If you’re a Fastcase user, you value efficiency. Fastcase’s search interface, filters, results display, and overall design are widely recognized as the most intuitive and easy-to-use among all legal research tools, allowing you to drill down into the most accurate results in the least amount of time.

 

But is the rest of your practice running as efficiently as your legal research software? According to the latest data, probably not. The 2017 Clio Legal Trends Report remains one of the most eye-opening and comprehensive analyses of the legal industry ever produced, and among the findings were many alarming statistics. Here are three that stood out:

 

1.     Attorneys spend less than two hours a day on billable work. 2.     Attorneys lose over two hours a day to interruptions. 3.     67% of potential clients say their decision to hire is most influenced by an attorney’s initial responsiveness.

 

So, if you’re a solo or small-firm attorney running your practice with few resources, chances are dealing with this common trade-off: respond to leads (to grow your practice and generate future revenue) or get work done (to generate revenue from existing clients, now). There isn’t often time for both, especially if you’re also in a practice area that requires you to be out of the office (in court, for example).

 

Here are my two recommendations:

 

First, review the infographic below to discover the non-billable tasks that take up the most time, and then make a list of all the non-lawyering tasks that consume your time. You can even dig in to the full report, if you’d like to dive deeper into the data.

 

Second, make a plan to direct more attention towards work that generates revenue for you now. This can be done by automating, streamlining, and handing off tasks. Three resources that may be helpful to you here:

 

Conor Malloy at Chi City Legal offers four high-impact tips for automating your law firm. Soak those up! Chelsey Lambert of Lex Tech Review dives into her favorite tools that streamline both lawyering and non-lawyering (read: social media) tasks alike. If you’re not using automated appointment reminders and document assembly software, now is the time to start. I run marketing for Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists, so it goes without saying that I feel strongly about the role remote, live receptionists can play in helping you rebalance your time. When you hand off tasks that a non-lawyer can capably handle (for a small fraction of the price), you’re able to better serve existing clients, convert new ones, and develop business procedures that are far more efficient and profitable. These tasks include call answering, lead qualification, client intake, appointment booking, payment processing, and more.

 

Get started with Smith.ai’s free trial and $50 off

The same edge Fastcase gives you is available to you with a great receptionist service. Let us prove it to you. With plans starting at $60/month, attorneys get the experience and quality of an in-house receptionist at a price suited to a solo or small firm.

 

If you’d like to sign up for Smith.ai, you may do so online at https://smith.ai, by phone at (650) 727-6484, or by email at support@smith.ai. Fastcase users get $50 off their first month with code FASTCASE. This code can be used in combination with Smith.ai’s 30-day/10-call free trial for $110 in total savings.

 

Contact Smith.ai

Questions about virtual receptionists? Not sure how to get started with our services? We can offer guidance so you implement the most efficient and effective workflows from the start. Contact Smith.ai Monday through Friday between 6 AM and 6 PM PST at (650) 727-6484 or support@smith.ai.

 

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Post by Maddy Martin, Smith.ai