The legal sector is one of the world’s most paper-heavy industries. While digital technology has the potential to revolutionise the sector, many firms are yet to fully embrace new, digital ways of working.

“The legal industry is in a transitional phase. We all have access to email and electronic documents, but we remain voracious consumers of paper. The courts continue to experiment with electronic litigation, but Phillip Street is still clogged by trolleys of court documents. And there’s this thing called the virtual law firm which is meant to be revolutionising legal practice – although many argue that the revolution isn’t quite here yet.” Virtual Reality: Is the future already here?: The Law Society of NSW¹

The rise of the virtual law firm

More and more, the sector is seeing the rise of virtual law firms. According to the Law Society of NSW, virtual law firms come in two forms. The first is the secondment-only firm; a firm with a network of lawyers who can be “embedded” within a client’s business for short or long-term assignments.

The second builds on the idea of a firm as a network of experts linked by a common idea and a common platform; typically a website through which practitioners either refer work to each other or receive work in response to queries from the general public.

While both models differ slightly, their common element is a move away from the physical office space as the centralised “hub of lawyering”.¹

How your firm can compete 

Technology obviously plays a key role in enabling these virtual law firms to operate; with cloud-based document libraries, shared workspaces and collaboration tools imitating traditional face-to-face ways of working and sharing information.

Unencumbered by permanent payroll, equipment and office overheads, virtual law firms can be more dynamic and potentially, more responsive to client needs.

With high quality, cloud-based technology in place, however, traditional firms can compete with new, virtual firms.

The benefits of moving to the cloud include:

• Reduced capital and operational costs: no more servers, software, warranty costs or update fees. Everything is covered in a transparent subscription fee.

• Minimal downtime: with industry leading equipment, software and technical skills, a professional service provider can keep your law firm up and running, 24/7.

• High degree of security: with the right set up, you can confidently and safely move sensitive data between your business and the cloud.

• Scalability: by moving to cloud-based licensing, you can upscale or downscale your IT requirements to meet immediate needs.

• Mobility: your people can access crucial data relating to clients and matters from anywhere, at any time, on any device.

• Flexibility: employees can share documents and other files easily and securely to support internal and external collaboration.

• Sustainability: by only using resources you need, you are also successfully reducing your law firm’s carbon footprint; one step closer to the dream of the paperless law firm.

Find out more

To learn more about the notion of a paperless law firm, contact The Missing Link on 1300 865 865 or contactus@themissinglink.com.au.

¹ The Law Society of NSW, Virtual Reality: Is the future already here?, accessed 21 June 2017, http://www.lawsociety.com.au/ForSolictors/SmallPracticePortal/IT/Articles/VirtualReality/index.htm