Is It Time to Adopt Legal Automation?

What Does Legal Automation Mean?

The simple definition of automation is the use of technology or machines to perform tasks without much human intervention. 

In the law industry, legal automation is all about using technology and software to tackle the repetitive, everyday tasks that lawyers traditionally spend hours on.

In the past, law firms and in-house legal teams used manual, isolated processes to handle daily workflows, which often meant staff were bogged down with tedious administrative duties. Legal automation changes this by increasing efficiency, reducing errors, and freeing up time for legal professionals to focus on more complex, valuable work.

What Legal Processes Can You Automate?

Contrary to popular belief (among legal professionals, at least), many legal tasks are subject to automation. Some might argue that legal workflows are too complex to simplify with machines, but today’s legal tech begs to differ.

Here’s a closer look at key legal processes that can be automated:

Contract Review and Management

Contracts are crucial, but managing them can be incredibly time-consuming. 

Automation tools can help legal departments by scanning contracts for key clauses, compliance issues, and potential risks. They also keep track of different contract versions to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Plus, workflow automation can speed up the approval process so it’s smoother and more efficient. This means no more going back and forth with different entities and wasting even more time on each contract.

Legal Document Drafting

Historically, drafting legal documents is a tedious process that requires keen attention to detail and at least a few hours spent creating, editing, and reviewing each document. 

This is now changing thanks to legal document automation tools that create documents with the same accuracy and consistency as manually created ones–if not better. Most legal document automation tools use a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and templates to speed up the drafting process. 

For example, Briefpoint.ai is a generative AI and machine learning tool that drafts discovery responses by analyzing a request document, generating a draft that is mostly complete, and letting you finish up by adding pre-loaded objections or responses.

Billing Management

Automated systems can track billable hours and generate invoices based on those hours and predefined rates. They also monitor payments and send reminders for overdue invoices, which helps simplify the entire billing process and ensures you don’t miss out on any billable time.

This leads to better cash flow for your legal team and less financial stress. Plus, you can have a bird’s eye view of how your time is being spent and whether that time is producing value or not.

Routine Tasks

Administrative tasks, though necessary, can take up a lot of your time. Luckily, modern tech now allows you to create automated workflows for manual processes that otherwise take too much time, money, and brain power.

For example, you can easily automate the following routine tasks:

• Data entry
• Scheduling
• Sending appointment reminders
• Client intake forms
• Populating client databases
• Data entry
• Email management
• Organizing and filing documents
• Task management
• Sending task reminders and notifications
• Tracking billable hours
• Generating and sending invoices
• Monitoring payments and sending reminders
• Sharing documents securely
• Automatic time tracking
• Sending follow-up emails and updates
• Creating regular reports

Legal Research

Legal research can be a bottleneck because it often involves combing through mountains of complex legal texts, cases, and statutes, all demanding meticulous attention to detail and absolute precision. 

However, it’s not like your legal department can skip this very important step.

Luckily, there are now automation tools that can search through vast databases of legal texts, statutes, and precedents way faster than a human ever could. They can also offer summaries of relevant cases and legal opinions, which saves you hours of reading.

Additionally, these tools keep you up-to-date on the latest legal developments so that you always have the most current information.

How Does Automation Benefit Legal Teams?

Automation is a hotly debated topic in the legal field, and not without reason. There are many concerns about the validity of AI-generated work, such as legal documents, and many lawyers are hesitant to automate something they can already do themselves. 

There’s also a notion that the law is too complex to throw technology into the mix, but legal automation technology is proving otherwise.

If you’re still on the fence about automating, here are some benefits that might convince you to make the switch:

Increased Efficiency

Automating routine tasks saves a lot of time. Things like document drafting, billing, and scheduling get done faster and more consistently, which frees up lawyers to focus on more strategic and complex legal services.

Cost Savings

With less need for manual labor, operational costs go down. This means fewer hours billed for administrative tasks and more resources available for client work and business development.

Improved Accuracy

Human error is common in repetitive tasks, but automated systems make sure tasks are completed accurately.

Compliance

Automation tools help maintain compliance with industry standards and regulations. Automated checks and audits ensure all processes meet the latest legal requirements, which cuts down on the risk of non-compliance.

Better Client Service

With routine tasks handled automatically, legal professionals can offer quicker turnaround times and more personalized service. Automation also helps track client interactions and case progress to improve overall client satisfaction.

Simplified Workflow

Automation creates a more organized workflow for legal matters. Automated task management and scheduling make sure deadlines are met and nothing falls through the cracks, leading to a more productive and efficient team.

Scalability

As your practice grows, automation allows you to handle more cases and clients without needing to hire a lot more staff. This means you can expand without compromising on quality or efficiency.

Increased Job Satisfaction

By taking care of repetitive and mundane tasks, automation lets legal professionals focus on more meaningful and challenging work. This can lead to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates.

Data-Driven Insights

Many automation tools come with analytics and reporting features that offer valuable insights into your operations. Such insights can help you make informed decisions, optimize processes, and save time on research.

Signs That You Need Legal Automation Software

If you’re wondering whether it’s time to invest in legal automation software, here are some signs to look out for:

High Volume of Routine Tasks

When your team is buried under administrative duties more than actual legal work, it’s a clear sign that you need automation.

Tasks like scheduling, data entry, and document management can be automated, freeing up your team to focus on more important work.

Frequent Errors

Mistakes in documents, billing, or data entry are becoming common. Human error is inevitable, especially with repetitive tasks. Automation can significantly reduce these errors by ensuring consistency and accuracy in every process.

This not only improves the quality of your work but also builds trust with your clients, who rely on your precision and expertise.

Slow Turnaround Times

Struggling to meet deadlines and having clients wait longer than they should for responses and results is a red flag. Automation can speed up processes like document drafting, contract review, and legal research so you deliver timely and efficient service.

Faster turnaround times mean happier clients and a more productive team!

Increasing Operational Costs

If your expenses are climbing due to inefficiencies and the need for more administrative staff, it’s time to consider automation.

Automating routine tasks can reduce operational costs by minimizing the need for additional administrative support. This allows you to allocate resources more effectively and invest in areas that drive growth and client satisfaction.

Employee Burnout

Overworked staff dealing with repetitive tasks can lead to burnout, reducing productivity and increasing turnover rates. 

Automation can alleviate this burden by handling mundane tasks, allowing your team to focus on more challenging and rewarding work.

Manual Data Management

Spending too much time managing and organizing files and data manually can be a major productivity drain.

Automation can streamline data management by organizing and storing information efficiently, making it easily accessible when needed.

Gain a Competitive Advantage With Briefpoint.ai

Discovery responses cost firms $23,240, per year, per attorney. $23,240 estimate assumes an associate attorney salary of $150,000 (including benefits – or $83 an hour), 20 cases per year/per associate, 4 discovery sets per case, 30 questions per set, 3.5 hours spent responding to each set, and 1800 hours of billable hours per year.

Under these assumptions, you save $20,477 using Briefpoint, per year, per attorney.

Test Briefpoint yourself by scheduling a demo here.