Is Free Software The Next Trend In LegalTech? 

With its new Gavel platform, XIRA isn’t just looking to improve practice management processes. Instead, it’s aiming to change the solo practitioner market itself. 

Indeed, it has been widely documented that the vast majority of legal needs go unmet, and the company is on a mission to shrink this gap and expand the legal market size. To do so, it’s making it exceptionally simple for potential clients to seek legal advice and assistance from lawyers on XIRA.

There are other subscription-based directory services out there, but XIRA is
not charging for lawyers to join or stay, while providing tools that make it
easier for potential clients to find an attorney, book time on their calendar
and also meet on XIRA, all in one visit.

Now, with the launch of its new, free Gavel, XIRA is aiming to further empower solo practitioners and reduce their operating cost. In the virtual practice management space, XIRA is effectively giving solo practitioners the opportunity to shed their subscribed services for practice management, cloud storage, electronic payment, and video calling, and get all those tools on an integrated, secure platform free of charge.

XIRA seamlessly connects the right lawyers with the clients who need them, and its Gavel service provides back-end case management software, electronic payment solutions, online booking, integrated calendaring, dedicated meeting spaces, and videoconferencing capabilities into one platform. 

While the Gavel platform is free, some features are charged on an as-needed basis, allowing solos to pay for what they need and jettison the monthly subscription model.  

Bringing together the entirety of a practice into one platform also mitigates the need to integrate and manage multiple tools — and the data security risks that can arise from doing so. 

Here, we explore how Gavel is disrupting virtually all stages of a typical solo practitioner engagement. The demonstration video of XIRA’s Gavel is a good way to see the power of the platform as well. 

Signing a New Client

For many new clients who are seeking out a solo practitioner, finding a lawyer is not a pleasant experience. They often are chasing down referrals from a friend, or cold calling those they find online.

They are forced to navigate a web of varied retainer fees, areas of expertise, onboarding meetings and other procedures — all while facing what may be incredibly difficult circumstances in an area in which they have no expertise.  

Clients seeking to find counsel through XIRA have a far different experience. From their laptop or mobile device clients can search for the topic they need help with. With each search, the lawyers who match the criteria are delivered to the client in random order, and lawyers cannot pay to enhance their ranking or achieve better search positioning. 

A potential client can then view a lawyer’s profile that includes availability, experience, reviews, hourly rate and consultation fees, and then they can book a calendar appointment that directly syncs with the lawyer’s calendar.

This consultation will then be held over a videoconferencing tool that exists within Gavel. 

When the Client Is Signed Up 

Upon agreeing to take on a representation, a lawyer will use the “start new case” functionality, entering a summary of what the case is about and an invoicing methodology for the new client, among other features.

The platform includes many automated invoicing options, which include daily timekeeping notices that can ward off the sticker shock of monthly bills, particularly for clients new to retaining legal counsel. 

Once a client matter is created, the Gavel platform brings together all aspects of the case including invoicing, messaging, videoconferencing, calendaring, and document storage. A lawyer can add existing clients to the Gavel platform as well, enabling management of a lawyer’s entire practice, even clients obtained outside of XIRA. There is no need to use any service other than XIRA to manage a practice.

The integration provides more than convenience — having the data in one spot mitigates cybersecurity risks that would otherwise arise from integrating varied applications. 

Xira is also continuously developing new features to expand its platform, such as e-signature, which is scheduled to be included this quarter. 

One ‘Pane of Glass’

There’s little doubt that the age of remote work has revealed just how critical practice management platforms are to the operations of a solo practitioner. 

As a young company formed in 2019 with a platform launched in July 2020, XIRA has been aiming to build a system that’s optimized for this new normal. 

With Gavel, the goal is to integrate all layers of a solo’s operations into one proverbial “pane of glass.” 

One layer, for example, is the marketplace where a solo practitioner acquires clients. Another is collaboration and communication. Another is practice management. 

By combining these functions, Gavel offers a new level of convenience, data security, and ease of use for clients and lawyers alike. And as the platform continues to expand, it will offer further integration while representing a break from the monthly subscription model. 

Click the link for a demonstration video of XIRA’s Gavel.