How To Make Better Technology Choices For Your Practice
The sticker price is just a small factor in what the software is going to "cost" your firm.
One question people ask me all the time is, “What kind of [X] software should I get?” There are tons of choices and factors that go into that question, like budget, practice area, firm size, etc. Here are some general guidelines though to keep in mind.
Total Cost = Purchase Price + Implementation Price – Time Saved
If I were buying a lawnmower and I had to choose between a $200 lawnmower and a $2,000 riding mower, if I have just a medium-sized yard, I would probably choose the $200 one, even though the riding mower has much better specs in every category. That’s how most of us have been buying things all of our lives. Software for your law practice is different though. Software programs are the tools that we use. Just like a chef needs a great set of knives, a carpenter needs good tools, a photographer needs good equipment, a lawyer needs good software. These tools help us work faster so we can get paid sooner. They help us do better work so that we can charge more. They help us stay on top of deadlines so our E&O premiums stay lower.
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Let’s say, for example, I’m 85 years old and I want to choose between buying the latest WordPerfect version or buying Microsoft Word. I just need it to type pleadings and both programs are capable of putting words and numbers on a page in a way that looks like a pleading. Let’s assume that WordPerfect is on sale for $20 and Word is $300. Which one do you choose? Let’s look at the different factors here: If I switch over to Word, I’m going to probably have to spend at least a day learning how to do things and format things (even though helpful videos like this and this exist), but let’s say I want to at some point hire someone under the age of 45. That person will need to figure out how WordPerfect works. And what do I do in 2023 when WordPerfect finally goes bankrupt and I have to switch to Word anyway? The $280 price difference (one hour of billable time) is insignificant compared to one or two people spending at least eight hours transitioning from one platform to the other.
Example 2: I’m trying to choose between PDF editing software and one is $30 and Adobe Acrobat is $10 a month, and let’s assume I plan on being in business for several years. What if your PDF software does not have a mobile app or does not have a good system for highlighting non-OCR’ed PDFs, or does not allow you to Bates stamp or redact, and that by doing these things quickly, you save 30 minutes a week. That’s 75 hours a year – almost a two-week vacation.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
How well does this product integrate with my other programs? Adobe Acrobat, for example, has plugins in Word, Outlook, various internet browsers, as well as other programs. When choosing cloud providers, Dropbox has integration perks with just about every program.
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How Often Is It Updated? Take, for example, the trial presentation software Sanction. It wasn’t updated for a long time before it was purchased by Lexis, and even since then, it’s been languishing. Take a look at the system requirements for the last update in 2015 – a 1024 x 768 monitor with 256 colors. Are you investing into something that is not evolving with your needs?
Does It Have a Mobile App? Adobe and Microsoft Office have very robust mobile tools. I can scan and fill out and sign a pdf with my phone on the go. I can also edit Word documents on my phone to make quick changes when someone emails me a draft of something and I’m at lunch. Those changes get synced to the desktop version when I get back. I can review and highlight depo transcripts at home on my tablet with the Acrobat app. Nuance, who makes Nitro PDF, the kind of made-in-China version of Acrobat, has great mobile apps for Dragon dictation software, but not for their PDF editing software.
Conclusion
The sticker price is just a small factor in what the software is going to “cost” your firm. There’s a reason why you don’t hear carpenters say, “Ugh. $100 for a skilsaw? I’ll just use this $8 hacksaw instead.” Think about all of the other factors before making a decision.
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Jeff Bennion is a solo practitioner at the Law Office of Jeff Bennion. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of San Diego’s plaintiffs’ trial lawyers association, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. He is also the Education Chair and Executive Committee member of the State Bar of California’s Law Practice Management and Technology section. He is a member of the Advisory Council and instructor at UCSD’s Litigation Technology Management program. His opinions are his own. Follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here, or contact him by email at jeff@trial.technology.
