The amount of legal data that enters your legal system daily is no small number. But, once the data enters the system, how do you ensure it is accurate and maintained? These are two important questions legal professionals should consider before selecting a legal case management software system.
The accuracy in your legal data is important because even small errors can have negative consequences. And no one wants to waste the valuable legal data you have stored.
With a legal case management system, you can do both: ensure your data is up-to-date as well as analyze and report on the critical data you have stored. This can help you not only maintain trust and preserve data integrity, but also improve your operations and performance. Let’s take a closer look at how legal data entry is defined and how you can better manage your data with legal case software.
What is Legal Data Entry?
Legal data entry is the process of inputting legal information, which can include legal documents including contracts, historical records, case details, opinions, advice and more, into a digital database or legal case management system.
While automated data feeds and technologies have certainly streamlined many aspects of legal
data management, manual data entry remains essential in ensuring accuracy, maintaining data
integrity and managing the complexities inherent in legal information. As technology continues
to advance, the role of manual data entry in legal settings may evolve, but it is unlikely to be
completely replaced in the near future.
Four Ways Legal Data Entry is Made Easier with Legal Software
There are several ways legal case management software can help you become more efficient and effective in managing your critical legal data and related activities. Here’s a look at four ways legal case management software can help you better manage your data:
- Consistent Data Forms
When it comes to legal data, you are receiving information from multiple sources and in multiple formats. One way to increase accuracy and consistency is to employ standard templates and forms to receive information consistently and accurately. Case management software can help you create customized templates and forms for a variety of data types including intake requests and more before even picking up the phone.
Typically, the following information makes up a standard intake request:
- Personal Information: This section includes fields for personal and contact information as well as department details if necessary.
- Legal Services Requested: This section can include a checklist of services offered so that the customer can select any and all that may apply. You can also include a brief description of each service offered on the form.
- Case Explanation: This section provides the customer the opportunity to describe the incident or help needed. There may be specific prompts to include based on your unique organization to ensure you get all the information you need.
The beauty of customizable legal software is the opportunities are endless when it comes to creating a form that works for your unique department or organization. It is important to keep in mind that usability is key when creating your form and simple is best. You want to use friendly language and familiar terms that will help you get all the information you are seeking while easing your customers’ worries at the same time.
- Standardized Templates
Legal software allows you to customize templates with your organization’s style, terminology, file numbering schemes and other brand elements to ensure consistency across the organization. This not only helps your team easily create and distribute documents they need, but they can also save time by not having to search for the document they need, when they need it.
Special features like document “check-in” and document “lock-out” ensure that team members are always accessing the correct document and duplicate documents aren’t possible. Lastly, you can have the flexibility to create a template for any type of document, automatically merge file information into your documents as needed and store documents directly in the case or matter. This saves valuable time and resources to maximize productivity across the organization.
- Superior Admin Tools
Legal software admin tools enable managers to have full control over all the data that goes in or out of the system. This flexibility allows you to set up the system exactly as you desire to meet your organization’s unique needs. With full administrative control you can:
- Set up case/matter menus
- Establish appropriate user workgroups
- Decide and establish system security
- Create custom windows
- Create workflow wizards
- Create document assembly templates
The best part? You don’t have to be a software expert to do this. A good system will be designed for non-technical users, so you can easily customize critical aspects of the application. There should be no limit to the number of custom menus, windows, prompts or look-up tables you can design to better suit your data and your organization.
- Enhanced Reporting and Analytics
Legal case management software tracks all your key qualitative and quantitative data in a single location, giving you the ability to run reports at any time. With easy access to data and the ability to quickly understand it, managers can identify and analyze trends on the fly and observe patterns that help them make better decisions about forecasting, how to allocate resources and improve operations.
There are numerous data analytics reports that legal managers and in-house teams can take advantage of within legal case management software including:
- Trend Reporting – Expense Reporting
- Budget Reporting – Time Reporting
- Allocated Resources Reporting – Risk Management Reporting
The vast advances in legal technology now afford you the opportunity to view data through visual analytics dashboards so you can finally say goodbye to those dreaded spreadsheets.
Maximize Your Legal Data Through Legal Case Management Software
The benefits of utilizing legal case management software to manage your valuable legal data are numerous—more accurate data, advanced reporting and happier customers— just to name a few. And since your legal professionals are already tasked with doing more with less, you can almost immediately boost morale across the entire department by eliminating time-consuming manual processes.
With Legal Files Software, you can maximize your legal data from beginning to end. You no longer have to worry about capturing all the details from a potential matter or case and relaying the information to others, but can execute all your important data request activities from a single platform that synchronizes with your team members’ calendars and to-dos so you can assign the right person to the right request as well as report on all the valuable data you are storing.
Legal Files offers 30+ years of experience supporting organizations across a number of industries. Its legal software, Legal Files gives professionals the complete package when it comes to managing your legal process.
“Everything is in one place, which may seem like a simple idea, but the impact is huge because it means that you create a more collaborative environment. Everyone has access to the information they need.”
Lynn Dunlap, a Legal Files Customer
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Request a demo to learn more about how we help organizations like yours manage what matters to you.