Technology

Technology  
Operating without technology in today’s legal market is inconceivable. You don’t want to be stuck in an office and your clients don’t want to communicate solely by mail, phone, and fax. A solid business plan, including budgets and work processes, requires one to think about technology. Review this section to learn the fundamentals you should consider and to figure out your organization’s needs..

Hardware and Networking
In the last ten years, many legal software tools have moved from servers in closets to cloud providers hosting websites in data centers. Do you need servers, or will a cloud program meet your needs? How does your choice there affect your ability to access business information remotely? This section answers those questions.

Practice Management
Every attorney should have practice or case management software. This tool is designed for legal users to organize information about clients and cases. Practice management software allows organizations to design case/matter workflows to track matter status and encourages intra-business collaboration.

Document Management Software
Document management software is your key to searching all of your ever-growing pile of digital documents and emails. Document management software searches not just document and email titles, but also the full text of those files as well as the metadata they contain, such as who wrote the document or when it was last edited.

Document Assembly Software
Have you thought about your document-creation process? Probably not. Creating documents efficiently gives you time back in your day and improves their accuracy.

Time, Billing and Accounting Software
The end result of quality legal representation is collecting a fee from your client. If clients don’t pay you, the business won’t survive. All attorneys should understand the value of time tracking (even if you bill only flat fees or work on contingency), billing, and accounting for legal organizations.

Cybersecurity and Disaster Preparedness
Under the Rules of Professional Conduct, attorneys and legal support staff have obligations to protect client data. The information in this section helps you meet those ethical requirements.

Office 365
Office 365 from Microsoft is the newest and best way to acquire the eponymous suite of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. In this section, learn why subscribing to something you used to buy outright is actually a benefit for your legal organization.

Software and Services Feature Comparison Charts
There are tons of buzzwords and entire categories of legal technology that didn’t exist as recently as a few years ago. Do you know which password manager, web meeting service, or encrypted email service is best for your business. Figure that out by starting here.

New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education
For over 50 years, the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, a division of the NJSBA, has served the needs of the New Jersey bench and bar. From presenting over 300 live seminars and printing dozens of legal manuals each year to publishing hundreds of CLE On-Demand videos and other educational tools, our products are specifically designed to provide the latest strategies, expert advice and guidance to practitioners at every stage of their career. Find out more here.