Lawyers and their law firms are the champions of the legal industry, and their procedures and collaborative work efforts must be optimized at all times. Without the right tools and systems available, lawyers (not to mention the legal industry as a whole) risk becoming less productive—an outcome no law firm should have to deal with.
M365 (Microsoft Office 365 or Microsoft 365) is a cloud-based suite of applications that provides a secure platform for overcoming the file-sharing and collaboration issues faced by legal professionals. M365 can be used by law firms and their employees to enhance work processes and deliver a more efficient, cohesive, and productive experience for all parties involved.
An overview of M365
Within the legal industry, improving your business processes and streamlining existing workflows with technology is vital to ensuring client loyalty and consistent work. As of the beginning of 2022, the previous twelve months saw 80% of clients who have used a law firm expect to see the progress of cases using technology.
The legal profession values honesty and transparency above all else. With Microsoft Office 365 productivity tools at your disposal, you can support your employees with workflow optimization and offer customers real-time services and support for their needs.
Microsoft 365 offers a set of applications that law firms can use to improve collaboration and enhance workflow optimization and other organizational processes. Each program covers a specific aspect of business and is available via a subscription.
The legal industry has access to the following programs:
- Microsoft Teams: Allows lawyers to converse with each other and clients via video conferencing functions, instant messaging, etc.
- Microsoft Forms: Allows law firms to gather data internally and from clients (where appropriate).
- PowerPoint: A tool that allows lawyers to create and share presentations.
- Outlook: An email solution that allows lawyers to send and receive emails, manage calendars, and access contacts.
- Word: Allows lawyers to create and edit documents.
- Excel: Allows lawyers to compose and edit spreadsheets.
- OneDrive: A cloud-based storage solution that law firms can leverage to store and share files and other documents.
- SharePoint: A content management software solution that allows law firms to seamlessly share information internally.
- Exchange: An email server.
3 reasons why lawyers need to use M365 to achieve workflow optimization and collaboration
Whether your law firm operates within the real estate sector or you support the legal practices of HIPAA-compliant businesses across the United States, your law firm needs workflow software that supports your team members as they conduct their business. Agility and versatility are two traits lawyers need in their arsenal, and by adopting Microsoft Office 365 productivity tools into your operations, you can ensure your law firm can function 24/7.
Specifically, the three main reasons why firms within the legal industry need M365 are:
1. Manages and organizes data
Generally speaking (and depending on their practice), lawyers usually have a caseload of 100 to 150 cases at a time. That is a significant amount of information that needs to be gathered, stored, and organized.
A cohesive network is a system that seamlessly integrates multiple technologies such as software and devices. Microsoft Office 365 productivity tools were developed to enhance user productivity and digital cohesion for law firms looking for a streamlined experience. M365 apps integrate with each other, making certain functions accessible while syncing data across your firm.
This is essential for the legal industry, whose workers must be kept on the same page regarding the status of cases and client data. At the same time, M365’s centralized hub allows you to keep all of your firm’s information within one location—essential for securing access to data and speeding up the process of accessing information.
2. Removes legacy solutions
Familiarity results in comfort, something that law firms regularly feel towards their IT infrastructures. However, the technology field is constantly advancing, and when the demands of the courtroom start to dominate the firm, lawyers often rely on their legacy (out-of-date) systems to complete tasks.
You need tools to showcase your firm’s skills, enhance your competitive edge, and prepare your practice for future growth. Microsoft Office 365 productivity tools promote workflow automation and more effective task management by providing your team with the solutions they need to manage and track projects, streamline the process of sending and receiving information, notify co-workers on the dates of critical meetings, and more.
In the legal industry, time is precious, and your clients’ well-being determines your firm’s success. M365 is available for several operating systems, including macOS and iOS, Windows, and more. This means that no matter what physical infrastructure and networks your law firm utilizes, Microsoft 365 applications can be installed onto your systems and updated to ensure workflows and collaboration can continue. It is a chief outcome of an effective IT strategy and digital transformation.
3. Provides unprecedented access to critical data
Lawyers often work outside of standard business hours. After the rise of remote and hybrid working, attorneys expect to be able to access information regarding their clients‘ cases whenever they need it.
Your law firm’s staff are highly skilled, but they can become unmotivated in their roles without the proper programs and tools supporting their work. They may look elsewhere for another more-relevant position. Microsoft Office 365 productivity tools can create more robust employee collaboration while ensuring workflow optimization.
By taking advantage of their cloud-based infrastructure, M365 applications can be accessed using mobile devices, anywhere and at any time. This allows for a more flexible work arrangement, letting lawyers open and edit documents with collaborators in real time, saving firms money and time on tasks. Also, M365 leverages advanced cybersecurity solutions—access control, multi-factor authentication, etc.—to ensure that your data is safe and viewable by authorized personnel.
Boost workflow optimization and collaboration with legal IT experts
M365 is a robust tool the legal industry needs to invest in to streamline its collaboration initiatives and achieve higher levels of workflow optimization. However, lawyers are incredibly busy, and without the IT expertise to implement Microsoft’s tools into their firms, they may not be able to take advantage of the benefits M365 can provide.
The Microsoft 365 consultants at IT Gurus serve various industries, including the legal industry and its law firms. No matter if you are interested in updating your IT systems with M365 installations or you are eager to have IT experts support the programs you use to streamline your workflows, talk to the team today and prepare your law firm for greatness.
