Unlocking the digital future

CTS, in partnership with LPM Magazine, hosted two roundtable discussions that brought together esteemed SME law firm leaders from across the country. The events delved into the ways in which digital technology has changed how law firms operate — from the delivery of legal services to the management of client relationships. The roundtables gathered insights from both technical and non-technical leaders in law firms.

The term “digital transformation” has gained popularity within the legal sector over the past couple of years, but its meaning has become diluted and unclear. To kick off the discussion, delegates were prompted with the question: “How do you define digital transformation, and what level of significance does it hold for the legal industry?”

The pressures of the pandemic

All delegates across both roundtable sessions agreed that the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic forced many firms to swiftly invest in technology, forcing them to embark on their digital transformation journey. One delegate commented that this unexpected shift really highlighted the importance of technology, which has sparked a sense of determination and purpose within the legal sector, inspiring firms to embrace digital transformation as a means of staying competitive and resilient in an ever-evolving business landscape.

Casting their minds back, one panellist considered all the projects that law firms could have – or should have – been completed prior to COVID-19 and its ensuing lockdown. Using their own experiences as an example, they noted that the traditional solutions they had in place proved a real challenge as they were not made to support remote working.

As a result, migrating to a more agile solution took a good chunk of time, which could have been spent on adopting more innovative solutions. If their IT environment had been updated pre-COVID – and if the importance of digital transformation had been more obvious pre-COVID – these issues could have been avoided and the shift to home working would have been much more seamless and fruitful.

Migrating to the cloud

The impact of COVID-19 undeniably compelled firms to critically evaluate their digital transformation strategies, with a particular emphasis on cloud computing. The pandemic accelerated the need for law firms to adapt to the new hybrid world, where agility and flexibility are paramount for success.

During the discussion, a consensus emerged among the delegates that numerous firms are still lagging behind in terms of embracing cloud technology. However, there was optimism as delegates noted a positive trend: an increasing number of firms making incremental changes to become more cloud native.

Highlighting their own firm’s cloud migration journey, one panellist mentioned that they are now seeing numerous firms, including their own, taking steps forward by adopting cloud-based Document Management Systems (DMS). This shift enabled their firm to transition from traditional, on premises document storage to a more secure and flexible cloud-based solution, which enhanced collaboration, streamlined document access and retrieval, and improved overall information management.

The increasing number in firms adopting cloud-based legal applications shows that there is a growing recognition of the benefits and efficiencies that the cloud can offer.