Future-Proofing Your Law Firm Processes

Guide to Future-Proofing Your Law Firm ProcessesHow technology is changing the way lawyers win new business

Guide to Future-Proofing Your Law Firm ProcessesHow technology is changing the way lawyers win new business

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Table of Contents

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Chapter 1: An introduction to the future of law firms

Chapter 2: How technology is changing the legal landscape for the better

Chapter 3: Law firm management

Chapter 4: The future of winning new business in the legal sphere

Chapter 5: The ingredients to creating a winning pitch book

Chapter 6: How Qorus can help you to create winning pitch books quickly






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Hard work and long hours is usually the nature of the law

firm business. Fortunately, with progress and innovation

breathing new life into law practice management, law

firms are now being run more smoothly and efficiently

these days. Efficiency in the law firm will save you time and

money, leading to staff satisfaction as well as increased

client approval once you are able to focus more on what it

is that you do best – representing your clients.

The legal landscape is shifting with the digital age through

the adoption of innovative technology, becoming more

paperless and using practice management software to

streamline the law firm’s workflow. Law firm proposals, or

pitch books, are fast becoming an increasingly important

means of business development in today’s competitive

industry. Therefore, creating pitch books in the fastest and

most efficient way possible needs to be addressed. This

eBook serves as a guide to how you can improve on your

law firm practice in order to win new business.

This guide will take you through the following

aspects that lead to winning new business in

the legal sphere:

• How technology is changing the legal landscape

• Law firm management

• The future of winning new business in a legal space

• The ingredients to creating a winning pitch book

• The software that will assist you in creating

winning pitch books quickly






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The early day law firm

In the leading law firm offices of today, you won’t find rows of filing cabinets spewing out dusty old folders. As technology

trends reshape the legal landscape, a new breed of lawyers raised on computers, cellphones and tablets have emerged.

With this new breed comes technology-based digital workflows that are used to help run your practice efficiently, with

practice management software that eliminates the filing cabinet and replaces it with a system where you can pull out a

document from the comfort of your desktop.

In the early days, law firms were on the list of initial companies to adopt technology such as fax machines and early word

processers which aided them in drawing up and delivering documents quickly without the need for a courier. When you

consider that many parts of the legal services delivery are information based, technology that makes the gathering,

collaborating and application of this information an easier and quicker process is necessary. Lawyers’ duties include

researching online databases, writing, preparing outlines and deposition summaries, and filing pleadings with courts that

are prepared using word processing tools.

It is believed that when computers were first introduced into law firms they were seen as tools for secretaries to use only.

Browning Marean, expert in electronic data discovery and member of the ABA Law Practice Division (LP) stated that he

was “fending off complaints from his fellow partners that he had been seen by associates typing on his personal

computer.” How things have changed over the years - a lawyer who doesn’t have a computer on their desk would not be

seen as professional. The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct were amended in 2012 to include that knowledge of

“the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology” is a part of lawyer competency.





http://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_practice/about_us.html

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_1_competence/comment_on_rule_1_1.html

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_1_competence/comment_on_rule_1_1.html


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Modern day law firms

The tools of the trade in law have gone from law books and legal pads to computers, software, online databases,

smartphones and apps. With the rise in technology that is making a lawyer’s life easier by helping them get a lot more

done in less time, you need to take into consideration your billing rates. If a law firm is billing its clients for five hours,

when they are doing something for them that can be done in much less time, they are not doing right by their law practice,

or their client. Technology forms part of lawyers’ trade tools, this is the case now and increasingly more so in the future.

Therefore, the skills for success in the legal sphere should include the effective use of technology, which means legal

professionals and law firms need to embrace these technology trends. Handwritten time entries on billing paper sheets are

not only inefficient, but means a proofreading process will be involved too, thus it needs to progress to entering your time

on a billing system. Converting hard copies into digital format means your data assets are safe from damage or

deterioration over long periods of time. Locating files is also more seamless as opposed to relying on physical filing

cabinets for storage and retrieval.





Big data decisions

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the modern day law firm removes much of the administrative

overhead and helps maintain your professional image to your clients. However, IT governance poses a few critical

questions to law firms, as very few legal practitioners believe that they have the expertise or inclination to take the lead

when it comes to IT governance.

Strategic decisions about your law firm’s IT direction could be problematic if left to the in-house IT experts. As the broad

definition of IT governance goes, it concerns the processes and policies that ensure the effective and efficient use of IT in

enabling an organisation to achieve its goals. If a computer workstation doesn’t function or the network goes down, there

is very little, if any, productivity.

This then means that attention needs to

be given to end-users, as well as IT staff.

It is important that adequate training and

education is given to non-technical staff,

not just on IT staff alone.

The following focusing areas should be noted on

your firm’s IT governance agenda.


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1. Security

Law firms are legally obligated to protect their client’s sensitive

information. In the past this was easier when most of this data was

stored in hardcopy. Nowadays, with law firms’ computers and other

devices being connected to the Internet, there is always an inherent

security risk. This is especially true with the modern lawyer travelling,

using Wi-Fi networks, logging into personal email accounts, making

use of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy and visiting countless

websites. This is why it is important that law firms invest in training

their staff on basic security issues, such as strong passwords and how

to recognise suspicious email content.

The challenge for law firms addressing digital security is to make

smart decisions but not overly rigid ones. Clients want their

information protected, but they do not want policies that expend

extra billable time for only a speculative benefit. A lawyer who is

unable to remotely access a client file is hamstrung from working in

the most efficient way, which translates into a less than optimal

service to the client.

2. TrainingIT security training for staff is important, but it

is also critical for law firm operations that all

staff and lawyers use their technology tools

efficiently. It’s not something to be taken

lightly when a firm’s client is billed five or

more hours for a task that the client

representative believes should take only one

hour. It is a critical IT governance issue to

determine what in-house training is needed,

and measuring how well staff absorb training

material.






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Today’s law firms, like every other organisation, are reliant on technology. Good IT governance processes are a requirement

for effective strategic decision-making. In a large law firm, this would involve selecting a diverse team. In a smaller firm, that

entails a combination of an outside contractor, and someone in the firm developing expertise. But the investment cannot

be just in financial spend. A continued investment in time is also needed. This includes time for information gathering and

decision-making, in addition to time for training staff on security issues, as well as education around better utilisation of

their technology-based tools.






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In order for your law firm to grow, you need to make sure that the workings of your practice are all running smoothly,

adequately and on the right track. The hot topic in recent years across law firms is legal project management (LPM).

Improving how projects are managed and employing effective project management techniques to manage the pricing

structures promised to clients is critical. However, it takes more than just LPM. If the underlying process associated with

the product or service you are delivering is not efficient and the pricing is not appropriate, the LPM will simply allow you to

manage an inefficient process, but has not allowed you to improve inefficiencies and maximise profitability. Although LPM

is important, it is a management tool that comes later once you have implemented legal process improvement.

Another important aspect of law firm management is streamlining your processes with the use of technology which

eliminates redundant or repetitive tasks. This will be discussed further in the chapter.






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Process improvement

When a client hires a law firm, they expect their documents to be perfect and error free. In terms of the operations side of

the firm, the billing process should be the same for all practitioners across the board. By examining, deconstructing and

reconstructing processes, you will ensure that they become more efficient and save the firm money in the long run. This is

what the process improvement methodology takes care of, teaching you how to deconstruct a process such as the

securities litigation and time and billing processes. It examines all the steps involved, as well as the related tasks and

variables in those steps. It then reconstructs the model to be as efficient as possible.

When deconstructed, a legal work process can be examined closely to determine costs. You can look at how much each

area of a specific process costs in terms of partner time, associate time, paralegal time or hard cost resources. Once you

determine the costs, you can better price the work product and in turn, better manage the project.

Once efficient processes are in place, effective management of projects by people trained in LPM will ensure that they stay

efficient. The good news for those firms eager to put their teams to work to create a competitive advantage through

process improvement and process management is that they will be more likely to win new business and stay ahead of their

competitors.






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Streamlining your firm’s processes

The key qualities that a law firm needs to embrace in order to run their business efficiently is to be open to change and

innovation, usually in the form of technology and practice management software. Technology will enable your firm to

become less paper reliant by having digital files which you gain easier access to and can file and manage more easily than

hardcopies. You will also reduce costs associated with managing and storing hardcopies, and have more flexibility to create

filing systems that fit into your law firm’s workflow. This will of course depend on the type of document management

software that your law firm utilises.

You can leverage technology to eliminate redundancies in your law firm’s business processes. Ways to go about this

includes creating fillable forms for frequently used documents, automating document assembly, and creating templates

that automate repetitive tasks. This will lead to faster, more efficient processes, which in turn leads to satisfied employees

and loyal clients. Web-based portals will streamline your firm’s communication and collaboration with other lawyers and

with clients. The ability to communicate in a secure online environment and avoid back and forth phone calls will not only

save time, but also offer your law firm other benefits such as convenience, improved communication and agility.






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Law firms tend to devote less time on strategic business

planning in comparison to their corporate counterparts - but

this is changing. Law firms are beginning to invest more effort in

measuring and managing their performance. Legal professionals

are quickly becoming more active business managers and are

devoting themselves beyond just servicing their clients. There is

a need to not only understand the client’s legal requirements,

but to also understand the client’s own business and industry

on a deeper level.

Firms are utilising marketing, business development and market

insights that come from business intelligence platforms and

other analytics tools, in addition to client relationship

management (CRM) tools to retain and grow business with

existing clients more effectively, while at the same time winning

new clients. Legal concerns are therefore increasingly running

their firms like a business, not just as a group of billable legal

specialists.






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Strategic planning in law firms

Firms are beginning to implement long term strategic planning according to a 2012 survey carried out by ALM Legal Intelligence.

According to the survey, the top three identified priorities are: growing a firm’s revenue, increasing profitability, and talent

acquisition/retention. For many firms, integrating strategy with business development and improving staffing and productivity

represent opportunities for improvement and focal points for future planning cycles.

When it comes to measurements for gauging a firm’s performance, consideration should be given to using predictive measures of

productivity for individual engagements and teams. In addition, measuring the impact of their pricing agreements with clients.

They should also try to measure the growth of their new business development and cross-selling undertakings against return on

investment (ROI).

It is essential that a firm understands its client’s business and industry to differentiate them from their competitors. With regards to

a firm’s competitive advantage, value and quality of service are of equal importance to knowledge of client’s business and client

relationship. The survey reports that 56% of firms say that they have a plan in place to build, track and measure client loyalty and

satisfaction.

Firms are becoming more dedicated to the use of corporate tools that support undertakings such as strategic planning and

enhanced project management. According to a recent Altman Weil’s Inc. Survey: 2014 Law Firms in Transition, in which several of

the largest US law firms participated, instilling fundamental operational changes and investing in legal project management tools and

training will create new efficiencies for clients, improve profitability of matters, and create significant competitive advantage.





http://www.almlegalintel.com/

http://www.almlegalintel.com/

http://www.altmanweil.com/index.cfm/fa/r.resource_detail/oid/f68236ab-d51f-4d81-8172-96e8d47387e3/resources/Law_Firms_in_Transition_2014_An_Altman_Weil_Flash_Survey.cfm


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Monitoring client relations

Law firms are able to use data analytics tools to understand who the best clients are, so the firm can actively seek new

clients that match a similar profile, leveraging existing expertise to win new relationships. Also, firm leaders can continue to

cross-sell lateral expertise to where white spaces exist in the client base.

Firms must remain aware that once they have a client, they have to work at keeping that client. According to the survey, the

top three things that respondents thought their firm should improve involving client relationships were increasing the

amount of work from key clients (vs other firms), increasing profitability, and improving CRM. However, none of those goals

can come about without a systematic CRM effort on behalf of the firm.

Some useful techniques in keeping in touch with clients are advertising campaigns, social media outreach, and in-person

customer contact efforts. Although not always viable, some firms are now encouraging their attorneys, or someone in

marketing, to blog periodically. An example of proactive social media outreach would be frequently posting alerts on what

they think might be relevant legislation to a client’s business. However, when it comes to effective social media outreach,

attention must be paid to accuracy and relevance. If the alerts are out of date or aimed at the wrong target, they could

undermine a firm’s attempt to appear knowledgeable of a client’s business or industry.






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Law firm proposals are fast becoming an increasingly important means of business development in today’s competitive

legal industry. The problem arises when immense pressure exists to keep up with the demand in request for proposals

(RFPs) and also how much time is spent on these proposals.

It was outlined in the 2008 Client Advisory from Hildebrandt International that: “The increase of corporate procurement

departments selecting outside counsel is a significant contributor to the widespread use of RFPs for legal services.”

However, law firms are not hiring more business development staff to keep up with the increased demand for RFPs. Some

questions surrounding this arise:

• How does a firm comprehensively and efficiently identify how its experience, expertise and objectives align with a

RFPs’ requirements?

• How does a firm quickly create a pitch book reflective of the prospective client’s legal needs and requirements?

• How does a firm’s business development team maximise its productivity to meet an increasing demand for pitch

books that win new business?





http://www.hbrconsulting.com/aboutus.html


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Best practices for producing winning pitch books

To effectively compete for proposal-driven business, leading law firms are developing the following capabilities within their

business development workflows:

• Improve the search of firm expertise and experience. This will help evaluate how well experience matches business

requirements and increase response times to RFPs with relevant firm experience.

• Create pitch books with the most relevant, firm-approved content.

• Better pitch book tailoring by ensuring the core pitch book document is easily configurable to the various offices

and practice areas.

• Establish more efficient data sharing techniques – extract content from the pitch book and ‘push’ to the CRM or

proposal tracking system.

• The four main steps of pitch book creation are: evaluate, select, adjust and articulate. Spend time finding the right

content, refine it, review it and ensure you have the latest market data customised for a particular client, and then

ensure that branding quality standards are always met.






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1. Evaluate:

Do thorough research on the prospect’s needs, research their company, industry and competitors and tailor your message

based on their specific business needs.

• What is your message?

• How will you encourage clients to focus on your message?

• Brainstorm supporting ideas for your pitch book

• Consider how you can tailor your pitch to be client specific

2. Select:

Include information that is relevant to the client.

• Decide what categories are needed in order to highlight the message and supporting ideas

• Include information based on personal expertise and examples of your services and products etc.

• Make sure that the material you use answers the problems potential clients are struggling with






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3. Adjust:

Make the relevant changes based on objections raised.

• Make sure that your presentation addresses potential objections that may come up and adjust your content

accordingly

• Cover objections that might come up around budget, authority, need and time

• Listen to the client’s questions

• Adjust your message to sound more attractive to your prospect

4. Articulate:

Every pitch should conclude with a call to action that makes sense, even if the client isn’t ready to make a decision.

• Make sure that you always articulate the rest of the journey

• Be proactive in follow-up

• Ensure that you have the latest market data and that it is customised and communicated clearly






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To effectively compete in a saturated market with increasing downward pressure on billing and industry regulations, a law

firm must use technology to automate non-value added processes and assist users in leveraging, sharing and accessing firm

expertise, experience and marketing content. With the ability to quickly draft a high-quality pitch book, a law firm’s

business development department is empowered to work with lawyers and customise a proposal that reflects the

prospective client’s needs, as well as the firm’s competitive advantage. The combination of highly tailored content and an

efficient process is a winning advantage.






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How does a firm maximise productivity to meet an increasing demand for pitch books that win new business?

Consider the benefits of proposal automation software

What if your proposals could be easily customised and populated with information and data relevant to - and customised

for - a particular client?

What if your formatting met brand and quality standards that would help attorneys become equipped and able to self-

service the pitch book creation process?

To create and craft the perfect pitch book, evaluate progress and polish content, all it takes is the right proposal automation

system.

Qorus Breeze Proposals can help you:

• Create proposals easier and faster

• Lower the cost of time and expenses

• Turn data into content

• Simplify the selling process

• Empower people instead of underutilising them

• Spend more time delivering insights and value to your clients






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Long View Systems case study

Long View Systems integrated Qorus Breeze Proposals into their strategy to help create more accurate and efficient

proposal generation.

Long View is one of the most powerful IT solutions and services companies in North America with offices across the

continent. With their large client base, they required customised documentation and an expert content management

system for their proposal processes. Their previous software solution did not integrate well with Office and SharePoint,

which made the content management aspect complicated and inefficient. Several steps had to be implemented by their

bid team in order to create and build projects, this made editing and creating responses to RFPs frustrating and ineffective.

One of the vital requirements of the bid management team is a software solution that has the capabilities and

functionality to manage all their content and make the creation of bids and proposals fast and effective.

Long View was introduced to Qorus Software at an APMP conference in 2012. Once they had done further research and

investigation, they came to a decision that Qorus Breeze Proposals was the obvious choice of software to meet their

requirements and provide them with the solution they needed in order to win new business opportunities. Since Qorus

Breeze Proposals is built on Microsoft SharePoint, transferring existing content was smooth and efficient, which meant that

Long View could start using the software without any major business interruptions during the period of the migration.






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With the help of Qorus Breeze Proposals, Long View has seen a significant change in their content management, which has

meant the following for them:

• Up-to-date content for proposals and other supporting documentation

• Content is easy to search for and categorise

• Faster, more efficient processes which has resulted in improved productivity

• Producing high-quality proposals and a quick turnaround time when it comes to RFP responses

• Smooth back-end which makes creating and building projects and template management easy

• Rich integrated reporting features providing important insight into proposals produced and content used

Qorus Software provides the necessary solutions needed to easily assemble complex proposals and pitches that are

customisable. Proposals and RFP responses are sent out faster with an overall quality that will help increase your firm’s win

rates.





Thank You!

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Learn More About Qorus SoftwareQorus Software is a global provider of document and proposal automation solutions

for Microsoft™ Office® and SharePoint®. The company helps organisations significantly reduce costs, as well as the time and effort required to generate customised

documents, while improving the quality and accuracy of content.

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