It's Past Time for Lawyers to Embrace Technology and Automation

Interesting piece from Jeffrey Unger in Forbes this week, How Technology And Automation Enable Lawyers To Deliver Personalized Service. Unger touches on some of the barriers within the legal industry, mostly self imposed, to adapt new technologies that will benefit clients. Attorneys fear advances because they believe there will be no room left for them but in fact the change will occur whether they like it or not. And in fact:

But what would happen if you could use technology to automate tasks, drastically lower your prices and keep giving personalized advice to your clients? You’d have an undeniable competitive advantage over the online companies you’ve been complaining about. The choice for consumers would be clear, and your firm would bring in exponentially more clients than ever before. - Jeffrey Unger

It's time for more attorneys to take ownership of these changes in technology. Unger, himself an attorney, points out that he himself made this change and knows first hand that it transformed his business.

 

Obstacles to Law Firms Using Cloud-Based Solutions

The Indiana Lawyer recently adressed cloud technology in law firms in the article, "Clouds ahead for legal services".

The article does a good job illustrating some of the obstacles firms put up when considering new technology.

The top three concerns among lawyers when switching to cloud-based services are security, cost and reliability, according to the International Legal Association survey. Seth Wilson, an attorney with Adler Tesnar & Whalin in Noblesville who also helps manage the firm’s day-to-day IT services, said there are security risks no matter how information is stored.

The article does a good job addressing how cloud computing often compares favorably to other solutions in addressing these concerns.

In the end the real obstacle, as summed up by Drew Simshaw, clinical teaching fellow at Georgetown University Law Center:

“You need to talk about the benefits and risks of the use of technology,” he said. “New technology can be more secure than old technology, but there’s often a generational split. Older employees in the firm may be averse to adopting something that could be more secure, but younger people may be less critical of the risks involved. There’s not a right single (way to) approach to it, and with both generations working right now, everyone needs to be heard.”

 

 

 

'Panama Papers' and Law Firm Security

The American Lawyer has an excellent piece on how the 'Panama Papers' have put a spotlight on data security within law firms.

The Panama papers leak comes after reports that 48 law firms were targeted by cybercriminals looking to hack into their systems to gain information on mergers and acquisitions.


Read more: http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202753986288/Panama-Papers-Put-Spotlight-on-Law-Firm-Data-Security#ixzz46a7G9eid

Major Law Firm Breach in the News

Another high profile breach of law firms is in the news. This highlights more than ever how exposed many law firms are to hacking.

The Wall Street Journal Reports:

The cyberattacks show what law-enforcement officials have been warning companies about for years. As hacking tools and hackers for hire proliferate in certain corners of the Internet, it has become easier for criminals to breach computer networks as a way to further a range of crimes, from insider trading to identity theft.

Read more from The Wall Street Journal.