Change or die?

In association with Denovo: the Denovo team will help you find the right software – and then get the best from it

7th October 2019

One of the most exhilarating lawyers in the world once said that ‘If you want to change your life, you’ve got to change the way you think’, his name – Harvey Specter. Now, he might be a fictional character from one of the best shows on TV, but he has a point.

Nature tells us that those who do not evolve face extinction. We know we need to change, we know we need to keep up, and yet… Change can be tough and that sometimes puts people off. We live in a time when the rate of change is accelerating incredibly, driven by rapid advancements in technology. Keeping up with the changes nowadays can be so overwhelming that many choose to become laggards, adopting and adapting to change only when there is no other option. The problem with that is that they are in danger of missing out on the opportunities changes inevitably reveal, leaving the field wide open for their competitors and exposing themselves to the real possibility of becoming, if not extinct, certainly irrelevant.

In the legal world, Generation X and tech-savvy Millennials, are now taking up senior positions in firms across Scotland. They are the drivers of change, the thought leaders, boundary pushers and disrupters who are responding to the changes in our market place and eschewing the idea of the “traditional” law firm. These influencers are now in positions of authority and are excited to use technology to help drive change.

Love it or loathe it, legal technology is here to stay. The early adopters are already looking for next generation solutions and the laggards coming to terms with their options.

As with all industries there’s a lot of hype in the legal technology sector. Some seem to be positioning it as the panacea, the saviour for legal firms, saving time, saving money, make your team more productive. These claims can seem exaggerated and confusing leading to distrust and leading to yet more procrastination, more missed opportunities.

It’s not all hype. The truth is that most of those claims could be true. Could be. The challenge is using the technology to its fullest. If you have legal software in place, ask yourself this question. ‘Do I use it to its full potential, or have I just learned the bits that I need to get me through my busy day?’

If you are prepared to change, if you are prepared to embrace the technology; learn how to use it fully, it really could be a game changer.

We see it time after time. Law firms who buy legal technology and then use it to about 20% of its capability. They don’t engage with it fully to reap the multitude of benefits the technology can bring. When they do decide to try some other aspect of the software, they often find the support from their provider somewhat lacking.

Of course, not all technology providers are the same.

At Denovo we love technology. We are extremely proud of our team of Star Wars t-shirt wearing geeks who are incredibly proud of the work they do, who love and embrace the advancements in technology; not just for its own sake but because they know how it can help our clients. You see, our team works in a collaborative partnership with our clients, using the latest technology to develop ideas for their busy practices and supporting them in using the technology, so they can get maximum benefit.

One of our early adopter clients, Jones Whyte Law, is a prime example of a collaborative partnership and a firm who have evolved with the times. Having introduced Denovo after two weeks of starting up, Greg Whyte, Founder and Senior Partner, explained; “When we looked for a case management provider we shopped around and Denovo seemed the right fit for us. They are a local company, we met them personally, we liked their message and we thought they could grow with us. One of the main benefits to us is that they are always at the end of a phone or email. I know the team by name which is not always the case with external companies. That’s why we put so much trust in them.

We started with a very basic package and through trial and error we found what worked for us. We have always been tech-savvy but Denovo educated us further and helped us develop add-ons for every part of our practice, some of which were off the shelf and some they produced specifically for us. We’re now in a fourth phase evolution with Denovo having recently upgraded our system to CaseLoad. With new features available we are now looking to develop very niche software just for us and the team are bending over backwards to do that for us.”

At Denovo we are often asked what is the unique selling point of our business that benefits our clients most. There is one simple answer – our team. They are at the forefront of the technology and they really care about our clients getting the best from our software.

Think it’s time for a change? Give one of the team a call or join us at The Glasgow Film Theatre on Wednesday 6 November from 4:30pm for the official launch of Caseload, the only whole practice management software solution built for modern law firms.