7 Best Productivity Tools for Lawyers In 2024

What Can Productivity Tools Do For Law Firms?

From the name itself, productivity apps aim to improve productivity in your law firm. However, this is too broad of an observation to take at face value.

Let’s examine how these tech tools are helping revolutionize the legal industry.

Streamlining Workflows and Improving Efficiency

The main goal of legal productivity apps is to simplify workflows and make them more efficient. In turn, lawyers and legal assistants spend less time on repetitive tasks and can instead devote more hours to high-value work.

When you look at the bigger picture, better efficiency cascades into more advantages, such as a healthier work culture, better career development, improved client satisfaction, and a more positive bottom line.

Promoting Better Time Management

Time management is crucial in the legal profession, where billable hours determine profitability. Productivity tools come equipped with time-tracking features and task management systems that help lawyers prioritize their workload and keep track of deadlines.

These tools help lawyers allocate their time more effectively by providing a clear overview of where time is spent, ensuring that every minute counts. Consequently, they have a better idea of how to maximize their billable tasks.

Plus, better time management helps lawyers achieve a better work-life balance and, ultimately, a more positive outlook towards work.

Upgrading Accuracy and Consistency

In the legal industry, accuracy is non-negotiable. A single mistake can have significant ramifications and hurt your bottom line–not to mention the impact on your law firm’s reputation.

Productivity tools improve accuracy and consistency across all documents and communications. From automated spell-checkers to document templates that follow firm-specific guidelines, these tools ensure that every piece of work meets the highest standards of precision.

Improving Client Satisfaction

In today’s digital age, clients expect quick responses and transparent communication. Productivity tools make this possible by offering platforms for secure messaging, document sharing, and real-time updates on case progress.

Aside from keeping clients on the same page, these tools also foster a sense of trust and reliability, improving overall satisfaction and potentially leading to more referrals.

Maximizing Law Firm Profitability

Ultimately, the adoption of productivity tools can have a direct impact on a law firm’s profitability. By automating administrative tasks, lawyers can dedicate more time to billable work and client acquisition.

On the other hand, improved accuracy and client satisfaction can lead to repeat business and referrals, further increasing revenue. Additionally, streamlining operations and reducing the need for manual labor can help lower operational costs, which is another crucial factor in maximizing profitability.

7 Best Productivity Apps for Law Firms

The legal market is brimming with tools promising to revolutionize law firm operations. Yet only a handful truly deliver on their promises and benefits.

Here’s a curated list of tools that stand out, ensuring your firm can do more with less.

1. Best Document Automation Tool: Briefpoint.ai

Briefpoint is an AI-powered app that speeds up the discovery phase of litigation by generating discovery responses and request documents for you. Unlike manual document preparation, you can generate discovery documents in minutes instead of hours, saving you both time and money in the process.

The legal documents Briefpoint AI can auto-generate include but are not limited to:

• Requests for Production
• Requests for Admission
• Interrogatories

Aside from drafting your documents, Briefpoint will allow you to add objections or responses that are pre-drafted or customized by you. Then, you can download the document and finish it on Microsoft Word. Alternatively, you can upload your draft on Google Docs to work with other collaborators.

2. Best Legal Practice Management Software: Clio

Clio stands out as a comprehensive legal practice management platform, offering features that cover nearly every aspect of running a law firm.

From case management to time tracking, billing, and client communication, this project management software provides a centralized system that helps law firms manage their operations more efficiently. Plus, its easy-to-use interface makes the learning curve as minimal as possible, which is a must for busy lawyers.

Its cloud-based nature also allows for easy access to information from anywhere, making it an excellent tool for firms with remote or hybrid work arrangements.

3. Best Note-Taking App: Evernote

Evernote is a versatile note-taking app that allows legal professionals to capture, organize, and share notes in various formats, including text, images, and voice memos. Its powerful search capabilities make it easy to retrieve information when needed, and its syncing feature ensures that notes are accessible across all devices.

Overall, Evernote’s ability to create, categorize, and manage notes makes it a valuable tool for keeping track of case details, research, and to-do lists.

4. Best Cloud Storage Solution: OneDrive

OneDrive offers excellent cloud storage solutions that are particularly beneficial for law firms, providing secure and scalable storage options for documents and files. Plus, it’s a safe document management software that will keep sensitive law firm data secure through its multiple high-tech encryption and two-factor authentication abilities.

With features like file sharing, collaboration, and remote access, OneDrive clears the way for seamless teamwork among legal professionals and attorneys practicing law outside the office, allowing them to work on documents simultaneously and access files from anywhere.

Its integration with Microsoft Office Suite further upgrades productivity within a law firm. It lets you store and access various Microsoft file formats, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

An honorable mention is Google Drive, which is the best option for law firms that use Google Suite instead of Microsoft Office. Both platforms are well-functioning and intuitive.

5. Best Law Library: Fastcase

A good law library is an indispensable app for any law firm. Fastcase provides comprehensive access to a vast database of legal resources, including case law, statutes, regulations, court rules, and constitutions.

Its advanced search tools and intuitive interface enable lawyers to conduct efficient legal research, find relevant precedents, and stay updated on legal developments. This legal technology can help any law firm save hours–if not days–of time spent on due diligence.

6. Best Legal Billing Software: Bilr

Last but not least, we have Blir. This software is designed to streamline the billing process in law firms, offering features like time tracking, invoice generation, and payment processing.

It helps reduce the administrative burden associated with billing, ensuring that firms can accurately and efficiently manage client accounts and finances. Bilr’s focus on legal billing makes it a tailored solution that addresses the specific needs of law firms, contributing to smoother financial operations.

7. Best Secure Communication App: Slack

Slack is a popular messaging app designed for team communication and collaboration. It provides a centralized platform for messaging, file sharing, and integration with other productivity tools, making it easier for teams to stay connected and work together efficiently.

Slack also has a built-in calling feature, so you can make phone calls from your desktop or mobile device, but take note that you can only make voice calls with one person on the free version.

Plus, you can create multiple channels with each dedicated to a separate legal department or team. The app also lets you share and access documents directly in the conversation for effortless collaboration. Better yet, this app integrates with other tools commonly used by law firms, such as Clio, OneDrive, and Evernote.

Stay Up to Date with the Best Productivity Tools

The rising demand for faster, better legal services pushes law firms to adapt to modern solutions that can maximize their efficiency tenfold. If your law firm struggles to maintain productivity, it might be time to integrate these tools into your current workflows.

However, how do you know where to start? A good rule of thumb is to begin with the most time-consuming tasks you have. For many law firms, this includes discovery document preparation.

Make the discovery phase faster, more accurate, and more efficient with Briefpoint AI. While Briefpoint auto-generates your legal documents, you can focus on tasks that require more brain power–which are also often the tasks that help you win the case.

Maximize Your Productivity With Document Automation

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.2.