Legal technology has huge benefits for modern-day lawyers, and it’s not just a Big Law thing. With their limited staff and resources, solo and small firm attorneys can actually reap some of the greatest rewards from legal tech. They can move more quickly to buy and implement new technology, creating a competitive advantage for their firms by being able to work more efficiency.
Automating routine tasks saves enormous amounts of time, freeing up bandwidth to successfully manage more clients without adding more headcount to staff. It also eliminates the boring, mundane work no one on the team really likes to do.
Although many attorneys using modern technology might not realize it, the recent shift to SaaS solutions, a major model of cloud-based computing in legal tech, is a massive innovation. SaaS solutions work to deliver software and platforms in a more seamless, affordable, and reliable way using an iterative development process based on Agile methodologies.
Legal practitioners who understand the principles of Agile methodologies will be able to get more out of their legal tech tools. Knowing how these new tools differ from older technologies, and how to give constructive feedback to product teams not only makes improves functionality for users, it also inspires ideas for new product features which drive the evolution of the product. In other words, lawyers can help design the tools of the future by collaborating with their legal tech vendors.
Staying Quick on Your Feet with Agile Technology
What form of legal tech software development do you prefer - Waterfall or Agile?
If your response to this question is a blank stare, it’s understandable. If you were interested in the nuances of digital tech development, you likely would have pursued some path other than a legal career.
Nonetheless, legal tech is a key component of modern legal practice, so being aware of some of the basics of software development is a big plus…even for the less tech-savvy among us.
What is Waterfall Software Development?
The Waterfall model for software development is the traditional model that has been in place for decades. Many attorneys are familiar with this model, even if they don’t know the term. It refers to software development done in a sequential manner, where each phase depends on the deliverables of the previous phase. It tends to be among the least flexible approaches, as progress flows in largely one direction through the phases.
Some examples used by many lawyers include Microsoft Word, Thomas Reuters Contracts Express, and HotDocs. The basic stages of development are as follows:
Determine Requirements: The product team determines the software requirements and product roadmap including function, purpose and specifications.
Implementation, Testing & Integration: The software is developed, tested and integrated, so all the units of software work together.
Deployment & Maintenance: The software is installed on premise, on a company server, put into use, and maintained over time by IT installing the updates as they are released. Generally, there are one or two updates per year.
While the Waterfall process was the de facto software development process for many years, there are several drawbacks. One is the lengthy amount of time it takes to release the software and any subsequent updates due to rigorous testing requirements, which slows down how quickly the product can evolve.
How is Agile Technology Different?
Agile is not just a set of principles, strategies or methodologies. It's also a mindset.
Agile principles, when it comes to software development and project management, focus on an iterative approach to deliver working software. In addition, Agile strives towards providing a rapid and cost-effective method to software development, compared to lengthily and expensive traditional methods. Both Agile and SaaS have the same goal in mind and that is delivering value to the end-user.
Aside from providing an entirely new level of convenience, SaaS owners strive towards delivering ongoing value to customers through software upgrades and bug fixes, among other things. Simply put, SaaS solutions drive business value by providing the right kind of service to customers.
Benefits of Agile Technology for Lawyers
As the adoption of legal tech accelerates in the legal industry, many smaller firms are still daunted by the adoption of new technology. In addition, attorneys may wonder about how the new tech tools will integrate with their existing systems. But it is for exactly these reasons that Agile legal tech is exactly what the doctor - sorry, the lawyer - ordered.
With Agile legal tech, lawyers can give fast and continuous feedback, so the software can iterate quickly and continuously.
A firm using Agile tech does not need to adopt the “perfect” tech solution right away or know exactly how it will be used long-term. Instead, the firm’s tech tools can evolve over time, concurrently with the evolution of the firm itself.
Giving Feedback to Product Teams
What type of feedback can lawyers give to their legal tech product teams? And what is the best way to provide that feedback? To answer these questions, it’s best to look at some of the main arenas for software feedback - technical issues, feature requests, and other forms of general feedback.
Resolving Technical Issues
It is important to take the initiative to submit technical issues with your software to your contacts at the software vendor. Customer feedback is often the only way companies hear about these problems.
You should clarify the issue as much as possible before contacting the product team. The goal is for the vendor to be able to recreate the problem on their own, so they can diagnose and fix it.
There are some important questions to ask yourself here.
What tipped you off to the problem? If it's an error code or message displayed on the screen, either write it down or get a screenshot (Ctrl + Print Screen).
Can you duplicate the problem yourself?
Does the problem occur every time? Intermittently over the last week or month?
Only when you perform a specific action?
You should also be aware of the potential miracle cure of restarting the program or simply logging out. Simple as these solutions are, they can often resolve unexpected software problems.
Making Feature Requests
One of the main pillars of Agile tech is Feedback-Driven Development, where ongoing customer feedback influences the continuous development of the software. The key to this process is feature requests, of which there are two types:
Feature Improvements: Suggestions for improving current features of the software.
New Features: Ideas for completely new software features.
Feature requests are generally made to the customer-facing teams of the tech provider, such as the Customer Success team.
Tech vendors rely on this feedback to continually improve the product. The more product suggestions they receive from users, the better the product will serve those users, so don’t be shy about contributing constructive feedback.
General Feedback on Other Areas for Improvement
Beyond technical issues and feature requests, users of Agile legal tech can also provide more general feedback. Perhaps an attorney or legal staff member sees a way to enhance their user interface (UI). Or the software’s help center may be missing a necessary section or contain a dated article. If your tech tool involves document automation, do you need a video to better explain the concept of fixed fields vs. dynamic fields?
No matter what the specific issue is with your legal tech software, the feedback process is key to getting the most out of your tech tools. Attorneys who embrace Agile tech will also have the agility to keep up with the fast pace of legal practice today.
Mike Robinson is a freelance B2B copywriter specializing in the health tech, fin tech and legal tech industries. After a sixteen-year legal career in business and healthcare finance litigation, he now crafts compelling content for professionals in these verticals to help them better understand the options for technical tools that can move their business forward.