The path to success at a law firm starts internally. That’s why it’s vital to ensure employees are happy by providing a good work-life balance through improved processes. Happy team members are more productive and engaged in their jobs. When law firms adopt cloud-based technology, staff and lawyers are empowered to work more efficiently and with greater ease.
At backdocket, our cloud-based practice management software improves staff access and morale, leading to a more productive and satisfied team. Read on to learn the ways moving to the cloud can boost the morale of everyone at your firm.
Cloud services like backdocket allow your firm to work from anywhere, at any time, and on any device. This flexibility to access work at home, from the courtroom, or even the waiting room of their kids’ orthodontist leads to less stress and better productivity. Having a firm that’s equipped to operate remotely is one of the wisest moves you can make. In fact, a two-year study by Stanford University points to a dramatic increase in productivity for employees who work remotely.
When your team works in the cloud, everyone has access to the most recent data and versions of documents, because it allows you to store everything in a centralized location. Centralizing all of your firm’s docs and data helps avoid human error. All updates are done in real-time, so there is no need to email docs back and forth or go on a mad search for the most recent files. This saves time, prevents mental fatigue and mistakes, and puts the focus on the needs of your clients.
A cloud-based platform can improve your law firm’s communications. Not only does it allow lawyers to communicate more efficiently with clients, but it allows instant communication between attorneys and staff members. When team members need to communicate or share documents quickly to meet the needs of a client, working within a cloud-based practice management software like backdocket helps them do just that. When it’s easy for attorneys and staff to communicate, interactions are filled with helpful exchanges instead of stressful questions and frustration. Minimizing stress creates a culture that runs on positive energy–and positive energy is often contagious among team members.
Those are just a few of the advantages associated with cloud-based technology. When a firm can streamline processes and communication on the cloud, time- consuming tasks associated with billing, scheduling, invoicing, tracking, etc., are minimized or eliminated. With backdocket practice management software, the entire firm can work remotely, get help with task management, communicate quickly, improve upon the client experience, and more.
As we’ve mentioned throughout this blog, cloud-based platforms like backdocket help law firms work collaboratively and more efficiently. This creates a mentally and emotionally healthy work environment while boosting firm success. Nothing will help you attract and retain talent like a happy and productive team that doesn’t have to deal with some of the most common time-consuming roadblocks that most firms face.
Contact us today to schedule a free demo to learn more about backdocket’s cloud-based practice management software.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”Peter Drucker, Founder of Modern Management
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
Peter Drucker, Founder of Modern Management
A key performance indicator (KPI) is any metric that measures the success of your firm. If tracked properly, each KPI should easily allow you to identify performance.
Look at it this way—tracking your firm’s KPIs is like having a GPS to help guide you toward where you want to go. Just like a GPS, KPIs tell you where you are and allow you to reroute and change course when necessary. Using the data from tracking to refine your KPIs allows your firm to make informed decisions about your goals along the way.
At backdocket, we offer your firm a way to organize KPIs and adjust while keeping everyone on the same page. Read on to learn more about how to approach creating and monitoring KPIs and how practice management software can help.
These are just a few areas where creating and monitor KPIs could lead to consistent growth and a deeper understanding of your business at every stage. It’s important to remember that it’s not necessary to track every KPI, but rather to choose your KPIs carefully to make sure they are achievable and cost effective.
Everyone at your firm (all staff and attorneys) should understand what you’re trying to accomplish and exactly how you plan to measure progress. This is where backdocket’s practice management software can make a huge difference.
To help your entire firm understand what’s being tracked and why, backdocket creates reports that guarantee all KPIs are accessible and actionable. From pie charts to bar graphs, enhancing your staff members’ understanding of the data by engaging them in compelling ways is essential to tracking your firm toward greater success.
Your firm’s KPIs should range from individuals’ progress to the broader aspects of your firm’s operations. That’s why it’s important that everyone plays an active role in the creation and tracking of your law firm’s KPIs.
The continuous tracking of key performance indicators, such as financial, marketing, business development, number of conversion referrals, client satisfaction, etc., is critical to a law firm’s success. The need for measuring performance has never been more important than it is now in this ever-changing and competitive industry.
Our cloud-based software can make the process of tracking KPIs easy for everyone at your firm. It is customizable and can be shared across all departments, giving every member of your staff access to real-time information. Schedule a demo today if you’re interested in streamlining your law firm’s KPI tracking processes.
A law firm’s most valuable asset is time. For a law firm to succeed, its partners and staff must manage their time wisely, and the most critical way to do so is to stay on top of one of their most time-consuming tasks: billing. The long hours spent on the billing process can feel like a lot of work for minimal reward, as the hours spent are so often non-billable.
That’s why it’s critical to streamline your billing process with backdocket practice management software. You’ll spend less time on billing, avoid as many non-billable hours as possible, create space for more billable hours, and have more time focused on helping your clients.
Here are a few features associated with backdocket practice management software that streamline the billing process and in turn help boost profitability.
Automating the billing process can keep a law firm ahead of the game on key financial tasks like distributing payroll and keeping up with bills like utilities and rent.
Also, practice management software will allow a firm to send automated invoices and follow-up reminders to clients when it’s time to make a payment. Automation creates a steady flow of on-time payments rather than financial bottlenecks that stall your firm’s success.
Practice management software like backdocket creates an efficient workflow that can dramatically boost profitability. When you’re not bogged down in administrative busy work, you have the time and freedom to help your clients in meaningful ways. Best of all, when you make things easy for you and your clients, you’ll create a good impression, and that means more referrals.
Tracking case-related expenses like lab fees, court filing fees, etc., with practice management software also helps you invoice your clients in a timely and efficient manner. These short-term and upfront expenses will eventually pass on to the client. However, it’s critical that you not allow these expenses to accumulate and create cash flow issues.
As we shared above, backdocket can manage all expenses and automate check requests so that your firm’s finances don’t get stuck in a never-ending cycle of unmonitored and unpaid procedural costs.
Cloud technology is key to decreasing the hours you spend on non-billable activities like billing. What’s especially helpful in the age of remote working is how cloud technology will allow you to do nearly everything, including billing from anywhere—at any time.
Because cloud technology provides your firm with real-time data, you have access to the most up-to-date documents and information. You won’t have to waste time double-checking documents and second-guessing billing details. When your firm works in the cloud, you can rest assured that the data you’re using during the billing process is current.
If you’re ready to bill more hours and cut back on non-billable hours by streamlining your billing process, backdocket is here to help. With customizable automation, unlimited cloud storage, and tracking capabilities, we can help small to mid-sized law firms boost their profitability to game-changing levels.
Call us today for a free demonstration of how backdocket can help with your firm’s billing processes today.
This blog was originally published on July 25, 2022. Updated on January 23, 2023.
Attorneys can find endless resources on how to get clients. We’ve even talked at length about how to turn prospects into clients to grow your law firm.
There are far fewer resources available on how a lawyer should reject a client. Turning away a prospect might feel unnatural, especially for firms who are eager to take on new cases. But it’s often the best thing for your firm and client.
It’s important to follow a few best practices when you decline to handle someone’s case. You can usually not only stay on good terms with the prospect, but also leverage the situation to build relationships with other firms.
If you work at a law firm and are looking for a rejection letter template, backdocket has you covered. Simply enter in your email address and you’ll get a free rejection letter template right away.
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Visit the following sections for more information on how to reject a client:
If you’re just starting out in the legal field, the thought of turning away a case might feel like blasphemy. However, knowing the cases you shouldn’t take can be just as important as knowing the ones that are the right fit.
Taking on cases you don’t have the resources to handle can set you up for failure. The client won’t get the results they want, and you’ll be forced to pass up other cases because of the time and energy you’re investing in a case you should have rejected. For example, this could easily happen when a high-volume personal injury firm takes on a complex, catastrophic injury case.
In short, it’s better to have cases that you can be sure will provide a return on investment than a full caseload with only a partial chance of success for any individual case. Also, you can look into connecting with referral partners to send clients to if you can’t take them on yourselves as a client.
Many lawyers offer free initial consultations to potential clients to better understand their legal issues. The free consultation allows an attorney to listen to the potential client’s case, ask questions, and review evidence. However, they can decide not to take the case at this stage, since no contract has been signed yet.
You can always reject a prospective client for any reason, but you must let the client know why immediately. If a decision to deny a client was made during the consultation, you can give them a paper statement outlining your reasons for the denial before the client leaves the office. If the consultation was virtual, you can send a copy of the statement through certified mail to the client and receive proof of delivery.
A lawyer’s job is to provide legal advice and preserve the rights of those harmed by others. If you need to turn down a case, you are always justified in your reasoning. The top reasons that you may decline a case include:
Taking on a personal injury case means you and your legal team must be sure you can get paid for the time you invest in a case. Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means the lawyer does not receive any money until the case is successful.
If this is your payment model, you must pay for court costs and other related legal fees out of pocket for the case to have a favorable outcome. You must calculate the possibility of recovering this time and money, especially if the case takes months or years.
As the complexity of a legal case increases, you will be required to devote more time and effort to the case. When considering all case factors during a consultation, you may decide not to take the risk. Your choice doesn’t indicate that the client lacks a case but is based on your business concerns and time constraints.
In some personal injury cases, another party did not directly cause a potential client’s injuries, or the client was partially at fault. In these instances, you may need to dedicate more time to proving liability than focusing on assessing damages for the injuries.
You might refuse cases requiring you to gather excess evidence to prove liability or cases unlikely to result in a favorable verdict.
Not all lawyers practice every single aspect of the law. Some attorneys specialize in criminal law, others in consumer protection, tax, or civil law. Within these broad categories, you may further specialize in one area, such as medical malpractice or DUIs.
If your area of specialty is not related to a prospective client’s situation, you may not want to take their case. You may refer a client to another lawyer who has successfully represented clients with similar cases.
A lawyer may decline a client’s case if there is a conflict of interest, such as when you agree to represent another party in the same case. In some situations, you may deny a case if it involves someone with whom you have a personal or professional relationship.
If you’re considering turning away a case, keep the following tips in mind:
One of the biggest mistakes an attorney can make is failing to clearly communicate to the client that they aren’t handling their case.
This mistake can be costly. In the worst case, the client could operate under the assumption that you’re their lawyer. If there’s no evidence you’ve rejected their case, you could even be opening yourself to a legal malpractice lawsuit.You can avoid all this by notifying the client that you’re declining their case by giving them a formal letter. Keep a copy of the letter for your own records, too.
Rejections are always difficult to hear, so try to do it with that client’s best interests in mind. That means declining the case as quickly and clearly as possible, keeping any personal opinions to yourself, and, if possible, helping them find representation elsewhere.
A case you won’t handle might still present an opportunity to refer it to another firm. This can increase your firm’s revenue through referral fees, help you build your referral network, and ensure the client has the help they need. This also leaves the door open for future business, either from that client or the firm you refer them to.
Communicate your decision in writing as soon as you decide to refuse their case. You should also recommend the potential client visit another lawyer who can assist them with their case. A written letter serves as a factual record that you turned down the potential client’s case and explains the reason for the decision.
Always prepare a statement when declining a case. If you work at a law firm and are looking for a rejection letter template, backdocket has you covered. Simply enter in your email address and you’ll get a free rejection letter template right away.
At backdocket, we’re eager to help law firms grow. Our blog is full of practical tips to help you do just that. However, our primary goal is making our practice management software available to small- to mid-size law firms.
We’d love the chance to show you how backdocket can make your firm more efficient, communicative, organized, and ultimately profitable. Contact us today to schedule a free demonstration.
Running a successful law firm requires staying on top of organization. As law firms grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to track deadlines, hearing dates, and billable hours. Syncing your calendars (like Microsoft and Google) to good practice management software like backdocket is necessary to accomplish a smooth, collaborative system of organization for your firm.
At backdocket, we understand that nothing about your business should be left to chance or human error. That’s why we offer law firms a way to customize and streamline their calendaring processes. Read on to learn three ways practice management software improves your firm’s productivity, communication, and profitability.
Centralizing a firm’s calendar is a decision no attorney will regret. It allows everyone at the firm to see the schedule quickly. From anywhere and at any time, the entire team will have access to daily tasks, deadlines, billing hours, and daily changes.
This approach to calendaring keeps everyone aware of the current status of cases, including clients. That kind of seamless communication is valuable on a mental, emotional, and financial level. When processes are easy and communication is strong, it builds confidence and morale across the board—and that’s good for business.
Syncing your calendars with practice management software gives everyone at your firm an easy and in-depth look at everything you do, and it also provides real-time access to updates. This instant access can change everything about how you manage your firm, as it keeps everyone on the same page and progressing with supreme efficiency and transparency.
Real-time is the real deal, and it’s the only way to operate a small-to-mid-sized law firm and remain organized and competitive.
“Time is money. Wasted time means wasted money means trouble.” – Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin said it simply and best. We’ve all heard the adage: “time is money.” It was true back in the 1700s and remains true today. If time is money, then not efficiently tracking time is like throwing money away.
Centralizing a firm’s calendar will boost productivity because everyone will be working more efficiently and billing for more hours. Calendar management through software like backdocket is a key time-tracking and savings tool that we can’t recommend enough—both for the future and your collective sanity!
These top three ways law firms can get the most out of a calendaring system and improve profitability are impressive. Still, they only scratch the surface of how a reliable system for calendaring can improve the way a law firm works.
At backdocket, our practice management software can help you get started keeping better track of events, hearings, client meetings, billable hours, and more. If you want to learn more about how to cultivate a better system of calendar management, contact us today to schedule your free demonstration.
Using cloud technology is essential for law firms. Running a firm successfully requires a team with their feet planted firmly on the ground—but their tech in the cloud.
From internal communications and file sharing, to accessing and protecting data, cloud-based practice management software like backdocket is a way to give your firm the edge now and in the future.
Here are five ways every firm benefits from a cloud-based platform.
Being able to work from anywhere, anytime is a significant advantage for law firms. When all your firm’s documents and data reside in the cloud, it’s as if every member of your law firm has your entire business wherever they are.
An example of how this on-the-go aspect of the cloud can work is in the courtroom. It’s common for lawyers to use their phones in court to gain access to pertinent information or conduct business while waiting.
In fact, if you’re not accessing data and documents in court via the cloud, you’re already at a disadvantage. A 2020 American Bar Association study on mobile device use in the courtroom shows that 83% of the respondents reported using their phones in court.
Whether in the courtroom or at a personal appointment, lawyers can check messages, access data, and review calendars while they wait. This increased productivity is made possible by eliminating the hassle of traveling to pick up files and documents or accessing a physical desk. Wherever you are, you’re at the office.
A cloud-based platform improves a firm’s internal relationships as well as communication with their clients. When a law firm can share documents, exchange messages quickly, and update tasks and calendars, the entire firm wins—but nobody wins as much as their clients.
Cloud-based practice management software like backdocket facilitates speedy and responsive communication between attorneys and staff. It integrates with your calendars, allows smooth real-time collaboration, and keeps the team running like a well-oiled machine. Clients reap the rewards of solid internal communication, and happy clients equate to MORE clients.
Also, when firms can eliminate the frustration of communication roadblocks, it helps boost morale. High morale and impressive systems for communication also help firms attract and retain talent.
Migrating to the cloud also offers law firms ways to cut costs. The savings associated with cloud-based services are significant, as you only pay for what you use. This means law firms can eliminate the need for system support or extra staff for maintenance on computer server software or hardware.
Additionally, the move toward a more remote/hybrid model of work will minimize the need for additional office space for those staff members who no longer need a designated office workspace.
Embracing cloud technology means embracing a new and improved lifestyle. Getting a bit of freedom from the office allows lawyers to work at home and in the presence of their families when appropriate.
Much of the work lawyers do can be done at home or on the beach, and cloud-based workspaces can allow them to make it to their kids’ soccer games on time. There are no confines in the cloud, and this gives lawyers a better way to connect AND disconnect from work.
Security is one of the most important elements of running a law firm. Lawyers consistently deal with sensitive client information and documents that are confidential. The importance of ethical compliance cannot be understated, so document safety is at the heart of proper document management. That’s why we want attorneys to rest assured that their client information is secure and easy to access with cloud-based technology.
Client data is never lost because of server malfunctions. The data lives in multiple servers with reliable backup processes. When connection to one server is lost, the cloud allows you to access another while you wait to reconnect.
Another aspect of the cloud to help lawyers sleep better at night is encryption technology. This protects against cyberattacks and shields their clients’ information from hackers. With backdocket, we use multiple encryption methods to protect data. Our clients can know that all data uploaded to our servers is protected using the most reliable data security protocols.
Cloud technology helps firms scale operations, reduce costs, and ready their business for the present and future of remote and hybrid work. Your law firm can greatly benefit from using backdocket to transform the way your firm works, giving you a competitive edge.
Contact us to book a practice management service demo.
Client intake is your firm’s first impression, and as everyone knows, you only get one shot at those. The client intake process can be time-consuming for your firm and ultimately for your prospective clients. Making it easier for them makes it easier for your team.
At backdocket, we understand the value of a seamless intake process. We’re glad to share ways to make this process run so smoothly that it becomes a game-changer for your firm and makes an excellent impression on everyone who reaches out to your firm for help.
Download our free PDF to learn steps to organize and elevate your client intake process.
Let us show you how to get the most out of your intake process and make impressions that consistently lead to new clients. Reach out to see how backdocket can help through a free demonstration today.
Client intake is the process of collecting all the relevant information to open a legal case for a potential new client. While the intake process can be time-consuming for both the client and law firm, there are ways to ensure it goes smoothly and leaves the client with a great first impression.
Keep your firm running efficiently and leave your clientele impressed by committing to an intake process rule set, conducting a client pre-screen, and integrating intake into your practice management software.
Download our free PDF to find out how you can make a positive first impression on clients during your firm’s intake process.
At backdocket, our practice management software is tailored to small and mid-sized law firms. When firms retain new clients and hire new lawyers, organization and efficiency are essential to success. That’s why backdocket has a selection of tools to support your firm’s growth.
Contact our team to schedule a free demonstration of all the benefits of your firm using backdocket.
It’s safe to say that any small-to-mid-sized law firm would benefit from implementing practice management software. Something that’s easy to operate and saves you time, resources, and helps your firm better serve your clients—who wouldn’t want that?
Some firms may find this kind of efficiency too good to be true. But it’s not. Because here at backdocket, we’ve designed practice management software that promises to deliver all of that, and what’s even better— ANY firm of any size can implement it.
We understand the workflow problems law firms face every day. Maybe you have case management software with information you rarely use, because it’s not intuitive and you just don’t have the time to learn how to navigate it. You don’t need to struggle with an overly complicated system that works against you instead of for you.
Perhaps you’re at the point of flying by the seat or your pants and keeping track of cases on your own as a result of trying to do just that. If this is the case, you are suffering needlessly.
Our team at backdocket knows you don’t have time to reinvent the wheel when it comes to managing your firm, so we invented something as important to your firm as the wheel is to all of civilization: our software is designed to be whatever you need it to be. That means it’s fully customizable to your needs, meeting you and your team where you are.
Like we mention above, backdocket’s dashboard will be exactly what you need it to be from day one. And our onboarding specialists will work with you to make sure this customization stage goes smoothly for you. There will be no videos of people telling you how to do it. Because we believe that one of the key things that sets us apart from any other case management software business is the personalized attention we offer our clients.
Here’s what you can expect with backdocket:
You can count on all of that and more, because our team doesn’t train you and send you on your way. We’re always available to help you when you need us, and we’ll make adjustments along the way based on your ever-changing needs.
We’ve worked with law firms long enough to know that your busy schedules don’t allow for any nonsense. Firms need their practice management software to be easy to use, and it should have your team breathing a sigh of relief right out of the gate. That’s exactly what backdocket provides for you.
Our business is focused on helping law firms grow and being there to help your system adjust to every stage is part of what we do. If you’re ready to make work easier and your case management seamless, reach out to backdocket today for a free demonstration of how our practice management software can make a difference for you.
Is your firm wrestling with how to best manage your data? Managing data proficiently is challenging for law firms at any stage in their growth, and with the sensitive nature of most of the information law firms need to access, store, and process, there’s no doubt that security and keeping up with competitors weighs heavy on your minds.
At backdocket, we understand your data management concerns. You need a reliable storage space for the data required to do what you do. That’s why we offer firms an onsite data warehouse.
Maybe you’ve heard of about data warehouses, but you’re not exactly sure what it is or if your firm needs one. Put simply, a data warehouse is a permanent space to keep the data needed to support everything necessary to run a successful law firm like:
You may be deciding as you read this what data management system to adopt, so we hope we can shed light on what a data warehouse can do for a smaller firm.
Data warehouses live on servers like SQL Servers that function to run database management systems. You may be a total tech head and are getting excited reading about data storage, or you are like many and you’re thinking “SQ…what?” If this is the case, you’re not alone, so we’ll go with the simple “why you might need it” version here:
At backdocket, we’ve worked with many law firms to help address data management challenges similar to what your firm is facing now. And we’ve considered every angle around the role heavy duty data storage plays in the growth, security, and flow of your business.
At this stage in the growth of your firm, your team might feel overwhelmed and have decision fatigue, but with the right data management and systems in place, there is no end to what your firm can accomplish.
We built our business to help law firms grow. And we are happy when we see the peace of mind our clients experience when they rely on backdocket to help their firms run more efficiently.
Contact us today to learn more about our Onsite Data Warehouse offering today.
