How to improve internal and external collaboration with cloud solutions
Bundledocs highlights how cloud solutions are key to improving your collaboration and communication plans, allowing legal professionals to be agile and meet ever-evolving challenges in the legal sector
According to Thomson Reuters, lawyers are keenly aware of the importance of collaboration and how it is integral to better meeting client needs and building lasting relationships. However, research shows that firms tend to “neglect addressing exactly how they plan to collaborate.” Cloud solutions are one key tool that will help improve your collaboration and communication plans, allowing legal professionals to be agile and meet ever-evolving challenges in the legal sector.
Using collaboration to respond to changing and dynamic challenges
Cloud solutions offer a robust platform to address and respond to challenges. They enable real-time collaboration, secure communication, and streamlined workflows that enhance both internal and external interactions in the legal sector.
Internal collaboration
As work in the legal sector can often span multiple departments, cloud solutions enable internal teams, from paralegals to IT and admin professionals, to work together more efficiently. Since the pandemic, cloud solutions have allowed internal teams in global organisations to excel by providing a unified platform located in one place — online. Cloud solutions have proven particularly effective during the preparation phase, allowing internal teams to easily approve and review the same document, ensuring no data or updates are lost.
External collaboration
Cross-border and external matters have long been challenging facets of collaborative work. According to Legal Mosaic, “as client matters become more geographically dispersed, lawyers must collaborate with others operating in different sovereign nations with different legal standards, regulations, practice rules, languages, etc”. Online cloud solutions allow for increased flexibility for lawyers collaborating with other legal and external professionals globally. They also allow lawyers to maintain client confidentiality at every step with security measures including secure-share and password protection.
The role of cloud solutions in collaboration and its key benefits
Cloud solutions facilitate real-time interactions, ensuring all stakeholders involved in cases are up to date with court proceedings. Maintaining strong collaboration practices and utilising cloud solutions can have many benefits, including:
Enhanced security measures
In the legal sector, trust is number one. Law firms and professionals need to earn and maintain their clients’ trust. With secure cloud solutions, clients can confidently trust their legal professionals to handle sensitive information and navigate complex legal matters. Cloud solutions provide robust security features including encrypted files, two-factor authentication and password protection to ensure security at every step.
Efficient use of time and resources
By utilising cloud solutions, legal workers can “free up valuable resources and remove the challenges associated with keeping on-premises solutions up-to-date.” This time can be used to focus on completing core legal work, maintaining billable hours and building client relationships. This in turn allows legal professionals to deliver higher-quality service and achieve better outcomes for their clients.
Keeping up to date with regulatory changes
Legal professionals must keep up to date with changing regulations, including data protection laws such as the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Cloud solutions help achieve compliant operations with security features that allow firms to manage user permissions and track document access. This compliance is crucial in avoiding costly penalties and maintaining client trust.
Agility of cloud solutions
The agility of cloud solutions facilitates global team growth, allowing legal firms to expand their offerings and serve a wider range of clientele. With remote access to cloud solutions, legal professionals can access documents and case files from anywhere. Likewise, as documents can be accessed on any device, law firms and professionals can maintain flexible schedules from anywhere in the world. Experts have noted that law firms can remain innovative and ahead of competitors with cloud solutions, and this agility can also aid sales pitches and secure new customers.
Implement cloud solutions now
It’s clear that the future of collaboration in the legal sector is tied to the strength of cloud solutions. Legal professionals that embrace this technology will not only enhance their collaborative efforts, but enjoy the benefits of improved client services. So, if you’re ready to start collaborating more efficiently, make the switch to cloud solutions now and begin reaping the benefits.
