In the last two blogs of this series, our team of document automation experts and self-confessed "fun geeks" offered insights on setting on your document automation journey, the crucial role of document styles and selecting the right templates for automation and what to consider when executing your document automation strategy.
In this final blog, we will be covering the what next? factor. Now you’re releasing legal technology projects, what do you need to do to maintain engagement in your law firm or legal team? Here are some top tips from echo.legal.
1. Comms
Regular communication of new automated content, speaking at partner conferences, and practice area meetings can help spread awareness about your new legal tech tools. Sharing success stories from different departments can also increase engagement and uptake.
2. Accessibility
Consider the accessibility of the templates, ensuring they align with the usual document creation process for the lawyers. This may involve incorporating them into a knowledge site or DMS, or integrating them into a legal intranet or other platform commonly used for document creation within the organisation.
3. Maintenance
To keep content engaging and live, it must be regularly maintained. Practice areas should be aware of the process for updates and the best way to submit them. Teams responsible for automation, IT, or knowledge should monitor template usage and provide feedback to practice areas. High usage may indicate further investment in a template would be valuable, while low usage could signal issues with the questionnaire or content, lack of awareness, or even the need to retire the template.
Regularly updating content is important to maintain its relevance, while cultivating strong relationships with lawyers can provide insights into upcoming changes or updates in regulations.
4. Training
It is important that all new and lateral hires are trained on accessing and using the platform as part of their training program. This will ensure they know where the content is located and can easily engage with it. Consider incorporating this training into both initial onboarding training for new hires and any seat moves for current employees. This will allow individuals the opportunity to hear from a practice area champion on what content is available, where it can be found, and ways they can contribute or share it further.
The path forward in Legal Automation for your legal team or law firm
Although it is possible to automate documents without everything we have discussed in this blog series, doing so can make the process more challenging and time-consuming. It's like building a house without a solid foundation. By taking these first steps, you will not only be prepared for automation but also have a sturdy groundwork for any future technology needs related to understanding your document content, structure, and preferred clauses.
At echo.legal, we work with many clients who do not have their own document automation or knowledge teams. That said, its worth noting that many of our client do have these internal teams in place but find us a useful partner for project management and team augmentation. We have the benefit of more many years of combined experience automating documents than we care to mention!
To end on a final word from our team of #FunGeeks, and that is to always automate with intent. Consider all the necessary steps before starting an automation project for your law firm or legal team. Taking the time to thoroughly think through these topics will result in a smoother automation process and lead to improved engagement, return on investment, and long-term success.
echo.legal is an expert team of highly experienced software implementers and practising lawyers, delivering the perfect mix of legal and product knowledge. If you need document automation support for your law firm or legal team, contact julie.saliba@echo.legal or will.sumners@echo.legal.
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