By LEAP Legal Software | AAML NJ Silver Sponsor

New Jersey family law firms face an unprecedented challenge with the current legal skills shortage. 60% of surveyed law firms report already feeling a strain on their operations due to a lack of skilled workers, according to TheLawyer.com. One of the driving factors in this skills shortage is a competitive hiring market that empowers skilled employees to identify the firm that will offer them the most flexibility and the tools they need to be successful. While it may feel daunting for partners and legal hiring managers to find ways to remain competitive in retaining and hiring skilled legal staff, the good news is that the right legal software can help them complete four simple tasks to stay ahead of their competition.

1. Automate “On-Location” Manual Processes

Nearly every industry has seen the notion of 50-hour, in-office workweeks due to manual processes become antiquated, and the legal industry is no exception. Legal professionals have requests and responses that come in outside of traditional office hours because their clients are often working at that time. That previously meant that legal secretaries and attorneys had to come in early or stay late in the office to create new matters, schedule meetings, or respond with updates to ensure that clients did not experience delays. However, legal technology can now automate these processes, giving staff members back their personal time without jeopardizing client experience.

One example of this is new matter creation. Instead of manually setting up a manila or desktop folder, the right legal software offers pre-built matter types for the most common cases a firm handles. This feature means that client and case-related data only needs to be entered once and then can be auto-populated across relevant documents and forms, eliminating the time spent on manually completing documents for each case. All staff members working on the case can then also access the data from anywhere to contact clients, set up meetings, request additional information, and provide updates. In addition, as staff free up time previously spent on manual case management, they can focus more attention on billable client work during the day to get them home on time and establish a healthy work-life balance.

2. Implement Flexible Work Options

In 2022, nearly 50% of legal hiring managers reported that a strong candidate would reject a job offer if they didn’t have remote work opportunities. If firms can’t offer their staff members the option of where and when it is convenient for them, they could lose top talent to more modern firms solely because they need the flexibility to manage their professional and personal obligations.

Legal cloud software can eliminate this challenge altogether. When New Jersey legal professionals can access software to see all the details, updates, documents, and correspondence related to the cases they’re working on from anywhere, they can effectively work from anywhere, at any time, whether in the office, at home, in between school drop-offs, in between doctors appointments, and even from a completely different geographical location! Remote work options also benefit New Jersey family law firms by reducing overhead as they reduce the amount of office space, desks, and utilities required to accommodate their staff in person.

3. Train and Mentor Junior Attorneys

New Jersey matrimonial attorneys at the early stages of their careers face a Catch-22. Although technology can automate many of the tedious tasks they previously handled, legal automation tools can also allow them to grow their technical skills and develop career plans that align with their professional goals. Partners at New Jersey family law firms must work with their junior staff to understand how they want to grow and develop a career plan with key milestones to achieve those outcomes. In the past, senior attorneys did not have the time to dedicate to mentoring and training new staff members. However, legal software can eliminate several hours of manual work a week to allow senior attorneys to serve as mentors to junior attorneys.

For example, as senior lawyers spend more time servicing clients through billable work, they can include junior lawyers through virtual meetings or shadowing so they can begin to develop the business acumen, emotional intelligence, and project management skills needed to advance their careers and move into client-facing roles. Training opportunities allow law firms to support their staff’s career development and demonstrate their investment in retaining their employees by creating an environment enabling them to learn and advance from within.

4. Expand Recruitment Efforts

The last way law firms can mitigate employment gaps is by expanding their recruitment efforts beyond their local New Jersey communities. While New Jersey law firms once had the advantage of being in a concentrated hub for top legal talent at all career stages, many legal professionals have already taken advantage of the increased presence of legal software to work remotely. Historically, “main street” law firms could not recruit or retain staff outside their communities, but legal software has now made these possibilities a reality.

Cloud-based legal software enables partners to reconnect with senior attorneys that retired or moved away to serve as senior team members and provide consulting services by providing them access to case-related information from anywhere, on any device. Additionally, as New Jersey family law firms onboard staff members in different locations, they can generate new revenue by servicing jurisdictions and areas of law that were previously outside of their capabilities.

Conclusion

The competition for highly skilled legal staff is more intense than ever, and the legal skills shortage will only continue to pose challenges for law firms that cannot offer the flexibility, automation, and advancement opportunities that New Jersey legal professionals need when they consider staying with a practice or joining a more modern law firm. As firm owners and partners consider how they create a modern work environment, it is time they consider implementing cloud-based legal software to automate the mundane, in-person tasks that force staff members to work longer, limit their flexibility, and impact staff retention and hiring.

Download LEAP's whitepaper, How to Overcome the Skills Shortage, for an in-depth look at identifying these gaps in your New Jersey law firm and mitigating the impacts with the right legal software solution.