Automate to operate — are robots the answer?
LexisNexis Enterprise Solutions looks at some practical opportunities to introduce robotic process automation, from communications to case inception and system integration management.
Not long ago the terms ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) and ‘robots’ connoted visions of a dystopian, futuristic world seen in a scifi or horror film. Nowadays, it is part and parcel of today’s world, widely accepted as the key to improving professional working life for the better.
In the legal tech industry, when we mention robots, we don’t mean a Frankenstein creation of ‘RoboLawyer’ — it is much more boring, yet arguably far more effective.
Robots are proven tools to help automate repetitive and administrative processes in law firms and other legal organisations. Aside from eliminating the grind for lawyers, they can improve profitability and provide commercial scalability. For law firms and the wider legal services industry, robots deliver cost-effective solutions, enhance the speed of delivery, and enable lawyers to focus on the ‘value-add’ elements of their matters and cases.
Modern case management systems today offer fairly advanced capabilities for developing automated workflows using robots with relative ease. The question then is: why don’t more organisations leverage this capability to optimise business efficiency?
Let’s explore some practical use cases that many legal organisations can learn from to reap the rewards of robot-led automation when applying it to business processes.
Document and email generation
Consider the generation of client care letters, a standard activity in any practice. Rather than paralegals or lawyers manually opening templates, generating letters, and attaching them to emails, robots can complete this process in a fraction of the time. Even better, the email is automatically saved to the case file history for record-keeping. A robot can process over 40 letters in about two minutes flat, significantly outpacing any manual effort!
Check and chase routines
Now let’s say the organisation is waiting for the above-mentioned client care letters to get signed by the clients and returned. Instead of opening the documents and letters, manual monitoring, and chasing, firms can set a time duration for follow-up. If the signed copy isn’t received within that period, the robot automatically sends a chase letter. This process continues until the signed client letter is received, eliminating the need for staff to perform this mind-numbingly boring and time-consuming – but important task!
Facilitating integrations
Robots can effectively communicate across integrated business systems, such as case management, practice management, CRM, and membership databases. For example, an organisation with a large membership database (containing contact details, and so on) can use robots to keep this information synchronised with its case management system. The robot can run checks every few minutes, ensuring both systems remain up to date, without the need for manual monitoring and data re-entry.
Similarly, a robot could be used to manage integrations between case management and practice management systems or even any other systems based on organisations’ operational requirements.
Case inception
For firms handling bulk instructions, such as a debt recovery firm, robots can streamline the process. Case inception can genuinely be a breeze. Say a firm receives 200 cases from a lender; the robot can quickly process a CSV file listing the case data (for example, client name, debtor details) to create cases in the case management system, and then send out pre-action protocol letters to the debtors. This automation significantly reduces the time and effort required for case inception. No manual effort can match this speed!
Workflow progression
As another example, probate firms can use robots to assist fee earners with the progression of a probate case. Robots can generate letters that don’t require human interaction, such as requests for asset and liability values and bank account details, which are pre-populated with data from the case management system, such as the date of death. This automation keeps cases moving forward efficiently without the need for constant manual intervention.
These examples represent just a few of the quick wins available to legal organisations through robotic automation. Firms can use robots to automate numerous administrative tasks, saving substantial time and resources, and crucially freeing up valuable time for lawyers to focus on the high-value aspects of their work. Furthermore, robots can be configured to record time, allowing firms to accurately quantify the money saved through automation. This insight is instrumental for various aspects of business management, from human resource planning to client service delivery and, ultimately, profitability. Why wouldn’t firms use robotic automation?
