Many law firms have adopted innovative digital technologies without considering how they fit into their operations or tech stack. This has resulted in disconnected platforms, siloed data, and isolated AI implementation. Digital workplaces — comprising broad application suites, AI functionality, and third-party integrations — are key to fixing this issue. With the right vendor, you can consolidate your tech stack, build one source of truth, and accelerate your digital transformation initiatives.
If you place your ear to the ground and listen closely, you’ll hear law firms in their thousands stampeding towards digital transformation.
AI is at the heart of this mad rush, with a majority of legal professionals already using AI for research purposes, contract reviews, and due diligence.
But eagerness isn’t always conducive to effectiveness.
As it stands, 62% of law firms are facing a “platform integration” crisis. With every new tool or AI implementation, their tech stacks are becoming more and more fragmented. This is hindering digital transformation efforts and stalling agility.
To transform sustainably and effectively, firms must consolidate their operations, unify their tech stack, and bring an end to siloed data.
This is where the digital workplace comes in.
Think of a digital workplace as a central operating system. It’s where most, if not all, of your legal operations take place. Every person, every communication, every process, every legal document, every training — all in one easily accessible environment.
Though features differ from provider to provider, you can expect most solutions to contain intranet, e-learning, internal communications, knowledge management, automation, policy management, and AI capabilities.
The benefits of adopting one centralized solution — as opposed to a patchwork of disparate tools — are far-reaching. With the right digital workplace, your law firm can:
Of course, not every digital workplace solution will offer the functionality, UX, and security features your firm needs to operate efficiently and compliantly. Which is why it’s essential to do your due diligence when researching vendors.
In the following section of this article, we help you assess and select the best digital workplace for your law firm.
Due to the all-encompassing nature of digital workplace solutions, you can expect most vendors to offer a long list of applications.
But don’t let the number of applications sway you. It’s quality that matters, not just quantity. An ideal digital workplace solution should provide high-quality, secure, and effective applications that tie into your firm’s strategy, transformation goals, and operational pain points.
Prioritize your most fundamental operations and needs, whether it’s training and development, internal communications, policy compliance, contract reviews, or case management and research. Then work out which applications and capabilities are necessary for streamlining these efforts.
Try to get as granular as possible during your evaluation.
For instance, a document management system without automated version controlling won’t be suitable for contract reviews. Equally, AI assistants that pull data from external sources could compromise your internal research processes (leading to compliance concerns).
Almost 40% of law firms have redesigned and/or improved their workflow and process automation functions within the last year. This demonstrates a clear desire to pivot away from manual processes.
However, while many digital workplace vendors offer automation capabilities, many of these capabilities are restrictive. They work for generalized use cases, but they can’t adapt to your unique procedures. Meaning you may have to adopt additional tools or develop in-house automations down the line.
To avoid this, opt for a vendor that provides a completely free rein business process automation platform. A no-code tool — that gives you full control over form building, workflow logic, SLA timers, ticket assignment, and statuses — will provide continuous value. You can build and adapt projects as and when needed, without any customization or development restrictions.
Over two thirds of lawyers use AI for daily tasks…but they’re doing so in isolation.
There’s no oversight or approval from IT, no shared process, and no integration with existing systems. These implementations may solve small, localized problems, but in doing so cause bigger issues.
Beyond the obvious data security risks, ungoverned AI usage can fragment your tech environment and increase manual workarounds between platforms.
To meet lawyer expectations without impacting compliance or efficiency, choose a digital workplace vendor with AI baked in. This functionality should be intuitive, secure, and useful.
To illustrate what we mean by this, let’s explore Claromentis’s AI features. Currently, our digital workplace solution provides AI search, AI assistants, content and image generation, and policy Q&A chatbots. The AI:
A fifth of US law firms experienced at least one cyberattack within the last year. And over half of those that suffered a data breach lost sensitive client information.
Needless to say, security should never be an afterthought when purchasing software. Especially when you operate in such a heavily regulated industry.
For the sake of your clients and your reputation, prioritize solutions that:
Trust is key here, too. Your digital workplace vendor should be able to demonstrate relevant experience in the legal sector, with trustworthy reviews and detailed case studies to back up their claims.
Digital transformation is an ongoing process, not a once-and-done activity.
Which is why your digital workplace should adapt with your firm. The right solution should allow you to; add or hide features if needed; spin up new licenses with ease; integrate external tools and data sources; and synchronize users and active directories when growing or acquiring new businesses.
If your solution is difficult to access and use, you’ll fail to meet your digital transformation goals. Lawyers will revert back to inefficient manual processes or create their own localized workarounds. Data silos will continue to fester and obscure performance insights. And bottlenecks will run riot throughout your operations.
You’ll end up right where you started — only this time with less money in your back pocket.
All of this to say: don’t underestimate the importance of usability. User-friendly interfaces and intuitive applications are crucial for increasing adoption and, by extension, delivering tangible outcomes.
When evaluating vendors, look for platforms that offer:
In addition to this, your vendor should provide hands-on onboarding experiences, self-service training resources, 24/7 ticketing systems, and custom development/operations support to ensure you extract the most value from your digital workplace.
Now that we’ve discussed how to choose the right digital workplace solution, let’s take a look at a real-world success story.
Switalskis Solicitors is a UK-based law firm, operating 11 offices across Yorkshire and London. In 2021, after acquiring two law firms, Switalskis sought a digital workplace solution that could unify their dispersed teams, converge their on-premise Active Directories, and enhance operational efficiency.
Claromentis met this criteria and then some. With our secure digital workplace solution, Switalskis Solicitors have:
Four years on, our digital workplace is still central to their day to day operations and culture activities. With a wide range of applications to explore, plus a completely limitless business process automation platform, Switalskis Solicitors can continually adapt, grow, and innovate. Allowing them to provide stellar experiences for their legal teams and clients.
Many law firms are stuck when it comes to digital transformation. They’ve rushed to accelerate innovation and AI adoption without planning how it fits into their existing operations. This has resulted in fragmented tech stacks, siloed data, and AI that causes more problems than it solves.
Now, law firms must focus on centralization and governance.
With a digital workplace solution like Claromentis, your law firm can centralize its operations, adopt AI securely, and boost operational efficiency. From speeding up knowledge access to strengthening compliance and consistency, we can help your firm transform sustainably and at scale.
To find out more, book a tailored discussion call with one of our experts.