Generally speaking, lawyers tend to be slow to adopt new technologies. Social media are no exception: many lawyers still, and incorrectly, assume there are no real benefits to using social media. In previous articles, we discovered that the new legal consumer behaves differently, and operates in an online paradigm. A three-pronged approach was suggested to attract the new legal consumers. The keywords were: cultivate / offer / engage. Many websites focus mainly on the offer aspect. Social media play an important role in the both the cultivate and engage aspects.

In order to elaborate on this, it is good to pay some attention first to social media marketing in general. You probably already have a website, but somehow the percentage of visitors to your website that results in actual new customers is rather low. That is because the old ways of turning visitors into customers are not the most effective in an online paradigm. In the new online marketplace, everybody offering products or services must realise that they also are publishers, and that potential customers are content consumers. The way to turn website visitors into customers is to turn them into regular content consumers first.

In her book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue Shama Kabani explains the ACT Methodology for social media marketing: ACT is short for Attract – Convert – Transform.

A stands for Attract. You want to draw attention or stand out. Practically, this means attracting traffic to your website, as well as to your presence on social media. Needless to say, you need to be active on social media, if you want to use them as a channel to attract visitors.

C is for Convert. Conversion happens when you turn a stranger into a consumer or a customer. As mentioned above, there is a difference between the two. By converting a website or social media visitor into a content consumer, you create a relationship with him or her. Over time, this relationship increases the likelihood of that content consumer becoming a customer, provided you present them with quality content. The more is at stake, the longer this may take. This means that you constantly have to work to convert people into consumers and customers. Social Media are a great tool for turning strangers into content consumers.

T stands for Transform. Transformation is when you turn past and present successes into magnetic forces of attraction. In a previous article, we found out that many people looking for a lawyer consider online reviews and testimonials important. Indeed, testimonials and reviews by existing customers help attract and subsequently convert new consumers and costumers. Social Media provide an extra, and important, platform for your existing customers to provide you with the glowing feedback which will help to do so.

As a content provider, you must think of everything you publish online in function of one of the three aspects of the ACT methodology: how does what I put out there help attract, convert or transform? The same applies to the three-pronged approach of cultivating, adapting your offer and engaging with the new legal consumers: each has to be done with the purpose of attracting, converting or transforming.

Social media are very well suited to cultivate the new legal consumers and engage with them. Media like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, or Reddit, e.g., are ideal platforms to offer assistance, or to start or take part in discussions. If you want to demonstrate your expertise, a blog on your website is not the only possible way to publish specialized articles. Social media like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ also offer the same ability, with the added benefit of reaching a larger audience.

In summary, social media have a role to play in attracting and transforming new consumers and customers, and are crucial in converting strangers into content consumers. They offer a platform to cultivate the new legal consumers and to engage with them.

Sources:

• Shama Kabani, The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue, Benbella Books, 2013.
• Nika Kabiri, Sink or swim: How to adapt to the New Legal Consumer, 27 April 2016, avvo.com; go.avvo.com/new-legal-consumer-download
• Stephen Furnari, Understanding the new legal consumer, lawfirmsuites.com/2016/06/understanding-the-new-legal-consumer-infographic/

In recent years, we have seen the emergence of the virtual law practice. Did you know CICERO LawPack is ideally suited for this purpose?

So, what is a virtual law practice? The two most commonly used definitions are the ones from the Wikipedia, and from author Stephanie Kimbro. The Wikipedia defines it as follows: A virtual law firm is a legal practice that does not have a bricks-and-mortar office, but operates from the homes or satellite offices of its lawyers, usually delivering services to clients at a distance using technological means of communication (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_law_firm). Stephanie Kimbro, on the other hand, defines a virtual law practice as “a professional law practice that exists online through a secure portal and is accessible to both the client and the lawyer anywhere the parties may access the Internet.” A survey by the American Bar Association revealed that the expression is also often used for any legal practice that offers or uses any of the following: secure client portals, web-based client interaction, virtual (as in non-physical) office / telecommuting / remote work, and/or cloud computing.

Working online with a cloud-based solution is a recommended solution for lawyers with a solo practice, as well as for beginning lawyers and trainee lawyers. It is typically more cost-effective, and offers the additional benefit that you can work from home, or from anywhere else you might want to, and when you want to. Joleena Louis, e.g., is a matrimonial and family law attorney, who went from being a law firm employee to having her own successful solo practice at home. She realised she spent most of her time in court, and far less time in the office. As a result, she couldn’t really justify the rental cost of a physical office anymore. Setting up a virtual law office was the logical answer.

Research in the States revealed there also is another group of lawyers who can benefit greatly from having a virtual practice: all the female lawyers who want to balance a family life with a successful professional career. For years there has been a tendency for female lawyers to leave the legal profession, either because of the challenges (and sometimes discrimination) they face in a male dominated profession, or because of the desire to start a family. Having a virtual practice, where one works from home when one wants to, opens interesting new perspectives.

Rachel Rodgers, e.g., is registered at the bar in New York. Some years ago, she started one of the very first virtual law practices. She did so because she wanted to have children. At the same time, she didn’t want the struggle she saw other female advocates were experiencing, juggling motherhood and professional life in a stressful environment. Working in a virtual office from home allows her to have the family life she wants, and to work when it suits her. Today, Rodgers’ firm is so successful that she hires other lawyers to assist her.

So, the benefits of a virtual office are not limited to cost savings (as there is, e.g., no need to rent a physical office). Having a virtual office also leaves you with greater freedom and is more convenient, as you can work where and when you choose to work.

If all of this sounds appealing, then CICERO LawPack 10 is the answer for you. It is designed to offer an easy online solution. To be able to use the cloud version, all you need is access to the Internet with a browser, and – at least, for now – Office 365 (which is offered as an optional part of the package).

And it offers the services people associate with having a virtual office. It allows you to have a virtual, i.e. non-physical office. It can easily be used for telecommuting or remote work, so you can work from anywhere, and at any time, using either a browser or one of our mobile apps. It uses cloud computing technology, offering you the choice to go for a fully cloud-based solution or a hybrid solution, where you can use your own servers if you prefer to do so. For more information, see support.cicerosoftware.com/en/legal-practice-management-products/cicero-lawpack/. As an optional module you can also give your clients access to their files through a secure portal (i.e. the “web view” module: support.cicerosoftware.com/en/legal-practice-management-products/cicero-webview/).

Are you interested? Why don’t you try it out, for one month, for free, without any obligation to commit? You can request a trial at the bottom of the support.cicerosoftware.com/en/legal-practice-management-products/cicero-lawpack/ page. The trial period lasts for 30 days, but can be extended for trainee lawyers. During that time, you have full access to all tutorials, to the help desk, and to e-learning training sessions. All you need is a browser, access to the Internet, and Office 365. Try it. You won’t regret it!

Sources:

• My Transition to a Virtual Office: lawfirmsuites.com/2016/07/switching-to-a-virtual-office/
• virtuallawpractice.org/
• www.americanbar.org/publications/techreport/2014/virtual-law-practice.html
• www.americanbar.org/publications/gp_solo/2014/january-february/launching_virtual_law_firm.html
• www.fastcompany.com/3008304/mobilizing/counselor-how-rachel-rodgers-built-her-virtual-legal-practice

Give your relations online access to their cases.
In a previous newsletter we notified you already of our new feature WebView; the ability to give your relations insight into their cases. With our new video tutorials we teach you what adjustments should be made in CICERO (Configuration) and how your relations can use WebView (Use). Click the links below to view the video tutorials.

WebView Configuration
WebView Use

In CICERO V10 WebView is now default available for one case. That means there are no extra charges for you and you can experience all the benefits of WebView for free.

In the last article of early July, we mentioned the rise of virtual offices and websites that offer legal services. One of those, www.donotpay.co.uk, has drawn a lot of attention, recently. The website is the brain child of nineteen-year-old Joshua Browder, who refers to it as the world’s first robot lawyer. He created the website after he received more than thirty unfair traffic fines in London in just a few months, and wanted to appeal them. The website is designed to make that process as easy as answering a few questions, either by filling out a form, or in a chatroom. The website then files the appeal on your behalf, for free.

That Browder chose a chatroom solution that uses a chat bot shouldn’t come as a surprise. Indeed, experts have been predicting that the use of chat bots to interact with customers would constitute one of the biggest new technology shifts. After all, chatting apps are extremely popular, and offer users a familiar interface. Chances are you’ve already used a chat room to interact with IT support services or with companies’ customer services. The natural next step was that chat bots would get involved to automate and streamline the process. Tests have shown that the artificial intelligence used in chat bots has sufficiently matured to pass the Turing Test, i.e., the person interacting with the chat bot does not realise he or she is interacting with a chat bot. In the US, e.g., chat bots are already being used successfully in fast food chains to process online orders. Or you can just call an Uber through Facebook Messenger. Chat bots can also get you news headlines, weather forecasts, or traffic information. IT companies like Slack.com, e.g., already use a chat bot (called slackbot) for their online customer support. Microsoft acknowledged the potential of chat bots when it started working in March on tools that allow you to create your own chat bot on Skype.

With DoNotPay, the first legal chat bot is now a fact, too. When the website started offering Londoners an easy way to appeal unfair traffic fines for free, it did so with huge success: in less than two years’ time, 250 000 appeals were submitted and 160 000 of those were successful. As a result, approximately four million USD worth in parking tickets did not have to be paid. By now, people in New York can use the service as well. Seattle is next, and South Africa may follow as well. And that’s not all. Given its success, the website intends to extend the services it offers. Apart from appealing parking tickets, the website can now also assist you in claiming compensation if your flight was delayed.

In an interview with Fortune Magazine Catherine Bamford, a former lawyer in Leeds who advises law firms and corporate legal departments on automation, underlined how important this evolution is. “Access to justice for the non-wealthy is a serious concern. Legal aid budgets have been slashed in recent years. With helper bots like DoNotPay, some willing lawyers and expert programmers, legal advice could become cheap and accessible to everyone via the Internet. This is a real step in the right direction.”

The DoNotPay website wasn’t Joshua Browder’s first endeavour. The second-year IT student at Stanford, indeed has a nice track record already. As a thirteen-year-old he created an app for ‘Pret-a-manger,’ a sandwich chain, that became so popular that the company adopted it as its official app. He also contacted several human rights organizations offering his services for free. Some, like Freedom House (a human rights watchdog) and International Bridges for Justice accepted his offer.

We are likely to encounter more and more intelligent chat bots in the near future. And they won’t be limited to just support departments or customer services. One startup, x.ai, is already working on a virtual personal assistant, and uses the built-in chat bot to interact with people, e.g., to set up appointments, suggesting possible times, etc. It’s probably just a matter of time before law firms start using virtual legal assistants. In fact, IBM already offers a virtual legal research assistant. And that’s just the beginning. We can expect artificial intelligence aspects to be integrated in the user interfaces of legal software, replacing the more traditional wizards. And Law still is a field that deals with a lot of formalities. Robot lawyers that assist people with those, e.g., could be really useful, and could make things more transparent and accessible.

So, should lawyers be worried that legal robots will be taking over their jobs? Not really! After all, with each new technology arise new opportunities for lawyers, too. Take, e.g., liability questions: what if the robot lawyer makes a mistake, or if your virtual legal assistant sends out the wrong information? As long as there are legal conflicts, the need for lawyers will remain. (And that’s a good thing, because otherwise we would be out of job, too).

Sources:

• slackhq.com/an-easier-way-to-get-help-using-slack-be9ef893666b
• www.zdnet.com/article/meet-the-free-robot-lawyer-which-helped-quash-160000-parking-tickets-in-london-new-york/
• arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/live-in-nyc-or-london-this-chatbot-will-help-you-appeal-parking-tickets/
• fortune.com/2016/05/21/bots-rise-up/
• www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-updates-its-bot-platforms-with-new-features-support-for-facebook-slack-bot-features/

Because of the integration with CREMBL, now in CICERO you have the ability to send online correspondence that will be delivered to the recipient by post. Sending and managing your letters and documents online is not only easier and quicker, your correspondence will be archived automatically and centrally. So you have at any time an accurate overview of what has been sent, to which address, at what time and what is the status of delivery.

How to use CREMBL?
To make use of the CREMBL possibility, to send and manage your correspondence online, you must set a number of things first. Note: This only works if you have acquired a license to CREMBL.

You check Enabled, the default URL is already completed and you receive the API-key from CREMBL. Click SAVE to store the data.

Below you see the Stats of your CREMBL use. Then you go to DMS, Case search. Top left you enter the case name or case number of the relevant case and click SEARCH. On the right you get a list of all documents relating to this case. NOTE: You can only send PDF documents via CREML.

You open the document and click the button SEND VIA CREMBL and the CREMBL screen opens.

You select Party and the data below will be automatically loaded, if entered on the relation index card. You can, if desired, add a Notes and click the SEND button. Below you see the Status and you can see if your document has been sent.