8 Essential Features of the Best Legal Software

Legal software can make a huge difference in your business. Not only can it help you keep track of contracts, receipts, and invoices, but it can also help you avoid legal violations—stuff like not paying taxes, not filing tax forms, or breaking safety regulations.

There’s no single legal software program that’s perfect for everyone. In fact, there are few companies making legal software, so the options are limited. However, there are eight best legal software features:

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1. Table of Contents

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   Automatic Document Scanning and Searching

If you don’t set up your system to search and index your documents automatically, you’re wasting a lot of time each day spent searching through piles of paper documents. Not only that, but if you don’t have this feature enabled, you’ll spend hours each week combating the non-compliance issues that will inevitably arise from your lack of indexing.

2. Procedural tools

One of the major advantages of legal software is that it allows you to create procedural documents while keeping your original documents safe. As an example, if you’re creating a sales contract between a client and a seller and need to include some additional language at the end of the agreement, you can simply insert it into the document and save it as a new version without changing the original document. This feature saves time.

3. Cases/files/papers

These are the physical files that contain all of the documentation and information on how your case works from start to finish. The contents aren’t always in chronological order, so look for dates when things were added or changed, or look at the document naming convention (e.g., UCC 1) if it appears that documents are being named inconsistently through the course of the case. You’ll also want to take note of any records that are missing, like an invoice or police report.

4. Automated document assembly

Legal documentation is a big part of running a successful law firm. The best legal software includes automated document assembly features that allow you to quickly create documents from a library of templates that are specific to your type of law practice. Not only does this save time and money, but it will also improve the quality of the documents because there’s less chance for error and less chance for typos.

5. Cloud-Based Software

It’s no secret that law firms need to be adaptable and accessible, which means their software solutions need to be as well.  Cloud-based software is essential for any law firm that wants to stay competitive, especially since more and more people are now working remotely or from outside the office. Cloud technology allows you to access all your case information from anywhere with an Internet connection, as well as work collaboratively with your colleagues on multiple devices. If a client calls while you are away from the office, you can access their case file and pull up important information using a mobile app.

6. It has to be fast

You want to avoid cluttering up your desktop with extraneous programs or installing a program that takes forever to install and get up and running—both of which can seriously slow down your work.

7. It should be easy to use

You don’t want to have to read a manual just to figure out how to use the program—it better has a simple interface and easy navigation so you can get stuff done without too much brainpower.

8. It should be secure

You don’t want hackers getting into your computer and stealing your important info if they’re able to break into it. So make sure the security settings are top-notch and that the company uses strong encryption methods (like 256-bit AES).

Read more: 5 Things to Check while Choosing Legal Translation