������Ƶ

One of the most commonly cited benefits of legal technology is its ability to improve the efficiency of law firms, freeing up the time of fee earners and ultimately leading to better profits. A estimated that the ”increased use of digital technology by legal service providers could lead to productivity gains worth £1.1bn to £1.7bn annually”. But arguably a more important reason for implementing software tools is to assist lawyers and reduce time spent on boring, repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on the more interesting aspects of their work. So can legal tech actually make lawyers happier?

Retaining talent through tech

As legal tech becomes increasingly sophisticated and user friendly, lawyers are able to get to grips with the array of products more easily. Research tools such as Lexis+ are designed to be intuitive and not only optimise the workflow but actually make legal research more enjoyable. For example, Lexis+ includes colour-coded search results, which adds a visual element to enhance the overall research experience, as well as making it easier to find the relevant answers to search queries. But how does this help with talent retention?

“A bad workman blames his tools” is a proverb which can be applied universally and includes the legal profession. But it’s equally true that better tools can improve both efficiency and the experience of those undertaking the work. So as well as being more productive, lawyers who have access to software tools which are both effective and enjoyable to use are likely to have higher rates of job satisfaction compared to peers with sub-standard tools.

Firms which invest in technology that improves the lives of their workforce should notice an improvement in terms of retaining staff. Although it may not have such a direct influence as levels of pay, legal tech will nevertheless be taken into account by fee earners when they decide whether to stay at a firm or jump ship. Being forced to use old clunky software or slow unresponsive hardware can seriously impact work enjoyment and may even lead to firms losing talent.

Countering the great resignation

As the world emerges from the pandemic, there have been record numbers of employees quitting their jobs, a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation”. There are a myriad of reasons behind this trend, from people taking early retirement to changing careers. Aside from grappling with this challenge, law firms are also facing record levels of related to increasingly demanding workloads and associated stress.

Although legal tech is not an antidote to mass resignations, introducing software tools which reduce stressful and routine work can help to reduce burnout and persuade some lawyers to remain in their posts. This is particularly the case in firms with fewer support staff, where fee earners have lots of administrative duties which distract them from more interesting tasks where they can better apply their skills. Products such as Lexis Create - which streamlines legal document creation - can eliminate some of the onerous elements and frees up time to spend on more intellectually stimulating aspects of lawyering.

Tech boosting learning and development

Aside from improving the quality of work for lawyers by reducing repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows, technology can also help with their training and workplace development.

Most large firms now have learning and development (L&D) teams which help to ensure lawyers are continually improving their skills, knowledge and professionalism. Although a lot of training is still face to face, and junior lawyers in particular need to develop their skills through osmosis and hands-on experience, technology has an important role to play in L&D.

The , and there are a wide variety of software tools designed to help lawyers stay on top of the latest legal developments. Products such as provide everything required to keep up to date with legislation as it changes, including real time alerts.

Building reputation

As we can see, the adoption of technology by firms can promote the well being of lawyers, reducing the stress and boredom of repetitive work, and honing their more valuable skills which ultimately leads to greater client satisfaction. Since legal tech improves efficiency, fee earners will have more time to dedicate to their clients, discussing their problems and coming up with solutions, as well as more generally building a client-lawyer relationship.