The overwhelming majority of lawyers—85%, in firms with two or more attorneys—have remote access to their workstations, according to the ABA’s TechReport 2023.
The ability to work on-the-go, whether by remote desktop access, web-based apps, or mobile apps, has tremendous potential to increase firm efficiency and productivity. It can also improve client service and bolster business development. Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of mobile technology and how to adopt it responsibly.
Take your practice management software to go
Most attorneys and professional staff are already using mobile tools like laptops, tablets, and portable printers. Your smartphone is also a must-have. But mobile tech can also be an extension of your practice management or financial management software. For example, mobile tech may offer:
- Simpler timekeeping. When you’re in trial for days, you’re stuck reconstructing your time when you get home every night, and waiting to enter it until you’re back at the office. With mobile tech, you can track and enter your time from anywhere. Your time is more accurate, your to-do list shrinks, and the accounting staff will sing your praises.
- Easier expense tracking. Keeping track of receipts is a hassle. Scanning receipts and organizing reimbursement requests eats up scarce administrative time. Mobile tech allows you to capture receipt images and submit for reimbursement with just a few clicks.
- Faster client contacts. Relying on a desktop-based system to find the phone number or address you need wastes time. Instead, use mobile tech to access client contact information right when you need it.
- Real-time calendaring. Printed calendars and schedules quickly become out of date. Mobile tech, however, can give you up-to-the-minute details on events like status conferences, committee meetings, and client calls.
- Direct document access. Your case file is already stored electronically. Why be limited to your desktop computer when you need to access important documents? Mobile tech can make remote access seamless.
- Instant analytics. The numbers that drive firm-wide decisions are always changing. Mobile tech can ensure you’re always looking at the latest data, whether you’re working from home or at a management committee meeting.
Depending on the mobile tech, you might also have access to back-office functions, like accounts receivable. Some mobile tools also support supervisory tasks, like approving time and electronic prebilling.
Adopt mobile tech thoughtfully
As with all technology adoption, it’s important to carefully consider the ethical and operational implications. Mobile tech implementations come with some special ethical considerations.
Ethical implications for mobile tech (pre- and post-adoption)
Remote and mobile technology touch on a web of ethical issues for software committees and individual attorneys. Two major areas of concern are competence and confidentiality:
- To be competent, lawyers must understand the technology they use, including its strengths and weaknesses. A classic example is staying up to date on the appropriate data security measures for using mobile technology.
- To prevent inadvertent disclosure or unauthorized access to confidential client information, attorneys must address cybersecurity issues, avoid low-tech threats like phishing, and conduct due diligence on potential mobile tech vendors.
Depending on the mobile tech and your jurisdiction, other ethical issues may also be in play.
Software committees and other decision-making bodies should carefully consider ethical issues when selecting mobile tech products, crafting mobile tech policies, and designing compliance programs. “Bring your own device” (BYOD) policies come with particular risks. Individual attorneys must also take care to use mobile tech ethically.
Selecting and implementing mobile tech
The mobile legal technology landscape today is perhaps best described as “choice overload.”
Simplify your selection process by assessing your firm’s mobile technology needs first. Where are lawyers and legal professionals wasting time because they must rely on office-based tools? Timekeeping issues are often a good place to start.
With that information in hand, evaluate the available options. Important factors include cost, ease of integration with your existing software, and required training time. As you narrow the field, you can pursue software demonstrations and conduct due diligence.
Finally, remember that all significant shifts in law firm processes need to be proactively and intentionally managed (see Challenge #5 at the link).That means consistent communication, strong change champions, inclusive processes, attorney and professional staff involvement, and authentic engagement with concerns as they arise.
Keep your eyes on the prize: Excellence, efficiency, and profitability
Adopting new technology is always a major decision, and modern mobile tech is no different. Rooting your mobile tech goals in the firm’s values—particularly values related to providing excellent service, doing efficient work, and promoting long-term financial sustainability—can help you stay on track. With a mobile tech stack that fits your firm, the world is your office.
If you’re already an Orion customer, the iOrion mobile app integrates seamlessly with your desktop software. Work anywhere you like, with the freedom to:
- Track, enter, edit, and approve time, including prebills
- Access contact information, make calls, and send emails
- Create and edit tasks/appointments and to-do lists
- Get real-time access to payment information
- Scan receipts and submit for reimbursement
Ready to see it in action? Schedule your demo today.