Staying ahead in today’s highly competitive legal field means taking advantage of the right technology tools. Legal case management software has already been around for a couple of decades; it has become absolutely necessary for all law firms, but there are other tools that can boost productivity on an individual or collaborative basis. The following software applications are highly recommended for attorneys who either work as solo practitioners or for established law firms.
Note Management Apps
There are many apps for taking, organizing, managing, and sharing notes, but the two that attorneys most often recommend are Evernote and Google Keep. These two apps truly shine when they are installed on mobile devices, but they will work across major operating systems and web browsers. Aside from taking notes on the go, Google Keep and Evernote also offer features such as task management, collaborative lists, and advanced reminders.
Casetext
The future of legal research is here; it involves evaluation by means of artificial intelligence, and this is what CARA by Casetext provides. CARA works as easily as uploading a brief, filing, or pleading and letting the AI find cases along with useful annotations and relevant analysis. Casetext and CARA are delivered on Software-as-a-Service basis, which means that licensing is handled with a reasonable monthly subscription. The best part about the legal research conducted by the CARA AI is that it is always improving thanks to machine learning technology.
Online Office Productivity Suites
Even though many case management software packages include proprietary office productivity apps, most law firms prefer the familiarity of Microsoft Office and Google Docs. Choosing between these two is a matter of personal preference; most law firms prefer Office 365 because of its legacy, but the new G Suite is a major improvement over Google Docs, and the Google Drive cloud storage app offers a more intuitive and functional interface on Android devices.
TeamViewer
Lawyers who trust their office workstation more than cloud productivity suites to handle confidential files and sensitive information will find TeamViewer to be rather useful. In essence, TeamViewer is a remote desktop client that allows direct connections from just about anywhere. Other neat features of TeamViewer include the ability to synchronize a smartphone so that the office printer can be used from remote locations.