If you’ve got an administrative staff in your law office, you know billing, marketing, IT, office administration and case management aren’t cheap.
You’re always be looking for ways to trim expenses. One way is to outsource.
“Hire as-needed help, such as a virtual paralegal or part-time positions to address administrative needs,” suggests this article in the National Law Review. “Contractors help with tasks like bookkeeping, marketing, web development, and design, or fielding phone calls without adding a full-time position.”
Another solution: delegate.
“Delegating can relieve some of the administrative burdens, but it’s not the strong suit of most lawyers,” according to “How to Reduce Administrative Legal Tasks” in the National Law Review. “In some cases, the administrative tasks are piled on one person because they choose to do it all themselves. Lawyers should prioritize the workload and focus on the tasks only they can do, such as case research or client calls. Beyond that, the tasks can be delegated to the appropriate team members as needed to ensure that everything gets done.”
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How to Reduce Administrative Legal Costs
Here are some takeaways from “How to Reduce Administrative Legal Tasks:”
- Keep your files organized. “Lost files and misplaced documents not only waste precious non-billable time, but they can lead to malpractice suits. Also, if your clients are evaluating your capability based on your organization, a messy desk or frantic search for files can leave a bad impression.”
- Go digital. “The best way to stay organized is with digital tools. Searching for documents stored online is a matter of a quick toolbar search, rather than hours spent rifling through paperwork. With cloud-based storage solutions, lawyers have the security and confidentiality they want, along with an efficient organizational system that makes accessing documents more convenient.”
- Keep track of your time. “Tracking time is among the most important legal administrative tasks at a law firm. Accurate time tracking ensures that lawyers are billing for all the hours they work on a case, but tracking using paper notes or Excel information on the back of an envelope doesn’t cut it. Digital time-tracking tools use automated processes with cloud-based storage to keep up with time logs for casework like research and meetings. Some practice management systems have built-in timers to record time easily, even if lawyers have to enter the field for meetings outside the office or court appearances. Then, when it’s time to bill, the system automatically generates invoices.”
Source: How to Reduce Legal Administrative Tasks (natlawreview.com)
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