Lawyers face many challenges- long hours, high-stress cases, and practice-focused challenges (learn more here). They can also face the threat of malpractice suits.
One of the main reasons behind malpractice suits is missed deadlines. More specifically, this may be a result of failing to file documents on time. Of course, most attorneys in North America have insurance to protect them against malpractice; however, it’s also important to actively prevent claims from happening in the first place.
Ways to Reduce Risks
1. Retainers
It may seem quite obvious to sign a retainer, but it is not uncommon to hear situations where lawyers “forget” to get in writing what was agreed upon in the initial discussions with their clients.
This can happen when former clients have a new matter because there is an established relationship between the attorney and the client. Forming good relationships and trust with clients is important, but sometimes results in undocumented discussions.
Falling to document what was agreed on at the beginning of a representation can create misunderstandings that affect the case. It can create major delays in the matter’s progression and even can lead to a claim against the attorney.
2. Reducing Time Constraints
First and foremost, lawyers are entrepreneurs the face the challenge of maintaining a business. As a result, it can be tempting to take on matters that would bring significant revenue to the firm. But sometimes these profitable matters may not be your area of expertise.
This isn’t to say that lawyers can’t learn and excel in new practice areas, but there can be a learning curve. Becoming an expert takes time and when you’re under pressure, it may not be a good business decision to bite off more than you can chew.
Just like avoiding matters that are not in your area of expertise, it’s important to avoid taking on more work than you can handle. Attorneys have to learn how to say no to new matters that will overload their team.
3. Creating A Solid and Reliable Management System
Creating processes and procedures by identifying workflows is important. Knowing how you and your team’s activities progress is a key way to become more efficient. Workflows are a great way to make activities more visual and reduce the associated errors.
By being able to visualize workflows, it’s easy to identify where in the process has the greatest amount of deadlines. Visualizing workflows can be made easier through the use of technology. Software programs can help you boost your practice’s productivity while avoiding costly mistakes.
When you can visualize where in the process you’re struggling and in which moment of the workflow you have more deadlines, it’s helpful to use software to help you boost your practice and avoid mistakes.
Legalboards has excellent features that can help you increase your productivity, manage your practice and make your workflow more efficient.
With Legalboards, you can also set up automations where your team receives emails with their overdue tasks and upcoming deadlines. You can also set up labels to mark delayed matters, automations to follow up with responsible attorneys on matter progressions, and notifications regarding specific tasks and matters. All of these features can help with the challenges that lawyers face on a daily basis.
