.
Keeping things organized
If there’s one thing that can throw a wrench in your law firm management plans, it’s disorganization. Whether it’s keeping track of documents or just knowing your daily schedule, you need to stay organized. Your sanity depends on it.
Thankfully, CloudLex can help keep your personal injury law firm from falling into chaos. CloudLex’s Matter Manager app is a one-stop shop for organizational needs like calendaring, legal document management and the tracking of medical expenses. These tools will not only make life easier, but you’ll be surprised by what they can do for your law firm’s business development activities as well.
Is your office filled to the brim with old files? Stay organized and reduce clutter using our Digital Archiver app, a legal document management system that lets you store closed matters in a secure and HIPAA-compliant cloud. You’ll still have access to files anytime you need them, but you’ll also be able to see your office floor for a change.
Improving internal communication
Firm-wide collaboration becomes more efficient when you use the cloud. Whether you’re in court, at the office or in a meeting, CloudLex allows everyone on your team to work simultaneously on the same documents in real time. The system makes it easy to keep track of who’s done what, so delegation and version tracking become incredibly simple.
Email management also becomes easier. All emails from CloudLex and any subsequent replies or notes will be automatically structured to form a continuous thread, so any communication on a matter is organized in one place. CloudLex’s sidebar feature also reduces email clutter by allowing you to communicate internally with your team. It’s like a private discussion board or Facebook wall specifically for your firm. You can also share notes, events and other information to make sure everyone on your team stays in the loop.
Streamlining external communication
Do you ever feel like you spend too much time communicating about the work you’re doing instead of actually doing the work? Streamlining your external communications can make life easier while also improving key relationships.
With CloudLex’s powerful collaboration tool, you can invite third parties to collaborate on specific matters. Share documents, events or notes that need to be reviewed and keep all information on a case in one secure, organized place. If you want to communicate with clients, you can use our two-way texting tool for instant contact. All communication is done through a secure, HIPAA-compliant portal so you can be confident your clients and private information stay protected.
Getting referrals
Getting attorney referrals is a tricky part of law firm management because it can feel like referrals are beyond your control. But if you plan on sitting back and just hoping referrals come in, you may be waiting a long time. It’s important that you proactively build up your referral network to keep the qualified leads coming in.
Set aside time on a regular basis to strengthen relationships with your partner firms and build your referral network. Building connections with similar-sized firms will help you increase intakes when those firms don’t have the means to take on a case. Developing relationships with larger personal injury law firms will help when you can’t take on a case yourself but still want a percentage of the settlement.
Case referrals are never a one-way street, and it’s important to foster relationships to keep business rolling in. Choose CloudLex and you’ll be ahead of the game, getting access to hundreds of attorneys already on our network from day one. How’s that for an efficient start to your referral strategy?
Assessing your success
Money may make the world go round, but it’s not the only measure of success. There are a number of widely used key performance indicators for lawyers that can help you keep tabs on your progress and forecast future growth. Some of the most common include the number of new client case inquiries, number of pending cases, number of active cases and expected value of fees from anticipated settlements. But to address the most pressing issues for your particular firm, you need intuitive business intelligence software.
CloudLex’s Analytics Dashboards can provide the insight you need to make the best decisions for your practice. You’ll easily be able to track key performance indicators (like new matters per month, profitability, and more) through detailed reports and easy-to-interpret visuals. These law firm performance metrics can do more than just help you decide whether to take on a new case. They can help guide your law firm management strategies as a whole and help position your small personal injury firm for future growth.
If you’d like to see how CloudLex, the Next-Gen Legal Cloud®, can improve law firm management at your practice, schedule a free demo today.
