Legaltech Myths: Common Misconceptions about Legal Technology Debunked

5 min read

Here are just a few of the most common myths we hear about the state of modern legaltech.

The world of legal technology can be confusing, and that’s why there’s no shortage of myths and misconceptions about legaltech swirling around the legal industry. From concerns about data control, to misconceptions about security, and beyond, many legal professionals have bought into these myths that, granted, may have been true once upon a time. But modern legaltech has come a long way in a short period of time, and what was true a few short years ago may not be accurate today. Here are just some of the most common myths we hear about modern legal technology – and a few reasons why they aren’t true.

Legaltech Myth #1: Legal Technology Isn’t Secure

This may have been true of legacy technology, which is built on outdated code and often doesn’t offer ongoing updates. But modern legal technology is different.

While not all programs are the same, most modern legal technology has adopted a number of data security best practices that make it more secure than even paper-based systems. These modern best practices include things like multi-factor authentication, robust data encryption, and the implementation of security programs such as ISO 27001/27018 – which are audited annually.  Many modern solutions even employ ongoing penetration testing as a means of warding off hackers. 

Furthermore, modern software uses advanced data sharing settings that rely on the Principle of Least Privilege. Under the Principle of Least Privilege, users are given access only to the bare minimum data and features they need in order to do their jobs. With modern suites like Appara, you can easily customize the access and edit permissions of different users so that your firm is only sharing absolutely necessary information with only the required parties.

Legaltech Myth #2: Legal Technology Takes Too Long to Learn

While all new software comes with a slight learning curve, modern legal technology is built with user-friendly design in mind. The vast majority of modern legaltech systems are built using no-code interfaces that are as easy to use as, say, an email program. Gone are the days of confusing legacy solutions with unintuitive processes. With modern legaltech apps like Appara, you can get up and running in the span of hours – not days.

Plus, when you complete the learning curve, you’ll suddenly find that your new legaltech solution actually saves you time by helping you reduce hours-per-file and automating manual processes. In some cases, you could reduce your time-per-file by up to 75%! If legaltech can help you save that much time, then investing a little bit of time upfront in learning it is easy to justify in the long run.

Legaltech Myth #3: You’ll Lose Control of Your Data

This myth is a particularly persistent one. While it’s true that cloud-based legal technology houses your data off-premises, that doesn’t mean you lose control of it. The term “cloud” can often make it seem like your data is housed in some nebulous piece of the Internet where anyone could access it. In truth, the “cloud” is actually a secure off-site server accessible via certain trusted wireless devices. 

By hosting your data off-site, you actually gain more control over it. In a paper-based system, your files are vulnerable to fire, flood, or even just being misplaced. Moreover, paper-based files are a challenge to track and update when new data needs to be added. In contrast, a cloud-based entity management solution makes it far easier to track, review, and update your files as needed – from anywhere. With legal technology at the helm of your practice, you can make your data work for you – instead of constantly chasing information.

Legaltech Myth #4: Legal Technology Will Replace Lawyers

While artificial intelligence is making rapid advances toward human-like capabilities, it still cannot think for itself and cannot generate new information in the same way that a human can. Artificial intelligence excels at “black and white” tasks, but as legal professionals know, much of the law is grey, and therefore the practice of law will always require human intervention – even when AI is in play.

To use an aviation metaphor: Artificial intelligence is like an experienced copilot providing assistance and feedback as you, the pilot, fly the plane. AI can analyze patterns and help you make better decisions faster. It can help make predictions and automate repetitive tasks. But it can’t replace the human element; it can’t replicate the matter-specific expert work that legal professionals were trained to do.

AI-enabled legaltech is best suited for automating repetitive manual tasks like research, contract review, document production, and entity management. None of these tasks have to do with the core practice of law as it is taught in school; none of them have to do with the matter-specific legal work that legal professionals love.

Legaltech Myth #5: It’s Not the Right Time to Adopt Legal Technology

The truth is that it’s never the right time to adopt legal technology – but that hasn’t stopped your competitors from doing so. Your tech-savvy competitors are already using legal technology to automate everything from billing to entity management to document production and beyond. And they didn’t wait for “the right time” to get started. 

Law firms are always busy – which means there will always be a reason why it’s not the right time to adopt legal technology. But if you do nothing but wait for the right time, it’ll never come. Legaltech adoption doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen without someone to champion the process at your firm.

The fact of the matter is, there’s an opportunity cost associated with waiting for “the right time”. The longer you wait, the longer you miss out on the benefits of legal technology – benefits like increased productivity, lower costs, higher revenues, better work-life balance for your team, increased employee retention, and fewer errors. The longer you wait to get started with legaltech, the more time your firm spends performing below its peak capacity and the further behind your competition you become.

Legal technology myths abound throughout the legal industry, but despite their prevalence, they remain just that – myths. While some of these myths may have once held water with legacy systems, modern legal technology is very different from the programs of decades ago. Today’s legaltech is faster, more secure, easier to learn, and offers more productivity benefits. That’s why law firms are adopting modern solutions in droves. As legaltech software continues to evolve, expect it to disprove even more myths and outpace more legacy systems.

Is your firm tired of manual document processes and paper-based entity management? Book your demo of Appara today to discover how AI-powered entity management, document automation, and workflow automation can revolutionize your practice.