For lawyers, paralegals,
and legal professionals.
Here’s how you can implement new technology in your firm or department while still managing active matters.
The legal profession is embracing AI and automation faster than ever. New document automation, workflow automation, entity management, practice management, e-discovery, and other tools are changing how lawyers and paralegals do work.
Yet many technology rollouts fail – not because the software itself is flawed, but because implementation disrupts existing workflows.
(According to one article in Canadian Lawyer, adoptions fail because technology changes also require changes in human behaviour. Clio, meanwhile, notes that half of UK lawyers report losing 44 working days each year to inefficient technology.)
Lawyers are busy, deadlines don’t stop, and clients still expect excellent service regardless of whether or not you’re implementing new technology.
The good news is that with the right approach, law firms and in-house legal departments can introduce new technology while keeping matters moving. Here’s how to train your team on new legaltech without bringing productivity to a halt.
People don’t resist new technology – they resist change. Your lawyers and paralegals are accustomed to a certain way of doing things, and that means if you start by explaining your new software’s amazing features, you’ll lose them.
Instead, explain the business problem that the new software solves before you demonstrate features. Show how the new technology solves your team’s frustrations, and they’ll be more likely to embrace it.
For instance, you could explain to your team how the new software:
People adopt technology faster when they understand how it benefits them personally. So make the benefits clear.
The temptation when training your associates and senior lawyers on new software is to go all-out. Schedule a half-day seminar going over the new tech. Teach every feature at once. Get it all out of the way so your team can get back to active matters faster.
The problem with this approach is that it causes information overload.
Your team won’t know which way is up because they’ll be drowning in your new tech.
Instead, train your team in a phased approach:
Incremental learning improves retention. So instead of trying to teach everything at once, train your team in this phased approach.
Generic demos rarely stick. Instead, use sample matters based on your firm’s actual workflows.
Walk users through familiar documents that they see every day. Demonstrate real tasks they conduct every week.
You can use historical files to demonstrate the software’s capabilities without posing any risks to active client matters. Alternatively, you can set up simulated clients and fake matters for training purposes.
You can use this approach to teach your team how to:
By using simulated or real client work, you ensure that your team’s learning process is immediately relevant to their actual workload.
Every law firm and in-house legal department has someone who enjoys learning new technology. These individuals are particularly valuable to your organization when your team is training on new technology, because they can:
Internal champions also pose several advantages over a top-down, leadership-oriented approach. If you have a senior paralegal, for instance, who loves learning and using new technology, that person is better suited to teach others because peer-to-peer learning feels less intimidating than a top-down mandate.
This approach also helps to build internal expertise within your team and creates adoption momentum.
Rather than scheduling lengthy “classroom” sessions for employees to train on new tech, bake your software training into your team’s everyday routine.
Consider options like 15-minute Lunch and Learns, weekly feature spotlights, short video tutorials, or quick email tips. Encourage your team to perform practice exercises between real tasks.
Consistent exposure to new software is more effective than a single large training event, because it’s less intimidating, involves less knowledge-dumping, and enables employees to learn at their own pace.
Technology adoption doesn’t end after launch. That’s why it’s key to provide your team with ongoing support and answers while they master the new technology.
Provide your team with:
Reassure your staff that asking questions is part of the learning process.
Success isn’t everyone attending the training. Success in software training is that the technology is actually being used.
In order to measure success, you’ll want to make sure you’re tracking the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These could include:
Use these insights to determine where your team may need additional coaching on the new software.
Successful tech adoption isn’t about forcing your team through hours of boring software demos – it’s about choosing tools built for how legal professionals actually work.
When firms successfully adopt software, the ROI comes quickly – in fact, when Jerome Tsang, Notary implemented Appara, the firm cut down their time-per-file by 50% and reduced errors.
At Appara, we design our entity management, document automation, and workflow automation tools to integrate seamlessly into your firm’s daily routine with zero workflow disruption.
Is your law firm or in-house legal department looking for ways to cut costs, reduce errors, and streamline work? We can help. Contact Appara today to book a demo and unlock your FREE trial.
Engaging insights and the latest news, designed for legal professionals.
