Just like any other business, legal sector industries are also working hard to find innovative ways to meet the requirements of their clients. Increasing coronavirus cases might have made 2020 a challenging year for legal entities. At the same time, though 2021 is quite uncertain it is important to design legal services based on the situation. As a medical record review company assisting attorneys, we understand that law firms have to adapt to new and emerging trends to stay productive and competitive the coming year.
Let us discuss some top possible trends that will shape legal practices in 2021 and in the future.
New Technologies
As more and more clients are getting comfortable with new technology options, law firms should strive to stay up to date with the expected standards. For instance, solutions like video conferencing software save time for both clients and you and communication is possible in the comfort of home or office, which adds more flexibility.
Technological innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are reforming the legal framework. The COVID-19 outbreak has forced many courts and legal firms to work remotely, which replaced traditional law practices with a client-centric approach. Such technologies are also replacing manual tasks in legal enterprises such as sorting out paperwork, conducting legal research, documentation, citation, and providing litigation support. Most law firms prefer the cloud for storing confidential information. Virtual / augmented reality helps remote consultation of clients, training new lawyers, and collaborating with the experts.
Legal Process Outsourcing
Legal process outsourcing (LPO), refers to the practice of a law firm or a legal entity obtaining legal support services from an outside law firm or legal support services provider. According to a report from Market Watch, the onshore legal process outsourcing market is anticipated to witness high growth in the future, as it is a comparatively safer alternative to outsourcing offshore. Onshore process also offers benefits such as shared regulatory framework, which streamlines the business processes.
Shift in Hiring the Right Talents
Most law firms will be looking forward to hire talents with good knowledge regarding technological interface. Hiring non-lawyers is now not at all limited to paralegals, IT and administrative staff. Instead, most large firms now hire several non-lawyer executives, such as CEOs, CMOs and CFOs. Many firms are considering temporary, contract and freelance roles, which allow workers to work from home. As back-office functions are now moved to the cloud, virtual assistants and remote employees are becoming more common in the legal field. Such changes are expected to redefine the law firm workforce structure in future.
Focus on Client Experience
Law firms are taking steps to boost client services by meeting client expectations and emphasizing value-based services. To provide quality services to clients, they are partnering with other service providers like medical record review companies to offer comprehensive solutions to their clients.
Lawyers are also adopting diverse solutions such as legal process management (LPM) and developing systematic workflows to improve efficiency. It is expected that law firms that place a high value on improving the client experience will prosper in 2021.
2021 is expected to witness meaningful change as marketing, innovation, technology, and business-minded practice drive growth in modern legal practices. So, it is time for lawyers to rethink the way they deliver legal services in order to create a sustainable, profitable practice in the coming years.
