Technology has become a vital part of the practice of law. From scheduling appointments to document signatures, filing cases to the organization of discovery, there’s not an aspect of running a law firm that doesn’t (or shouldn’t) use tech in some way. Technology makes us more efficient and better able to serve our clients. It reduces the administrative burden of accounting, billing, and matter oversight. It runs the business so we can focus on the practice. While technology is great, it can get pricey if you’re not careful. That’s why we’ve put together this list of our favorite tech for law firms for under $30 per month.
Acuity
Acuity is an online-scheduling software that makes it incredibly easy for clients and colleagues to schedule appointments with you. After linking up your existing calendar, Acuity will automatically block off your availability and only offer appointments based on the rules you set. Don’t want to have consultations in the morning? No problem! Set your window for whatever time works best for you. Don’t want to have more than three client meetings a day? No worries! Set a max number and let Acuity do the rest. I can’t tell you how much time Acuity has saved me. No more back-and-forth emails trying to find something that works. With different appointment types, both clients and leads can schedule at their convenience at times that work for me. Starting at just $15 a month, Acuity is worth every penny and then some.
TextExpander
I don’t know how I lived without TextExpander before it was recommended to me. Oh, wait. I know – I lived in a world with a million Word templates that I would have to search for and find and then copy and paste and mess around with formatting each time I wanted to use language I had previously written. TextExpander changed all that. Housing templates in one central location, TextExpander deploys custom text snippets and templates with just the input of a keystroke. And the best part is that it works across all different software. It’s not just for Word. It works in your email client, web browser, applications, and more. I use it to quickly type things as simple as my phone number to entire emails with summaries and next steps. I have snippets for common links (like to my calendar) so that I can easily share them without worrying about typos or wrong URLs. For less than $5 a month, you too will wonder how you lived without it.
Zapier
There’s a reason their slogan is “Zapier makes you happier.” Zapier allows you to automate your work across more than 5,000 applications. It’s like having an employee who handles your admin tasks, except it’s a zap you’ve set up to run when a certain triggering event occurs. For example, when you take on a new case, Zapier can do things like create a new folder structure where the case documents are stored, create a task list based on a template for the particular type of case, create a new email folder for the client, and send the client a welcome email with next steps – all because you converted a lead to a client in your CRM. One of my favorite ways to use Zapier is to automatically save all client communication to the matter in my case management software. Without thinking about it, every email tagged with the client’s name gets saved to the matter, whether it’s from me, the client, opposing counsel, or any other third party. I can focus on providing exceptional customer service because I know the business is taken care of. Zapier’s free plan may be all you need, but even if you need to upgrade, it’s only $20 per month.
For less than $100 a month, you can take care of scheduling, communication, and many admin tasks using the technology we’ve shared here. Of course, this list is not exhaustive. There are so many other technology providers out there ready to make your life easier. The trick is to find what’s right for you. To learn more about how to analyze possible technology in different categories, check out our FREE Tech Guide for Lawyers. In it, we cover the best approach for using technology in your practice, what features to weigh in a dozen different categories, and possible service providers to consider. If you can’t tell, tech is one of our favorite topics to learn and share, so we hope you’ll check it out!
