Remote chance: the role of legal tech and successful home working

Article by Craig Matthews. Chair of the LSSA and CEO of Osprey Approach.

As we enter the latest Covid tier system, new ONS data shows that almost a third of the population is working exclusively from home. Many law firms have been doing so for several months – and it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the picture will change anytime soon, says Osprey Approach CEO and LSSA Chair, Craig Matthews.

If the past few months have taught us anything it’s that good law firms shouldn’t need a physical building in order to be successful. With the right infrastructure in place – and this is critical to success – many firms have continued to deliver high-quality legal advice to their clients right through the pandemic.

For law firms still grappling with technology, and with an absence of workflows to ensure processes are undertaken efficiently, it’s more important than ever to assess how to create an effective, secure remote working environment, leaving fee-earners to do what they do best.

Osprey survey on working practices

Of the firms who responded to our recent survey on working practices during the lockdown, fewer than 30% said that some of their fee earners worked from home prior to Covid-19, compared to many fee earners (86%) working from home during the lockdown.

85% of those firms also said that post-lockdown, the intention is that either some or most, of their fee earners will work from home.

It was encouraging that many firms (86%) noted no change in their ability to take new instructions or time record, despite them working across a range of devices, showing a need for greater flexibility whilst working from home.

Invest in good technology

There can be little doubt that home working is here to stay; those firms that pulled together hasty tech solutions to see them through lockdown, with no plans to upgrade for the longer term, will no doubt feel a negative impact on their commercial success.

Firms that continue to invest in good quality legal technology will continue to reap the rewards and can drive their business forward by:

1. Becoming device independent by using real cloud software
2. Collaborating with stakeholders at home or in the office
3. Staying compliant and secure to mitigate risks
4. Working smarter on matters through technology
5. Using their website to generate new business and accept instructions
6. Providing real-time client access to correspondence and case progression through their website and an app
7. Integrating their legal and business accounting with your case management

Good quality, high availability legal technology is the backbone of a law firm’s business and is vital to support a mix of home and office working.

At Osprey, we are continually looking at how we can best serve our clients. For us, that means not only ensuring law practices run efficiently on a day-to-day basis but having an eye firmly on the future. To find out more, visit www.ospreyapproach.com