12 Essential Questions to Ask a Legal Software Provider
Assessing any legal software provider
Conference and exhibition season is coming up, when you may be seeing loads of different tech suppliers and legal software providers—for everything from case management software to websites and digital dictation—all trying to sell their wares to the unsuspecting public. This can be a real minefield, particularly for lawyers in management positions, as professional legal training still does not include any defined element that looks at legaltech or technology as a whole. Therefore, it is an area that we are poorly equipped to navigate.
There are certain questions that you should ask of any technology supplier, and we are going to run through a few of those now. Please bear in mind that the following points are by no means exhaustive but should start you off down the path of issues to consider.
12 questions to ask of a legal software provider: A checklist in brief
Here are 12 questions you need to ask of any legal software provider you are assessing. Feel free to copy this exact list to ask of any software provider you are considering:
1. What are the contract terms of the legal software?
2. What is the contract length for the legal software?
3. How secure is this legal software?
4. Where is your operational and legal data held?
5. Does the legal software provider offer free trials (no credit card or contract signature required)?
6. Does this legal software ensure regulatory compliance?
7. Is the legal software cloud-based or are you restricted to one machine?
8. How does the legal software adapt to your firm’s needs?
9. Does the software/platform limit file storage or use by size or format?
10. Does the software allow for secure colleague and client communication?
11. How good is the customer service?
12. What is the evolution of the software?
Conclusion
The above list is not exhaustive, but it gives you an idea of the questions that you need to ask and obtain satisfactory answers to in order to be able to properly evaluate the use of the platform. The review of your legal software contract, in particular, is so important as you may find yourself tied into a minimum-term deal of several years in length. You need to find out how that relationship is going to operate and what, if any, support you are going to get from that platform before you sign on the dotted line.
Ultimately, ensure that you have full-price transparency and all of the relevant facts available to you in advance. You don’t want to find loads of additional charges and restrictions that only become apparent after you have signed up and paid your hard-earned money.
For the full article follow the link to Clio’s website: https://www.clio.com/uk/blog/12-essential-questions-to-ask-a-legal-software-provider/