Optimizing Your Practice: How Lawyers and Law Firms Can Maximize the Value of Orion

By Steven J. Best, Esq. – Partner –  Affinity Consulting Group LLC (sbest@affinityconsulting.com)

The legal profession is traditionally known for its caution in adopting new technologies—but the landscape is rapidly changing. With client expectations increasing and competition intensifying, law firms can no longer afford to treat their software and technology as mere administrative tools. Instead, they must become strategic assets. For firms using robust platforms like Orion, the key is not simply getting by with technology but using it to its full potential.

1. Moving from Passive Use to Proactive Optimization

Many firms use their legal management systems only for time entry, billing, or basic case tracking. But platforms like Orion offer far more functionality— meaningful financial reporting, productivity insights, customizable output, practice management and more.

Firm leadership should work with administrators and IT teams to conduct regular audits of their current workflows.  Which features are underutilized or not utilized at all? Where are there redundancies or manual processes that could be automated? Firms that proactively and periodically explore the full capabilities of their systems can uncover hidden value that improves both daily operations and long-term decision-making.

2.    Integrate Systems for Seamless Operations

Legal work doesn’t happen in silos, and your technology shouldn’t either. By integrating Orion with other tools—such as document management, CRM, or Microsoft Office—you reduce data duplication, minimize errors, and streamline workflows.

Orion, for example, offers integration capabilities with a range of complementary technologies. Leveraging these connections can improve everything from revamping your client-matter intake to billing reconciliation to better understanding Orion’s financial reporting. When systems are optimized to your needs, your team spends less time toggling between platforms and more time focused on client service.

3.    Use Data Analytics to Drive Strategic Decisions

The most competitive firms today are making data-driven decisions. They understand not just which matters are open, but which ones are most profitable. They know which clients are slow to pay, which practice areas are growing, and which attorneys are consistently exceeding their billable targets.

For example, adopting Orion’s add-on business intelligence tool, firms can easily and frequently visualize key metrics.  Dashboards and customizable reports provide partners and administrators with the insight they need to make smart decisions—whether that’s adjusting staffing, refining billing strategies, or investing in high-growth areas.

4.    Improve Timekeeping and Billing Accuracy

Inaccurate or delayed time entries are a perennial challenge—and a major revenue leak—for law firms. The right technology can make timekeeping seamless and mobile-friendly, ensuring that billable hours aren’t lost to memory lapses or lost opportunity.  Orion’s time capture features are designed with the attorney’s workflow in mind. With features like smart timers, practice management and/or mobile access (iOrion), attorneys can record time as they work, improving accuracy and ensuring timely invoicing.  Utilizing Orion Practice Management also helps eliminate the “leakage”.  All of this leads to improved collections, fewer billing disputes, and a healthier cash flow.

5.    Strengthen Compliance and Risk Management

Regulatory compliance, trust accounting ethics rules, and client confidentiality demands are only becoming more complex. Legal software must do more than manage cases—it must protect the firm.

By fully utilizing Orion’s compliance features—such as audit trails, permission settings, and reserved word sets, firms can reduce the risk of errors and ensure they remain in full alignment with client mandates, ethical obligations and regulatory requirements.

6.    Empower Mobile and Hybrid Workforces

The shift to hybrid work has made mobility more critical than ever. Attorneys need secure, real-time access to client and matter data, whether they’re at home, in court, or on the road.

Cloud-enabled platforms (like migrating to a hosted version of Orion) and mobile apps (like iOrion) empower lawyers to stay productive and responsive, wherever they are. Firms that embrace mobility don’t just enhance attorney satisfaction—they also increase their agility and competitiveness in a fast-moving legal market.  iOrion, for example, should be set up to prompt a user to capture his/her billable time after concluding a phone call on his/her iPhone.

7.    Invest in Training and Change Management

Even the best legal tech is only as effective as its users. Too often, firms underinvest in training and onboarding, leaving attorneys and staff unsure how to use advanced features—or unaware they exist at all.

Firms should treat software training as an ongoing process. Periodic refresher sessions, current recorded content available for easy review and firmwide knowledge-sharing initiatives can help reinforce usage.  Affinity Consulting’s Orion optimization offerings include  regularly scheduled webinars, user training, and user groups to stay current with new features and best practices.

8.    Final Thoughts: Leveraging Orion as a Strategic Asset

Legal technology should not be viewed as overhead—it should be a competitive differentiator. Law firms that fully leverage their software can streamline operations, enhance client satisfaction, reduce risk, and improve profitability.

For firms using Orion, the tools are already at your fingertips. The next step is cultural: embracing a mindset of continual improvement and proactive exploration. In today’s legal market, those who use technology to its true potential, win.