Whether robots will totally replace lawyers is a myth. And whether legal automation is good or bad is still debatable. However, one thing is certain, lawyers who leverage technology to their advantage will replace traditional lawyers. Today, 50% of lawyers are already using a form of artificial intelligence (AI) and according to McKinsey, lawyers can effectively automate up to 23% of their legal work.

To put this into perspective, when it comes to contract analysis, the average human takes 26 minutes to review five NDAs, whereas automated tools take only 26 seconds and are 9% more accurate than paralegals. From contract management to streamlining workflow automation and client collaboration — not to mention significant cost savings, the value automation brings for lawyers is too much to ignore.

To help you make an informed decision, in this article, we dive deeper into the reasons why you need to automate part of your legal work. Read on!

• Put More Time on Client-Facing Tasks

Legal Trend Report estimates that the average lawyer spends only 2.5 hours per day working on high-value tasks that involve meeting clients. The rest of the time is spent on low-value tasks, such as confirming billings and collections, which can effectively be done by a machine. By automating your administrative workflow, you can focus more on tasks that demand your skills and expertise.

In other words, automation makes you a field lawyer instead of an admin lawyer. You get self-fulfillment, as well as increase the satisfaction of other lawyers in the firm. In the long haul, this helps the firm to offer the best, personalized legal service, retain more employees, and build a solid reputation in the industry.

• Speed, Consistency, and Accuracy

Creating a document can be easy. However, retrieving it amongst thousands of others can be a nightmare, especially if you’re going to do it manually. On the other hand, you can access the document with a few clicks with an automated workflow infrastructure in place.

At the same time, automation also helps enhance consistency and accuracy in your entire workflow by reducing redundant errors in human tasks. Even better, you can customize the automation software with predefined rules and standards, especially if your law firm is relevant to multinational businesses.

• Streamlines Cash Flow and Workflow

As noted earlier, automation means speed. Similarly, improved speed means more time saved, which translates to money saved and greater work covered. With a custom automation setup, you can significantly reduce the amount of time needed to review, negotiate, or approve deals. The faster you close the deals, the more streamlined the cash flow. 

Moreover, automation strips away repetitive tasks that might interfere with the morale of your staff. It’s common for employees to get bored with repetitive tasks every now and then. Such tasks also hinder innovation or prevent employees from maximizing their full potential, skills, and expertise.

• Risk Management for Routine Work

Introducing automation in your workflow means greater risk control for repetitive tasks. For instance, you can program your automation software to clearly define who can approve or sign off certain documents and requests. You can also regulate access to certain documents, whether by employees or networks.

However, it’s worth noting that automation isn’t for all tasks in your law firm. For instance, it’s not advisable to automate highly bespoke or sensitive legal work that needs nearly 100% human oversight. In that case, you’ll need other risk-management measures for such tasks.

• Take Advantage of Data Analytics

Meaningful data is increasingly becoming important in modern day-to-day business operations. Workflow automation in your law firm means unlimited access to insightful data, which can help drive key decision-making processes. With insightful data, your team will have an opportunity to learn, iterate, and improve over time. Accurate data can also serve as a powerful tool for beating the competition and delivering quality legal services.

Automate Your Legal Workflow Today and Save More Time & Money

Workflow automation is the best thing that could ever happen to your law firm. With innovative automation software in place, your legal team will receive, respond to, and resolve client matters swiftly, while maintaining high levels of accuracy and consistency. Contact LegalOS today and start building a standardized and accountable workflow that will prioritize timely delivery and accuracy to enhance client experiences, and employee morale, and boost revenues. It’s never too late to get started!