As more firms look towards a paperless or paper-lite future, it presents a timely opportunity to reassess day-to-day administration practices, such as dictation, that can often involves double handling. Reviewing such practices to ascertain turnaround time from the initial dictation to when the document or email leaves the office can highlight inefficiencies and reduce costs.

Dictation as a Practice

Dictation, though essential for some lawyers, can be somewhat problematic in a law firm. As was previously stated, dictation more often than not, will involve double handling of work. Don't get us wrong, dictation can speed up the rate at which work gets done exponentially, sitting at a computer and typing is slower, it's simple. But when this dictation involves more than one person, the benefits of the practice are voided almost right away.

Many lawyers dictate extremely well, however, many, especially younger lawyers do not. That's because young lawyers are generally taught to focus on their written work, which is of high quality, but slow. But even of those that do dictate well are still handing their work to others to be written up, which in itself leads to the possibility of error, no matter how meticulous one is. This means that another has to take time out of their busy day to perform a task that could be performed in a more efficient manner.

A faster, more efficient way

Technology, it's wonderful and it's ever changing, just like the legal practice. Though often steeped in tradition, the practice of law has become a living breathing entity that has started to evolve with the rest of the world. Technology is constantly providing ways for lawyers to do their jobs faster and with less chance of error.

For example, take dictation software, if lawyers are equipped with the right tools to be able to dictate their communication, they will be able to deliver their ideas faster, streamlining communication and administration procedures, and ultimately driving the efficiency of the firm.

LawMaster operates seamlessly with dictation software programs, such as Dragon Dictate and others, so that it enables exactly this. Lawyers can press one button on their keyboard and speak, and the file note or letter is instantly transcribed and captured in LawMaster. This means that lawyers no longer have to wait for secretarial support and can get results faster and more accurately, using less paper. Without having to rely on your secretary to perform these tasks you can assign them to more critical roles that can help you produce more billable work in the day.

LawMaster’s integration capabilities help law firms achieve either a paperless or paperlite status, reduce operating costs and generate more billable work. In an office that is paperless, you can have more visibility and faster transfer of information. Everything you need is accessible and in one place and there's no longer the possibility of files and other important information being lost in the clutter.

Your team of lawyers will be able to dictate file notes and letters faster and more accurately – all from within LawMaster. They will become more productive, more responsive and more engaged. If you're interested in hearing more, contact LawMaster today.