When a situation develops unexpectedly for your client, are you going to be one they call?
When law firm clients are facing difficult situations, their primary concern is securing the best possible outcome.
In those times, they want a legal partner that gives them the best shot at success. In some instances, however, the first challenge is finding the right legal partner. Who is best qualified? Who can take my case right now? Who can I trust to get the job done? These are all questions that clients want to have answered quickly.
Firms that are prepared to provide the type of counsel these prospects need during difficult times can position themselves to win new business and establish strong relationships. But, make no mistake, client expectations go beyond a firm’s ability to say “yes” and its ability to take on a matter. These firms must also be able to deliver. In many instances, it is legal research technology that gives them that ability — potentially making legal tech the ultimate differentiator.
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 | What types of legal technology make the strongest differentiators? |
 | Broader benefits of legal resource technology |
| What’s next? |
What types of legal technology make the strongest differentiators for clients?
There are a number of characteristics that make a law firm stand out to a prospective client, but those that allow the firm to provide superior service tend to make the most substantial impact. Here is a closer look at two types of solutions that could move your firm closer to the top of a prospect’s shortlist:
Tools that allow you to provide fast, accurate answers
When clients have questions about unfamiliar and sometimes unnerving issues, they want answers that they can act upon immediately. Having a solution that gives you the right answer in the least amount of time can put you in an extremely favorable position.
Tools that help you take on new types of matters
In many cases, clients may come to their firms with a type of matter the firm doesn’t normally handle. Some firms will take on these unfamiliar matters in an effort to accommodate the needs of a key client in order to avoid creating competition by referring the matter out. On the other hand, if a new prospect comes to the firm with a similar request, there may be an opportunity to get a foot in the door and position the firm for additional business down the road.
The broader benefits of legal resource technology
Investing in legal research technology that differentiates your firm will help you to increase the quality of your work, and this will lead to a stronger reputation for your firm, as clients will be more satisfied with the results, and will be much more likely to talk about your firm with others. This, in turn, can lead to a higher number of referrals, which is invaluable in helping your firm grow.
Here are some other benefits associated with strengthening your firm’s reputation:
Being recognized as an industry leader
Industry leaders are those organizations that their competitors strive to emulate. In the legal industry, they are the firms that are the most respected and the ones that serve the most prominent clientele. These firms use cutting-edge legal technology to provide the highest level of service and secure the best results for their clients.
Being seen as an innovator
Firms that proactively adopt legal tech are seen as innovators who think beyond standard methods and find non-traditional solutions to complex legal problems. Clients are drawn to these types of firms and see them as the forward-thinking types of organizations they want on their teams.
In this free on-demand webcast, learn how innovation and technology define what it means to be a modern law firm today.
Making your firm an attractive business partner.
Corporate legal departments invest in technology to help complete their work on behalf of the company, and they expect the law firms they partner with to have tools that are at least as good as their own. By adopting the most current technology, firms can position themselves as business partners who are able to work seamlessly on their clients’ most important matters.
What’s next?
Now is the time to get started on building a comprehensive set of solutions for your firm. Conduct a complete audit of your firm’s current legal tech and identify the gaps that are keeping you from accommodating new requests that might come your way. Develop a plan to fill the gaps and start vetting solutions to fill them. The better your ability to effectively handle any matter that comes your way, the better your chances of winning new business and loyal clients.
To learn more about the difference tech can make for your firm in an uncertain market, download our white paper, Six ways firms can win with legal technology in an uncertain market.
When potential clients find themselves in difficult times, make sure you are the legal partner that can give them exactly what they need.
