In last week’s blog we went back in time and explored the early efforts to integrate legal technology platforms. This week, we’re covering legal case management software architecture.
The ability to integrate applications has been significantly enriched by universal network access. Modern applications – including legal case management software and other vital business systems — not only communicate with each other on the same computer and local area networks, but are also now capable of communicating across the internet in ways that combine functionality across an infinite number of resources. The site www.ProgrammableWeb.com lists several thousand web APIs that vendors have provided for their products and services.
Workflow, productivity, mobility, extendibility and flexibility should all be cited when describing what properly integrated applications offer modern businesses. Don’t fall victim to using technology designed around the limitations of legacy technology architectures.
Law firms and legal departments need a matter-based ecosystem that will allow their organization to achieve the highest level of efficiency for their clients. Often, their current business systems are inflexible and too structured or in some cases not structured at all. Organizations need an end-to-end ecosystem capable of supporting the entire life cycle of their business process, not simply discrete, fragmented or disconnected phases.
Procure, engage, produce, close and learn encapsulate the major elements of the legal case management life cycle. Early stages of the life cycle can often be overlooked by focusing strictly on production requirements. For instance, technology solutions should allow access to other departments within corporations, while law firms need the capacity to drive new client engagements. Technology solutions should also be flexible in ways that accommodate process agility by adjusting to outcomes from previous learning experiences.
Read how one law firm integrated their business processes by clicking here.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on advologix.com. On November 20, 2024, Mitratech acquired Advologix, a leading provider of legal case management. The content has since been updated to reflect our new product offering, CaseCloud, and Mitratech’s latest solutions for legal ops management.
