Written by Carson Bailey, M. Ed.

The legal landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by advancements in legal technology. Law firms  continually seek ways to improve efficiency, streamline operations, and provide better client service — and that requires them to integrate new software into their daily workflows. 

However, introducing new software to a law firm often faces resistance. Lawyers and staff prefer to focus on delivering legal services, so adopting new technology can disrupt their routines. Moreover, lawyers and staff view software training as a bore and a chore. The traditional sit-and-get training format often doesn’t meet the needs of adult learners, frustrating them and turning them against new software before they can even try it. 

When legal professionals aren’t fully trained on software, they often don’t fully use that software or neglect it outright, reducing the value of your law firm’s investment. 

Fortunately, learning management systems (LMSs) have revolutionized training and encourage the adoption of new legal technology. Before we dive into the benefits of using an LMS for software adoption in law firms, let’s quickly review what an LMS is. 

What is a learning management system (LMS)? 

An LMS is a software platform that facilitates the creation, management, delivery, and tracking of educational content. Leading legal software providers offer a specialized LMS designed to meet the unique training, compliance, and knowledge management needs of legal professionals and staff.  

A software provider’s LMS is a foundational part of software training; it’s a centralized hub for all training-related activities, delivering, tracking, and managing various types of professional development and knowledge resources and streamlining the learning process. 

How can law firms implementing new software benefit from an LMS? 

An LMS can enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of training on new software for lawyers, legal professionals, and other staff. It empowers users to become proficient with software tools, ultimately contributing to improved productivity and the successful integration of software into the law firm’s operations.  

At Centerbase, self-guided learning through our LMS accelerates the training process, giving users a head start before our virtual and in-person training sessions. Our LMS kick-starts the learning process, so users know what functionality Centerbase offers and what questions to ask, streamlining their training and ensuring they understand the solution and its benefits before using it.  

Here’s a summary of the benefits of our LMS. 

Start optimizing your law firm software adoption with an LMS 

An LMS is pivotal in offering flexible, relevant, and personalized training experiences. By adopting the right training methodologies and involving the right stakeholders, law firms can navigate software implementation challenges and equip their teams with the skills needed for a competitive edge in the legal industry. 

If you’re ready to implement new software, get a free demo of Centerbase and discover how we’ve revolutionized law firm training for the way your lawyers and staff prefer to learn. 

Breaking up is hard to do — we all know this. And while any divorce or separation can be painful, the stakes are higher when children are involved. Having a parenting plan in place can help with both logistics and healing and, most importantly, ensure that the best interests of your children are kept at the forefront. Stability is important, and a well-drafted parenting plan can help any family achieve it.

In this article, we’ll cover all aspects of parenting plans, from what you should include to how to avoid common pitfalls to specific state law requirements. A good parenting plan will help you and your co-parent navigate new waters and ensure that your children are cared for.

What is a parenting plan?

A parenting plan is just that — a plan for parenting children. Generally, a parenting plan is drafted and put into place in connection with divorce, separation, annulment, or child custody disputes. Parenting plans are sometimes referred to as parenting agreements, custody agreements, or co-parenting plans, and they may or may not be required by a court.

Essentially, a parenting plan is an agreement between parents that outlines the schedule, duties, and responsibilities of each parent. The agreement may contain specific information regarding guardianship, and if there are other parties involved, such as stepparents or grandparents, the parenting plan will likely also cover their rights and role in the child’s life. A parenting plan is drafted by the parents, the attorneys involved in the dispute, or the court itself, and the plan may be created even if not required by the state.

By having a parenting plan in place, you can reduce conflict and friction by setting clear guidelines and expectations of your former partner while also understanding what is expected of you. Parenting plans benefit both parents and children alike, and drafting a good one is important to creating a harmonious co-parenting situation.

What should a parenting plan include?

What is a good parenting plan for one family will be deficient for another, which is to say, it depends. The best parenting plan is one that is specific to your situation. However, there are general components that should be included in all parenting plans. The key is specificity.

Parent and child information

Your parenting plan must include the general information of the parties involved. This includes the names, contact information, and phone numbers of each parent and the names and birthdates of all children.

Legal and physical custody

Legal and physical child custody are perhaps the most important (and contentious) components of a parenting plan. However, it is important that the specifics regarding custody of the child be laid out clearly and agreed to within the arrangement. There are several custody options available:

Custody or visitation schedule

A custody or visitation schedule sets forth when each parent will have parenting time with the child. The specifics of this parenting time schedule will be based upon which legal and physical custody arrangement you and your former partner have settled on. When building this schedule, consider how visitation might work for the non-custodial parent. What will the details of your holiday schedule be? How will birthdays be spent? New Year’s Eve? What about school breaks? Shorter breaks, such as Labor Day or Memorial Day? While some of these things might seem minor, ironing them out in your parenting plan now might help you to avoid conflict later.

Duties and responsibilities

Along with determining your custody or visitation schedule comes establishing the duties and responsibilities of each parent. It’s important to outline each parent’s rights to see their children during day-to-day activities. Do both parents have the right to attend the child’s extracurricular activities? What about pick up from the children’s school, daycare, or childcare on transfer days? Your proposed parenting plan should also state clearly in which situations a parent is required to contact the other, such as in the case of a mental health crisis.

Child support and expenses

Your parenting plan should also detail how you’ll split expenses related to the child. Will one parent provide child support? Who will pay for health insurance or health care? What about private schools? Who will claim the child as a dependent on their taxes? Your parenting plan should lay all of this out clearly and carefully to avoid future contention and to ensure that your child is properly financially supported.

Other specifics

Because your family is unique, you’ll also need to include details specific to your family in your parenting plan. Consider any particular day-to-day decisions that might need to be made as well as anything in connection with special occasions. Maybe spending Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, or Diwali with your children is particularly important to you. If that’s the case, have it in the plan. Further, if you are separating from a partner because of domestic violence, that is something that should also be addressed in the parenting plan with specificity.

While all of this may seem overwhelming, particularly in the wake of a divorce or separation, the most important thing to keep in mind when writing your parenting plan is your child’s well-being. It’s a balancing act between specificity and flexibility.

What about writing a parenting plan for family court?

The parenting plan that you write specifically for a court should contain all of the core elements discussed above. In fact, in many states, courts prefer that parents submit their own detailed parenting plan (as opposed to having the court order a specific arrangement) because they understand best what their children need.

Typically, you and your former partner will come up with your parenting plan either outside of court or during formal court proceedings. If you are able to come to an agreement outside of court, generally you will present your parenting plan to the court for the judge’s approval. If approved by the court (pending any specific state law concerns (as discussed below)), your parenting plan will become enforceable by law. A parenting plan that is informal, not in writing, and not approved by a court may not be enforceable.

In the situation where parents are unable to agree on a parenting plan, the court may issue a plan for them. To the extent possible, it’s best to avoid a court-ordered parenting arrangement because, as discussed throughout this article, you, as a parent, are in the best position to determine what arrangement will work best for your family. Alternatively, a court may allow each parent to present their own plan. The judge will then listen to each plan and pick one (likely with adjustments). If only one parent presents a plan, it’s likely that the court will adopt that plan. So it’s important to develop your own parenting plan and to do so thoughtfully.

Though it will vary from state to state and judge by judge, when assessing a parenting plan, courts will typically consider the following factors:

You may want to consult a family law lawyer to help you draft your parenting plan, particularly if your divorce or separation has been contentious. There are specific state law concerns that you may want legal advice on, and a law firm will be able to help you. Alternatively, many parents find it helpful to use a parenting plan template or worksheet, many of which are available online. These resources allow you to customize your parenting plan to cover what is most important to you and your family.

The more harmonious and detailed your parenting plan, the smoother co-parenting will go for you and your former partner. Court wants to see how your parenting plan will create a stable and loving environment for your children.

What mistakes should be avoided when writing a parenting plan?

Your parenting plan is about your children. One of the biggest mistakes parents make when determining their plan is to put their own needs ahead of their children’s. As discussed throughout this article, the best parenting plan is one that is agreed to by both parents and focused on the best interests of the child.

Other common mistakes include creating a parenting plan that is too vague. This generally leads to disharmony between co-parents and the need for regular day-to-day negotiation, which isn’t fun for anyone. The terms of the parenting agreement should be laid out clearly and specifically. Specifics that are regularly left out include forgetting to specify what happens when one parent wants to relocate and failing to include specifics on tax deduction issues.

Additionally, there should be a provision about how to handle changes to the parenting plan. As time passes and your children grow older, it’s inevitable that revisions will need to be made. Make sure that you follow the proper legal process as set forth in your parenting agreement for these changes—doing so will only protect you.

Do parenting plans differ from state to state?

Though there are specific laws that differ state by state, the core elements of your parenting plan will remain the same regardless of the state in which it’s drafted or enforced. You will always want your parenting plan to be specific, clearly drafted, and legally enforceable. However, the way in which it is drafted and becomes legally enforceable will differ in each state.

Some states require that specific information be included in a parenting plan. For example, in Arizona, a joint legal custody agreement requires that a written parenting plan include a way to resolve conflicts about custody and parenting time; additionally, Arizona also requires that certain language stating that joint custody does not necessarily mean equal parenting time to be included in the parenting plan. Further, many states require that a parenting plan be signed before a witness or notary public to be enforceable, while others do not.

The key is knowing and following your specific state custody guideline when drafting your parenting plan. If you and the other parents live in different states, this gets a bit murkier, and it’s likely to your benefit to consult a family law lawyer. You can use this resource to start considering more specifics.

Protect your peace of mind

Divorce and separation are hard. By drafting and implementing a well-thought-out and complete parenting plan now, you’ll protect your peace of mind later. Remember what’s most important during the process, and be sure to take advantage of all resources available to you. This is an opportunity to start defining your new family.

The Pareto Principle is the theory that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. This principle applies to client retention, meaning that 80% of a law firm’s revenue comes from just 20% of its clients.

This principle is incredibly powerful for law firms that want to use minimal resources to maximize their profits. By focusing on retaining and improving the client experience for the top 20% of your current clients, you can significantly increase your revenue and grow your law firm.

One way to start the client experience off on the right foot is to offer a new client welcome kit.

What is a new client welcome kit?

A new client welcome kit is a collection of documents that you give to new clients after the intake process or initial consultation. The welcome kit introduces the client to the law firm and its employees, provides practical and necessary information for reference throughout the case (like billing processes and key contacts), and sets the client’s expectations for the representation.

What should a client welcome kit contain?

Client welcome kits will look different depending on your law firm’s practice area. Some law offices create a physical welcome kit, while others prefer the ease of an electronic version. Either way, the kit should include, at a minimum, the following six items.

Administrative information

Your welcome package should include a billing document outlining your fee schedule and expenses, invoicing and billing practices (such as whether you accept credit cards), and the signed retainer or engagement letter. It should also include an introduction to the client portal, plus instructions on how your client can use it, and a list of the common questions that a typical client has.

Case synopsis

A short document summarizing the client’s legal matters and the legal services that you plan to offer goes a long way. It shows your client that you were listening to them and planning to meet their needs and should include details beyond those in a standard retainer agreement.

Key contacts and bios

It’s a good idea to include a short bio and key contact information for each lawyer, paralegal, and support staff member working on the case. You can also outline the best ways to communicate with each person and list an emergency contact option for after-hours or urgent legal issues.

Summary of the legal process

A clear flowchart describing the different steps in the legal process is a great tool for your client to reference throughout different phases of the representation. This helps keep your client informed every step of the way.

Client responsibility checklist

Lawyers do a lot of work on clients’ behalf, but some responsibilities lie squarely with the client. A concise checklist gives the client an idea upfront of what their responsibilities will look like throughout the case. These may be responsibilities like acquiring and producing documents in a personal injury matter or the timing for making important decisions in an estate planning case.

Personalized welcome letter

We all love automation, but sometimes a personal touch is what you need to show clients that you care. Include a handwritten or digitally personalized welcome letter to thank each client for hiring you.

Is there anything specific a family law firm should include in a client welcome kit?

Unlike other practice areas, family law firms handle similar matters over and over again. The client welcome packet is a great way to focus on the specific nuances of family court cases and prepare clients for the road ahead.

One option is to include an overview document explaining the basics of common family law topics, such as divorce, child custody, or the mediation process. If you create a few different documents for each topic, you can easily include something relevant for new clients.

Discovery is also particularly important in family law cases, but it can be daunting for new clients. Including a specific intake checklist in the welcome packet helps family law clients begin to track down the documents that they need to disclose at some point. This makes discovery go faster and also helps clients manage the process in an organized way.

Why is a new client welcome kit important?

A well-prepared welcome kit builds trust between the new client and the lawyer, which benefits the overall attorney-client relationship.

A welcome kit is an important tool to communicate with the client and one that presents the law firm in an organized and professional manner. A welcome kit can help manage client expectations so that your clients feel satisfied and don’t become overwhelmed. It also serves as a great point of reference for clients throughout the legal process, leading to happier, less-stressed clients who are more likely to hire you again.

Additionally, clients who trust their lawyers and have a past positive experience with a law firm are more likely to rehire and give you referrals. A new client welcome kit starts representation off on the right foot because it signals to the client that their case is important to the law firm. It also gives new clients a sense of transparency about the law firm and legal process.

When clients have realistic expectations, they are less likely to be disappointed in their lawyers. This keeps clients coming back time and time again.

Why is client retention important?

Since 80% of profits are typically made from 20% of clients, retaining that top 20% is essential. Finding new clients is also expensive, so keeping clients on board is a great way to maximize profits and decrease costs.

By spending too much time trying to turn unsatisfied clients into satisfied ones, law firms ignore the happy, easygoing clients who make them money. A better business model is to maximize revenue from happy clients by keeping them on in the future. This doesn’t mean ignoring other clients and their needs but instead using thoughtful business practices that allocate resources to get the most bang for your buck.

Best practices beyond the welcome kit

The welcome kit is a great way to increase client retention, but it’s not the only way. It’s best to use a welcome package in conjunction with other practices designed to create happy clients. Some other tools to increase client retention include streamlining the intake process, implementing easy-to-use legal technology, and generating retention reports to monitor your progress.

When law firms use all of these tools together, they can have a huge impact on client retention. 

While modern technology has changed the way that many lawyers connect with their clients, it hasn’t changed the fact that confidentiality is key when it comes to the attorney-client relationship.

In fact, the American Bar Association (ABA) has addressed the rise of cybersecurity threats (like hacking) with an attorney’s ongoing obligation to safeguard confidential client information and communications. Not only do lawyers need to stay informed about the benefits and limitations of new technology, but they also need to try to prevent unauthorized and inadvertent access to their clients’ information.

So, how can you take advantage of the benefits of modern technology to optimize the client experience at your law practice and maintain your clients’ confidentiality at the same time?

There’s an easy answer: it’s called a client portal.

What is a law firm client portal?

A client portal is cloud-based legal software that creates a secure space for lawyers and clients to connect and share information about their cases while automating administrative tasks. It’s a tool that helps you standardize representation so that you can consistently provide an excellent experience for every client, every time.

In the portal, both the attorney and client can upload, store, and share documents; calendar appointments; set reminders for court dates; send bills and make payments, and communicate easily via chat features and automated text messages. Using a centralized client portal also creates a digital client file that is easily referenced in future court hearings or meetings and ensures that all of the information shared is stored securely away from hackers and accidental exposure.

A client portal is a means to streamline and improve the client experience from beginning to end, to keep client data completely confidential, and to cut down on the overall cost spent on administrative tasks related to managing clients.

Why does your law firm need a client portal?

If you plan on staying competitive in the modern legal world, your law firm needs to start using a client portal to better manage current clients and increase client conversion through automation. You’ll turn more potential clients into actual clients by looking at the data collected by the client portal, and you’ll save money by making your staff’s job easier and faster.

A client portal is one of the easiest ways to get clients coming back for more because, aside from providing valuable analytics, it makes being your client easy. For example, it’s a lot easier for a client to upload standardized intake forms and documents in a secure portal online rather than dealing with encrypting an email to their lawyer or sending confidential information without it. It’s also easier than coming into the office, especially in the era of COVID-19. This makes a better overall client experience and saves time and effort on the part of the lawyer and administrative staff.

Portals also make it easy for clients to communicate with you, and that makes them more likely to have a positive experience. The client portal creates one place to easily send and receive messages to one another 24/7, so they won’t need to call at inconvenient times or leave messages with administrative staff. Plus, lawyers won’t need to give clients their private cell phone numbers. You and your clients can also easily review past conversations to quickly find information and maintain a record for the future.

With a client portal, law firms can streamline workflows, like legal billing and payment, which saves money for the firm. It’s an easy way to send invoices to your client and to receive payments through a secure online system without needing the assistance of staff. Clients can download the bills at any time and send questions directly in the portal instead of calling the office and leaving messages. This leads to happier clients who feel informed about billing and organized at all stages.

A client portal is also a great way to give administrative staff access to all documents and a complete history of a client’s representation. This helps staff in charge of billing, legal operations, and paralegal and investigative work do their job better without needing to go digging around the office and asking questions. A client portal also facilitates remote work, which can cut down on costs associated with office space and keep your entire staff working within one system.

Basically, a client portal doesn’t just make you money because it makes clients happy. It also makes you money by cutting costs and increasing productivity across multiple different areas of the firm.

What features should a client portal have?

The point of the client portal is to optimize the client experience and streamline client management processes around the law firm. With that in mind, a great client portal should have the highest functionality and include the following features:

All of these elements should be included in a professionally designed portal that is customized with law firm logos and colors to create a personalized touch.

Of course, a client portal must be intuitive and helpful, but the most important feature of a client portal (or any legal technology) is reliable security and firewall protection.

Law firms are not immune to data breaches. At the end of the day, lawyers must use due diligence to keep client data, online communications, and shared documents confidential. If they don’t, they might risk breaching their ethical obligations and losing their clients’ trust.

Computers are easily hacked, and cell phones are sometimes lost or stolen. Plus, in the era of remote work, there’s a risk that lawyers and staff might opt to use piecemeal platforms or apps that you haven’t vetted for security. You shouldn’t assume that your email is secure either. Law offices are prime targets for hackers, given the valuable secrets they hold.

That’s why it is more important than ever to shift to a client management model that includes a secure client portal with top-notch protective features, like encryption and two-factor authentication. These protections will safeguard confidential information and store data securely, so you’ll never have to worry about someone stealing your client’s data or taking the hit of a dreaded data breach.

How can a client portal assist with client intake?

There are many ways to upgrade your client intake process, but a client portal is a great first step.

A client portal can streamline client intake and standardize the client’s first experiences with the law firm, so you’re always putting your best foot forward. It’s also a great way to automate administrative tasks and workflows related to intake while boosting productivity among other staff and reducing costs across the board. There’s no reason to rely on outdated client intake practices when you have a client portal to make it easy and cost-effective.

Standardizing intake forms

For example, client portals make it easy to send intake forms for clients to fill out before your first meeting and for clients to enter personal identifying information all in one place. This data is usually populated in a larger system to cut down on data-entry-related tasks around the office. It also minimizes the time that each lawyer or staff member must spend meeting with and gathering information from a client.

Targeting ideal clients

Certain platforms can even track the metrics when it comes to intake, which is great for a legal operations department that works tirelessly to maximize resources and save money. Since intake starts from the moment a potential client reaches out to your firm, you can use the portal to track where potential clients are coming from and customize intake to target your ideal client. You’ll also be able to look at the ROI on your marketing spend over time so that you get a clearer picture of the law firm’s finances.

Automating conflict checks

Let’s not forget that a client portal can automate conflict checks that are usually performed during intake and conveniently generate a report that protects the confidentiality of your clients. Conflict checks can be costly and complicated for legal practices, but the power of computing makes it fast and simple with the right platform. Some even offer the ability to create a “virtual wall” to adjust permissions settings and prevent certain lawyers with a conflict in the office from accessing sensitive information on a particular case. This reduces the risk of accidental exposure and confidentiality breaches among coworkers.

Setting up client portal software

If you’re thinking about incorporating a client portal into your arsenal of practice management software to improve your client service, you should try out a free demo for an introduction to our platform. We’re happy to show you all the features so that you get comfortable with the functionality of our client portal and can see how it will help your law firm become more client-centered and profitable.

Family law clients are in deep conflict. They’re facing some of the most trying situations in their lives, whether it’s a matter of a separation agreement, divorce, alimony or child support dispute, or child custody battle. Their nerves are likely frayed, and they need support and guidance.

So, prospective family law clients probably need a little more hand-holding and care than many other types of clients. Because their issues are so personal, they likely need an empathetic ear. They’d also benefit from a client intake process that eliminates the fear of working on personal matters with a stranger and makes it easy for them to start moving forward.

One way that family law firms can make client intake easier for prospects is to offer a questionnaire that helps prepare clients for the information they need to share, so they can organize their thoughts and documents in advance.

Here’s how an online intake form can help you make the most of the intake process, so you start your attorney-client relationship off on the right foot:

How does an outstanding client experience add value?

Clients create value for any business, including law firms. Since the practice of law is a client-based (and reputation-based) business, law firms need to provide an outstanding client experience from the very beginning.

Keep in mind that your family law clients are likely a source of repeat business. (Let’s hope that their disputes are one-and-done and that they instead help you grow your firm’s revenue by attracting new clients with positive online testimonials and referrals.)

Unfortunately, many lawyers are too busy practicing law to give a lot of thought to the client experience. That’s a mistake because there’s little otherwise to differentiate you from other law firms. To ensure your clients walk away with a great impression, you should communicate regularly with them and keep them updated on their case, use technology to create a client portal for ease of billing and calendaring, and of course, develop a thoughtful client intake process.

Why does client intake matter for family law firms?

The practice of family law is different from other areas of law because it’s emotionally charged and often adversarial. It’s also incredibly personal and potentially embarrassing or terrifying— especially for victims of emotional and physical abuse.

Family law clients often feel a little shellshocked when they first walk in for an initial consultation. Not only are they going through something traumatic, but then they must share the most personal, intimate details of their ordeal with a complete stranger. That’s why it’s critical for lawyers to build a sense of trust with new clients at the very beginning— and to do so very quickly.

Without that trust, clients may not share important information that is potentially damaging to their case. Worse yet, they might run for the door and into a different lawyer’s office.

What is client intake, and why is it so important?

The best way for a family law lawyer to create a positive client intake experience is to prepare in advance. That way, you’ll be ready to handle any emotional discussions more productively. This might mean implementing technology for a smooth virtual intake process or giving your client a form to fill out beforehand.

A client intake form, when built correctly, can give your clients direction. It can also get them used to talking about their issues so that they don’t get so flummoxed that they clam up and refuse to talk or unload like you’re their therapist.

Streamlining the intake process also cuts down on the risk of making a bad first impression. When asking questions about personal matters like domestic disputes, attorneys at law may appear to be insensitive. A questionnaire avoids that discomfort because you’ll be informed about the client’s situation in advance and be ready to start proposing solutions.

And if you share the form before your meeting, rather than requiring clients to fill it out when they get to your office, you’ll be more prepared for your first meeting.

What should you include on a family law client intake form?

You’ll need more than a basic contact form to get the information you need to improve the intake process. A comprehensive family law intake online form asks targeted questions. While it may not cover every single angle you’ll need to know about your client, it will give you a baseline of information to guide your conversation during the initial consultation.

The key is to start with general information and then move to more specific details. Here are some of the things that your family law intake form should cover:

It’s also a good idea to ask a few narrative questions, such as “describe your relationship with your kids,” “explain your biggest concerns about this situation,” and so forth. Questions like these give new clients a chance to tell their stories before talking to you. You can use this background to frame your discussion.

Download our client intake form template

If you don’t already have a client intake form, download our template (see the pop-up to your left?) to start building your own. Using an online client intake form can strengthen your client relationships, giving you the foundation for a better client experience from the very beginning.

A successful attorney-client relationship begins with the client intake process. Not only does it formally introduce the client to the firm’s procedures and requirements, but it also helps firms identify potential issues that could cause delays during representation.

A lot of firms operate with unsystematic onboarding procedures that vary from one client to the next, and these bad habits can thwart successful client relationships.

Improving the client onboarding process requires both efficiency and simplicity.

With the right tools and the following tips, law firms can create a client onboarding experience that is quicker and hassle-free.

Pre-Screening Process

With a pre-screening process, law firms evaluate potential matters to identify any issues before the onboarding process even begins, saving valuable time and resources.

This can be accomplished in a number of ways, including:

Standardized Data Collection System

Organization is key to simplifying the onboarding process, so you need a standardized system that repeats the same general procedures for each client’s onboarding experience.

This may involve such tools as:

Remote Capabilities

While some clients may prefer to meet in person, others do not have the time or ability to come into the office for an intake meeting. Remote onboarding capabilities provide clients with the convenience and accessibility that they appreciate, demonstrating a commitment to client service and respect for your clients’ time.

You benefit from remote onboarding capabilities by starting the client relationship on a positive and efficient note. For example, when coming into the office for an intake meeting, a client may forget to bring important information that is needed for their case. However, when meeting remotely, they can participate from a location where they have access to all relevant documents and records, effectively avoiding potential delays in the initiation of representation.

Calendaring

No attorney wants to start their representation of a client by missing the first court appearance, but that is exactly what can happen as a result of inadequacies in the client intake process.

That is why calendaring should be a regular part of your onboarding process. When clients come in with court dates or deadlines already in place, those should be immediately added to the firm calendar to ensure that they are not missed while all onboarding forms are reviewed.

Tracking New Clients

Law firms need a practice management system that allows them to store all onboarding and client information in a centralized location that helps keep track of both new and existing clients.

These platforms help ensure that nothing falls through the cracks between onboarding and initiation of work. Consider the following:

Efficient client intake begins and ends with the systems and tools that law firms implement. The right legal practice management software can prove instrumental to handling this important start to legal representation, thereby enhancing clients’ experience at your firm.

There is a common aphorism that often gets applied to life that goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. And it’s true in many cases. In good times, many businesses can see great returns, and the economy and emotional spirit of both large and small groups or populations of people can be elevated. But these past few years have been different. We are coming out of a really trying time, but something we have heard reiterated time and time again is that through challenging times, a firm's branding and marketing efforts become critical.

More importantly, when the going gets tough, the need to heavily rely on data to gain insights and direction becomes even more important as well. To be able to gauge trends and monitor consumer patterns is how firms will thrive through the chaos. For example, law firms that were marketing in 2020 saw a big drop in revenue in Q2, similar to firms who did not market, but, their leads and overall numbers were higher than they were in 2019 prior to the pandemic. And then into Q3 and Q4, they remained ahead of their previous years' numbers. The idea here is that although there were fewer people searching for legal services during the height of the pandemic, the jobs won went to firms that were consistently marketing.

Visibility and Searchability

The way people are finding law firms, especially via their websites, is significantly more fragmented than it has been. This fragmentation is primarily the result of the omnichannel environment we live in today. On any given day, you have people surfing Facebook, Google, local newspaper listings, online newsletters, podcasts, radio, the list goes on and on. The bottom line here is your potential clients are finding your firm in a lot of different ways.

Create and Highlight Content

Traffic from social media almost doubled in that second quarter during the pinnacle of quarantine, and surprisingly enough, it stayed almost 4% higher throughout the rest of the year than it did in 2019. We are seeing more traffic come from people on social media than ever before. And not only are these people spending more time on social media, but they are also actually taking the next step and going to law firm websites. The strategy here indicates that you need to be in more places online and the easiest way to achieve this is by producing content. Some of you may have read that and felt a wave of panic but don’t worry! When you begin thinking about this content, think about the content your firm would be best at producing; the areas of expertise your attorneys, firm administrators, paralegals and the like possess and capitalize on that! And utilize your ability to repurpose that same content in other areas as well. For example, if you have a blog, consider using that material and making it a video.

Another thing to think about in terms of your content is highlighting and marketing all the technological advancements you have at your firm. If you utilize practice management software, publicize your ability to take online payments, publicize your client portal, automation capabilities, easy intake process, etc. All of those things are advancements that potential clients will look at and cross-compare against other firms, so use it to your advantage! Being able to highlight your customer experience improvements will only serve to benefit you.

Utilize the Internet

Search engine optimization is not going anywhere, in fact, it is driving more and more traffic to law firms. If you think about all the effort you put into gaining referral partners, whether it’s getting on the phone with potential businesses, sending thank you gifts, those couple rounds of golf, all the things you do to establish those relationships. Now think about how much time you're putting in the largest referral partner you have, which is Google? The benefit of Google is that most users are searching for something already. They are looking for an answer or help so not only will they be more reliable, but they will be more willing to work with you to get their problem solved.

Let’s walk through a hypothetical example. Take an estate planning firm, typically, they do a lot of in-person events to drive potential new clients and they really emphasize the need and highly encourage clients to come in for consultations. Well, in almost the blink of an eye, the world shifted to operating online. And now, the first consultation is a Zoom meeting, and those in-person events have transformed or disappeared entirely. So what happens now? In this case, the firm would need to change their website to support online intake and then direct the potential new client to a calendar scheduling tool to seamlessly book the meeting. With this shift, you can now market the efficiencies of this new online process and emphasize the benefits of putting time back in your client's day by reducing commutes and streamlining the intake process.

Ultimately, all the things you are doing to help your law firm be more efficient and effective are also the way your clients want to work. So remind them of the pain of doing things the “old” way and market your services as ones that meet their new needs.

The Intake Process

Now that we have gone through some marketing strategies, let’s think about the ways that you can connect and hopefully get those new clients to contact and hire you. The next challenge that many firms face is how to manage the intake process. How do you manage the volume of calls and digital messages coming in? The issue that arises here is that there is a finite number of hours in the day, but clients don’t care about that, they want a response as soon as possible. And the sad reality is, people are impatient, if they don’t hear back on their time frame, they will find another firm who will.

The pandemic has obviously caused a lot of disruptions. But what has that meant for attorneys and firms? What solutions have been implemented to improve the client intake experience and ensure that responses are efficient and uniform?

System Dependency

Overall, the best way to maintain an elevated client experience is to be system-dependent and not owner or operator-dependent. Think about the lack of availability you may have on a day-to-day basis, between your personal and professional life, handling operations, HR, administrative tasks, everything that you have on your to-do list leaves very little time to handle those inbound inquiries that come to you. You still want to be responsive to both your existing and current clients, but also to your potential new clients and referrals. It is really critical that you set up systems that can be responsive for you, and bring in the technology and the talent that is on your front line. What we saw last year was a lot of people quickly added new technologies that acted like a bandaid or patch. And now what we’re seeing today is as people begin to recover, they notice the holes that they patched and they want to make it look better. They want to make it look great because after all, it is the reputation of their firm that is at stake.

Easy Automation

Making it easy for PNCs to select an available time for a consult without disrupting your day-to-day is the easiest first step to enhance your client experience with minimal effort. Not only will this calendaring automation speed up that first initial contact with the client, but it frees up your staff and it is easy to manage with minimal training in the case that you do need your receptionist or team to step in and intervene. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone faced disruption this past year. So while you’re working hard throughout the day, your clients are too. Sometimes, it isn’t until 10 PM at night when a PNC will come home and have the brain space to think about those divorce papers, mergers, settlements, etc. So giving people the silent comfort of choosing availability on their time is priceless. And we are not saying that you have to answer your cell phone and email at all times of the day, but you do have to be responsive.

The next piece of this intake process revolves around legal workflow automation. The reason why legal workflow automation exists is that law firms needed to find a way to reduce the administrative tasks their attorneys take on and give them more time to focus on creating billable hours. Let's walk through some examples... when a PNC gets created, you can use a workflow to automatically alert your team that work needs to be done. You can automatically schedule a conflict check, confirm that the PNC's data is entered correctly, and verify that your attorneys can take on the workload. Not only is this eliminating inefficiencies, but it is increasing team communication, and enhancing your client services. You can also eliminate the monotonous task of creating letters of engagement or other documents with document merge. This allows you to automatically generate a document based on fields within Centerbase instead of manually typing each document and filling in the respective detail. You can create the initial template and set which information fields you want to be pulled to populate the document.

Legal workflow automation is meant to help create efficiencies and reduce human error. If you're not adopting these technologies or working with software that enables your firm, you're doing yourself and your clients a disservice. If you’re curious to learn more about this, check out this video.

The ways we are consuming and interacting with each other as consumers and businesses have changed a lot in response to the disruption of the pandemic.

Communication Expectations

A lot of what has changed in the last two years has been expectations. Today, clients are fully expecting that you guide and steer the process. So you must ask yourself, how do you make sure that you’re delivering on what the client needs? How are you producing content and answers on all the channels that you operate and are publicly available online? Every platform your brand is listed on needs to uphold the same level of responsiveness. And it’s not just about the speed, it’s about the quality of content. One of the main reasons clients won’t move forward with a firm is because they don’t get the answers they’re expecting. Easily combat this by proactively anticipating the commonly asked questions. Time is thin right now, and if you think about the importance of lead screening and qualification, not everyone is going to be a good fit for your firm. So it is one thing to get out in front and be responsive but you also don’t want to be taking consultations with just anyone on the internet who finds your firm and books your time.

The 2 Keys to Success

So after all of this, what are some of the most successful law firms doing when it comes to their intake process? Well, two things come to mind… the first is when you’re system dependent, you have to be constantly checking and monitoring those systems. That is simply a good habit that is just a matter of professional responsibility. It may not say it very specifically in the bar rules, but triple-check that when someone calls your firm the phone is answered and to your liking. Make sure that when someone sends an email and you have generated automated responses that the email is being triggered how you want it to, that it is being received, and that it also reflects the brand and voice of your firm. There are a lot of systems that are only being set up once and then forgotten and never checked again. Because of this, a lot of business is lost because no one has been assigned to that voice mailbox or that email account. If you don’t check them, that is a blindspot that is aiding a loss on investment for all your marketing efforts and all the other energy you’re putting into promoting and advertising your firm.

The second thing that successful firms are doing is following up with those individuals who reach out. This step can often distinguish the haves and have nots. What happens is the more you follow up (to a certain limit), the higher the payoff. Six points of contact are about the threshold here. Statistically, if you’re following up only once, we know that about 50% or slightly less of your inbound calls are being answered. There is so much distraction and noise these days that if you’re not following up multiple times, your message won’t be heard. It’s as simple as that. Depending on the practice area that you operate in, that will also really set the cadence. So when you ask, “How often should I follow up?” You have to take note of who your clientele is. If you are in personal injury, high-end estate, or intellectual property, you should be following up a lot sooner. Don’t give up and throw in the towel until the person has told you they have made the decision one way or another. That type of chase is incredibly beneficial to the bottom line.

If your firm doesn’t have a proper intake process, you could be losing a lot of billable time working on administrative and organizational tasks. In, Business Development 101: Online Communication Strategies to Increase Your Billable Hours we discussed how properly utilizing the various communication forms (phone, email, text, and website) can make a huge impact on your productivity and future revenue generation. 

Today, we are going to dive deeper into the client intake process and learn how you can not only improve your process but retain better clients. 

To start, let’s do a little refresher on how potential new clients are handled.  

How To Handle PNCs

Potential clients can be handled by you and your in-house staff or through remote and virtual services like paralegals, bookkeepers, and receptionists. 

With software, you have access to resources like call routing and tracking, client intake automation, and calendaring management. All of these tools exist for you to reach as many people as possible with the least amount of leg work.

Responsiveness Through Form and Function

When you think about the form and function of the content and materials that you use to draw in PNCs, you need a combination of human and machine intelligence. 

For the human intelligence side, ask yourself these questions:

How you handle these questions all contribute to your firm’s brand. Not to mention the answers also set the tone for the initial impression you give a PNC.

On the other hand, machine intelligence is necessary to take care of the monotonous, orgnizational tasks. Consider these questions:

Where the human intelligence is used to capture emotion and connection, the machine intelligence is used to speed up your back end logistics and take away some of the manual labor involved in capturing new leads. 

Combined effectively, you will achieve fast, friendly, and accurate responses from PNCs which will lead to more qualified leads and a better experience for new clients. If you can keep them happy off the bat, you’re one step ahead of the game. Not to mention, if your current clients are satisfied, they are more likely to refer friends and family.

Lead Conversion Flow 

Now that you have a firmer grasp on contact methods, let’s take a look at lead sources. Referrals make up a large source of new clients for firms, but what about cold leads? Where are those people coming from? Let’s take a look:

Now, once a lead has contacted you, spoken to whomever you have in charge of the response methods (whether the response is via a receptionist service, in-house, or directly from an attorney), you qualify that the lead is ready for a consultation, your next step should be scheduling a meeting to collect more information. 

This process looks different for firm-to-firm, but at its core, you need to be able to track data efficiently and access it whenever you need it from wherever you are. We have created a great downloadable checklist attached to this blog for you to use as a guide, however, here is a high-level framework outlining what you should be tracking (at a minimum):

  1. Getting started: When a PNC first makes contact with your firm
  2. Confirm the PNCs basic details
  3. Screen the PNC and do a conflict check
  4. Approval: Initial consultation granted or denied
  5. Gather pre-consult information (if you didn’t have enough information prior to do to conduct a conflict check do so now)
  6. Consult
  7. Organize post-consult information 
  8. Send a over a new client agreement
  9. Gather necessary documents

Now if you decide this person is not a good potential client, are you making referrals systematically? Referring out clients who are not a good fit with your firm not only highlights your good will, but it also gives you an opportunity to inform people of what your firm does so that in the future they can call reconnect with you. Additionally, if you refer clients to other firms in your area, they will be more likely to reciprocate that business when a PNC who isn’t a great fit for them walks through their doors. Huge takeaway here - don’t underestimate the power of a good first impression.

How to Leave a Good First Impression

Step 1 - Professionally and intelligently manage calls

Set up your phone so you’re not using your personal cell phone number. A huge push back for texting clients is the lack of privacy. Although you would like to be available for your clients 24/7, you don’t necessarily want to give them access to your personal information.  

Some software offer services where they will provide you with your own private number. Through this you will have the ability to track text and call communications that will automatically be converted into billable events for you. 

Once you have a private work number set up and ready, make sure you establish a professional greeting and menu. If a PNC calls you and wants to leave a message, that voice recording is the first form of communication they will experience with you. Don’t set a bad tone with an unreputable sounding recording. 

Next, consider blocking spam calls. In today’s age where solicitors are around every virtual corner, it is important to protect your number as much as possible. You have no idea when or off what number PNCs will call you from, so if you have spam calls blowing up your phone in between client calls, this is a problem. 

Keep in mind that PNCs have no boundaries when it comes to respecting your time. So make sure your phone is routed during holidays, vacations, schedule adjustments, and any times throughout the day when you are not available. You will miss out on PNCs if you do not have an action plan to capture their calls or messages when you are unavailable. Also consider having a separate after hours voicemail. For these messages, ask for more specific information and give them a time frame for when you will get back to them. This will encourage a relationship versus a one-off missed call. But, if you promise a call back during a specific window you better keep your word. Nothing will lose you a new client faster than unreliability. 

Lastly, track performance! Where did the calls originate from? Did the source yield high quality leads? This information may not seem important in the immediate, but it is. Track this information so you know where your clients are coming from. Having this information will help you determine where to spend your advertising and marketing dollars. The best way to increase non referral based leads is to hone in on target demographic and geographic information. Additionally, know how many answered and missed calls you have. Monitor the number of rings it takes to pick up and keep note of the duration of your calls. It is also important that you have call recordings for performance monitoring. Track what goes well and things that don’t. Your first job is to be an attorney, but your second has to be a business person. 

Step 2 - Automate lead capture and qualification

The very first step here, and this is incredibly important, is to have your criteria identified. First think about who the potential clients are that you really want and maybe also the clients you have worked with in the past that you want to avoid. Additionally, who are the clients you missed? Who are the PNCs that you wished you had captured sooner or the people who may have not experienced your best foot forward. 

Use this thought process to identify the criteria and systematically put in place either a form or a list of questions which you can then use to screen PNCs. When you determine if the PNC will make a good fit, implement workflows for qualified leads and incorporate new-client call-back or appointment procedures. Think about what form these call-backs will take place in, do you prefer phone call or email, and will you have a template for what you say that will encourage these people to use the most detail in their response?

For initial meetings, determine the policy on consultations. How long will they be? Twenty minutes? An hour? Will you charge for them? What format would you like to host them in? All of these details should be ironed out prior to speaking with anyone. Obviously customer service is important so if you have to make a special accommodation for someone, make it happen! You have no idea who they could be connected to or who they know, so always lead with kindness and consideration. It is important to note here that everyone has a different comfort level, video is very intimate, but not everyone is comfortable with it. Also keep in mind that some video software requires the users to download the app (like Skype). That is not always convenient for people who are either not very tech savvy or who simply don’t want to download it. If you are to conduct in-person consults, consider the time you will lose in the commute and any potential traffic delays or last minute schedule conflicts that could occur.

We all know that attorneys charge for a finite number of billable hours each day, so ensure you’re utilizing your time by automating the monotonous outbound tasks. For example, if you have people completing a contact form on your website, you can automatically forward those to the appropriate team members so that the call-back communication happens immediately. Set up workflows to make data collection and tracking easier for you. 

Step 3 - New Client Intake

Following lead capture, begin completing the client intake process. Before you begin, it would be prudent of you to ask them how they heard about you or your firm. This is valuable data! Don’t overlook it. (Your marketing team can thank us later)

Depending on your firm, your intake process may occur before or after booking your first appointment. And similarly to Step 2, identify the required questions you will ask and standardize this process across your firm. Aim for 5-10 questions and make it easy for these individuals to fill out the information. 

Some software today will allow you to customize your intake form and when a PNC fills it out and submits it, the information will automatically populate in your system. Not only is this process efficient, but it is professional and allows you to capture the specific information that is pertinent to your firm.

Step 4 - Streamline Appointments 

The most efficient and effective way to book appointments is by having a public-facing booking page directly on your website. The idea is to remove the amount of barriers between when a PNC first reaches out to you and when they become a client. Integrate this calendar with your own and make sure once a client submits a time that you are sending them the subsequent next-step information that they need. The sooner you can get this information to the client after they hit “schedule,” the more likely it is that they will not only be on time, but that they will come prepared. 

Utilize technology to also trigger workflows for your staff. Once a PNC requests a booking time, what does that mean for your staff? What needs to be done in preparation and who will be involved? 

As mentioned in Step 2, consider whether or not you’re going to charge a PNC for the consultation. The upsides to a paid consult include: reduced no shows and more guarantee that the person is a fit for your firm. However, some people see the cost and may raise an eyebrow. These are all things for your firm to consider, there is no right answer!

Step 5 - Bad Leads Out, Good Leads In

If you generate a list of PNCs who are not a great fit for you, but could be for another firm, utilize that to your advantage! However, some state Bar rules will not allow you to monetize referrals, so make sure you review the rules before getting started. 

Your firm should have an implemented process for “bad” leads. Think back to potential client qualification criteria and use that to identify unqualified leads to save your time. Make a list of all attorneys and firms you recommend by practice area and share that list with your staff or receptionist service including instructions for identifying the correct firm to recommend to the “bad” leads. This could be based on location, practice area or cost. Think of referring “bad” leads as a service. Systematically earn good will in the community and educate future potential clients and referral sources.

Step 6 - Record, Record, Record

As much as possible, integrate as many of your communications into your existing practice management software as possible. Every text and call should be logged with pre and post consult notes. Activity logs on new appointments need to be documented, and triggered workflows should be assigned as action steps for your staff as a PNC flows through your intake process. 

Use project and document management tools to integrate your emails and documents into your system seamlessly and automatically. With some software, you have the ability to build out document templates that can be automatically populated with new PNC information. This not only saves you time but reduces human error as well.

Having robust records of everyone you talk to will not only allow your firm to improve your intake strategy, but pinpoint what is working well for you so that you can continue capitalizing on it. 

So What’s Next?

Now that you have all this information, utilize the attached outline to start solidifying and building your intake process. Define what will be standardized across your firm and make it as easy as possible for PNCs to retain your firm!

There’s no limit to people in need of legal counsel at any given time. In fact, according to a U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey, 74% of prospects searching online end up contacting a firm by phone. Is your service going to reassure them you’re the right fit for their case? That’s why a client-centered law firm is so important in today’s world.

In a customer-centric, get-it-now world, it’s no surprise the expectation for a client-centered experience at law firms has become a bigger conversation in recent years. What does it actually mean to create a meaningful client journey in today’s digital environment? While you may be thinking – “of course we’re client-centric at our law firm!” – this is about more than prioritizing clients or sending them an update. It’s about baking client-centricity into everything you do. In day-to-day interactions, from onboarding to closing out their case, they need to know you’re there for them.

In this blog, we’re going to discuss ways to support a client-centered law firm in every aspect of your business, and why it’s important to do so moving forward to stay competitive and profitable.

What is a Client-Centered Law Firm?

Understanding a client-centered law firm is more of a line of thought versus a single line item to check off your list. Think of a client-centered model as a shift in the way you approach processes in your firm and how it’s run to be about the client in everything you do. While you may think you already do this, it’s a pretty big shift when it comes to your people and technology. It’s thinking about their experiences before making big decisions and adapting your technology to create a smoother, more transparent time during their case.

The purpose of a client-centered law firm, and why many firms have moved toward it, is to set themselves apart and be more competitive. In a world of thousands of attorneys in any given area, this can be the “wow factor” that’s the difference between a client going with you vs. someone else.

What Clients Want out of a Law Firm

In the age of instant gratification brought on by same-day grocery delivery and Amazon Prime, people want what they want – and fast. Waiting for status updates by mail is no longer a feasible option to stay competitive in lieu of the internet and other legal services instantly available. People get answers right at their fingertips in seconds for their bank statements, credit cards, Uber rides, and more. That expectation has, by proxy, bled into the legal industry, creating the need for a client-centered law firm.

Think of yourself as a customer for a moment. You expect ongoing communication and respect. You want to be treated like an equal. Apply those same principles to your legal services, and you’ll check all the boxes of what a client is looking for. Most times, clients are under duress and are coming to you for guidance and help. Rather than being callous or pristine, show them they’re heard and actively listen. After all, they know their case best. As an attorney, that initial contact via phone or in-person can make all the difference in whether they choose to hire you or not. The same can be said for your staff.

So, this all seems great in theory, but how exactly can this get implemented in between all the bustle of daily operations?

Implementing a Client-Centered Law Firm

The most effective way to implement a client-centered law firm is to zoom out and see the entire journey of a case from the client’s perspective. Running through this from start to finish can identify where you may have gaps or get muddy in terms of the communication and mindfulness we previously mentioned.

Here are a few tips to help:

Design a Client Journey

From the origin of a client’s legal issue to paying their bill at the end, your client’s journey is defined as every step of their case from their perspective. There’s usually a substantial difference between what you see of their case and what they’re experiencing and living while everything is unfolding.

Is there a workflow anywhere in your legal tech outlining the client's journey? This can be a great starting point to help you assess where there may be shortcomings or delays.

Refining the Customer Experience

No law firm is perfect – there are always ways to run a client-centered firm and improve upon existing processes. While it may never feel like the “right time,” consider blocking out an hour a week to push aside distractions and focus solely on putting yourself in your client’s shoes. Over time, this can create massive improvements in their experience or all the touchpoints concerning their case.

To refine your customer experience, ask yourself a few questions about your firm, such as:

Smoothing out the process can boost satisfaction and faith in the process itself.

Tracking Your Client’s Customer Satisfaction


You can implement everything you want to help clients, but if there’s no way to measure success or gauge satisfaction, you might as well be working blind. Using a Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure customer satisfaction can be invaluable if you’re stuck in the previous step of “I don’t know what I don’t know.”

For clarity, a quick survey or matrix can be 3-5 questions asking for recommendations and a 1-10 sliding scale for satisfaction. Finding the average of responses, and measuring this over time, can give you a KPI on how a client-centered approach is moving the needle.

Courtesy of Medium.com

Running and Maintaining a Client-Centered Law Firm

Now you know why client-centered law firms stay competitive and are an important part of the changing landscape in the legal industry. Now you need to know the actual structure and pieces needed for it to work: the people and technology aspect. After the plan and big picture, steps are in place, now it’s about running and maintaining the system. It takes a strong, communicative team to make it all happen, so remember – how you treat your team will reflect and trickle down into how clients are treated.

Ask for Feedback Regularly

Isolating your thoughts can quickly become an echo chamber. If you’re a managing partner or attorney, be sure to ask for feedback from your other employees regularly since you’re not on the ground level working with clients most of the time. Every month or quarter, send your employees a survey or meet (digitally or otherwise) to hear their thoughts. Chances are, they’ve been itching for an opportunity to voice concerns, especially when the day-to-day can take over.

Put the Client at the Forefront of Your Business Process Decisions

It’s easy to have short-sightedness when it comes to goals – everyone wants the low-hanging fruit and the small wins to come quickly. But that won’t help when clients feel unheard, or you’re not able to return calls and help increase onboarding as goals, for example.

Building a client-centered firm means always thinking “how does this affect the client?” first and foremost will help keep them top of mind when it comes to the customer journey. Tie that into its own KPI, or verbal note during every budget meeting. Have a few minutes baked in for suggestions and ways things can be improved.

Go Above and Beyond Meeting Your Client’s Needs

When it comes to client centricity, as you’ve learned, they’re at the core of every business process and decision. That means during in-person meetings, make them feel comfortable and, if possible, carve out extra time in case you need to listen to clients for longer than the allotted time. These little gestures can show you’re committed to going above and beyond them long after they’ve signed the dotted line.

The legal industry, at its heart, is a people business, built on helping others and bringing to justice for those who have been wronged. Remind them of that with every update and movement of assistance you provide.

Leverage Modern Law Firm Technologies to Deliver Exceptional Service

This may feel daunting like there’s never enough time in a day to get it all done. We get it. That’s why many firms have turned to practice management software to do some of the legwork for them. By using expedited billing and workflow automation, you can get minutes back in everyone’s workday that adds up to something incredible: the ability to offer exceptional service to your clients.

Centerbase can do all of the above and more for your firm.

A Client-Centered Law Firm Benefits Everyone

To recap, by mapping your client journey – or their perspective of a case from inception to their last bill payment – you can stay competitive and create a positive reputation that earns more referrals and business. By keeping an open line of communication between your staff and clients and rating the satisfaction over time, you can pave the way for a truly immersive, client-centered experience in all your big business decisions. How’s that for staying competitive in a digital, software-dominated industry? Staying profitable and efficient are the two hallmarks of a client-centered experience that all work together to bolster success

Staying efficient with updated software can give you the secret sauce to ensure all of it happens every day. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to contact us or read our resources library for more about how Centerbase can change the game for your firm.

If you missed it, check out part 1 to this blog, The Business of Law Part 1: In the Age of the Consumer.