Technology

Recap: Reboot Your Firm For 2018

Topics at the event ranged from ethics and efficiencies to legal tech adoption and risk management. How will you reboot your firm this year?

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(Photo by Linden Tree Photography)

My last business trip of 2017 was to Atlanta for the inaugural Reboot Your Firm for 2018, presented by the Atlanta Legal Tech Community at Industrious in Ponce City Market.  The full-day event was designed to inspire solo and small firms to start 2018 with some new tools, in a tech-savvy and streamlined manner. The topics ranged from ethics and efficiencies to legal tech adoption and risk management.  Below are the top five takeaways from the event (unfortunately I had to leave early for the airport).

First, a quick shout-out to the organizers, Jennifer Downs of Aggregate Law, Erin Gerstenzang from EHG Law Firm, and and solo attorney Kimberly Bennett. Not only did they sell out the day to 50 attorneys, the program was well-paced and informative with a combination of presentations and workshops. The structure was very hands-on with everyone encouraged to bring laptops, questions, and an open mind to change and improvement. Jennifer is also an Evolve Law member and has been instrumental in revitalizing the Atlanta Legal Tech Meetup Group.

Although the event focused on solo and small law firms, these takeaways apply equally to Biglaw attorneys. The themes of continuous improvement and change ran through all the presentations as outlined below:

  • Measure What Matters: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Modern Law Practice — you can read more about the reasons for KPIs here. Gathering data and measuring what matters is critical to manage your practice. Start by finding on your biggest pain point — clients, cash, collections — and then implement KPIs that can help indicate opportunities to improve. You can download more information here.
  • Practice Management (PM) Software: Natalie Robinson Kelly commented that she has been preaching practice management for 22 years and her message is simple — get PM software. Every lawyer needs a system to run their practice because you need to not only delight clients and avoid malpractice, but also, the PM software will provide valuable data for metrics.
  • Try Generic Software Too: Sam Glover commented that by asking for special software for legal, we are ignoring amazing tools in the wider market. For tasks like project management or custom relationship management, look to the proven tools outside of the legal market rather than restricting yourself to technology that only works in legal.
  • Go Where the Clients Are: Connect with them before they have a need. Christina Scalera explained that her firm is a business and she uses social media to ethically promote her services by providing great content. She cautioned to be careful that you do not call yourself an expert, and let others brag about you in posts. Also, don’t be too on the nose; post about more than just your practice area and services. Choose one platform to start and serve that audience well rather than spreading yourself too thin and letting multiple channels languish.
  • Outsource and Delegate: Lori Gonzalez and Melissa Grimes explained that lawyers should not being doing all the administrative tasks themselves, even if they are solos. Learn to delegate, outsource, or ask expert administrators for tips, like using stamps.com for mail because it’s easier and cheaper.

Giving participants concrete steps as action items for their return to work definitely set this event apart from many others that I attended in 2017. Also, the attendees had valuable networking opportunities with each other; attorneys looking to improve their practice and reboot should look to their local Legal Tech meetup or Legal Hackers group.

The Atlanta organizers are taking this approach to Nashville, Knoxville, and Raleigh-Durham in the spring for similar events. Reach out to me on twitter @maryjuetten if you are interested in learning more. #onwards

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Mary E. Juetten

Mary E. Juetten lives on the West Coast, holds a J.D., and is both an American and Canadian professional accountant. Mary is passionate about metrics that matter and access to justice. She founded Traklight and Evolve Law and consults as an Access Advocate for LegalShield. You can reach her by email at info@evolvelawnow.com or on Twitter: @maryjuetten.

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