This document discusses considerations for law firms moving their practices to the cloud. It outlines common concerns raised by those hesitant to adopt cloud-based solutions, and argues that cloud services can address these concerns. Specifically, the document notes that cloud providers offer strong security protections, reliable data access and availability, lower costs over time, and compliance with ethics rules. It provides tips for firms successfully transitioning to the cloud, including inventorying their systems, researching providers, developing a project plan, and focusing on security throughout the process. The overall message is that cloud computing has become a safe, cost-effective and responsible option for modern law practices.
Growing
38% in 2016
ILTA 2017 Tech Survey
77% of firms with 700 or more attorneys indicated increased cloud tech adoption for 2018
2017 ABA Legal Tech Survey
Firms 100 to 499 attorneys - 75% have web portals, 51% encrypt emails, 60% encrypt files
Solo firms – 12% have web portals, 24% encrypt emails, 37% encrypt files
2 – 9 attys – 26% have web portals, 31% encrypt emails, 35% encrypt files
BTW – generally 90% of large businesses use the cloud; 52% of small businesses use cloud for storage
Versatile – can’t get back the thousands of dollars you spent on the server
Updates
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/legal_technology_resources/resources/charts_fyis/saas.html
When data is stored off-site in the Cloud, employees, vendors and visitors are physically separated from a company’s mission-critical data.
This lack of physical access makes it more difficult for third parties to stumble across data and use it negatively. The amount of human risk decreases.
Analogy – money in bank vault versus in your dresser
File Storage
Are your files stored as paper or electronic (or both)?
Where are your files stored? (i.e. hard drives, USBs, servers)
How are your files organized? (i.e. chronological, categorical, matter number, client
name)
Approximately how many paper files do you have stored and how large is your
electronic repository?
o How many client files are closed? o How many client files are open?
Matter Management
How do you conduct client intake?
Where do you complete and record conflict checks?
Where do you store matter information?
How do you track deadlines, appointments, and statute of limitations?
How do you track your time?
How do you bill your clients?
How do your clients pay for services?
Financial Management
Partly Cloudy to Cloudy – Page 12 of 18 Is Your Practice ReadyMarch 18, 2016
Where do you store your financial records?
Where do you keep vendor records?
How do you conduct payroll?
Where do you maintain a budget?
How do you run financial reports?
Administration
What service (i.e. Google, Exchange, iCloud) and client (i.e. Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) do you use?
How do you keep track of your tasks?
Where do you keep notes and drafts?
Where is your administrative data stored?
What type of phone system do you use?
Do you have a fax line?
Why
Include information about each cloud-based service, why it meets the firm’s needs, and its benefits. Making your case to the entire firm will increase staff buy-in, ensure a successful transition, and ultimately a more efficient law practice.
When
Recently, a major hospital in Boston underwent a massive change to its records system, streaming its records to an online database. To do this, they required clinicians to reduce their caseload for a finite period of time by twenty-five percent.
Consider what makes the most sense for your practice. Is there a traditional lull in client intake? Do you plan to close any major cases in the upcoming months? When can your budget handle a reduction in caseload (consider reserving funds for the transition period)?
Set a timeline. Rather then attempting to do it all in one day, take an incremental approach, which should include alerting staff to upcoming changes.
What
In determining what and how much data to transfer to the cloud, there are a few options, explained below.
1. All Files: This is a good option if you are starting from scratch or already maintain most of your files in electronic format. If you have loads of records in paper format, it’s better to purge first and then develop a paperless system (as discussed under “How") before willy nilly uploading a massive batch of records.
2. Open Matters and Frequently Accessed Information: For firms that have been in operation for a number of years and have accumulated a plethora of records and information, it may be most efficient to upload only open matters and frequently accessed information (i.e. contacts, notes, administrative files) to the cloud. The firm thus benefits immediately by having access to the records and information used most on a daily basis, and yet doesn’t need to devote significant resources to a major systems overhaul. This option relies on a legacy system (more later).
3. When New Matters Open and New Information is Obtained: This is an ideal option for longstanding firms that don’t wish to spend the time transferring records back in time.
Rather, this option starts you from scratch similar to a newly minted firm. Pick a date, and from that date forward enter all new records and data into your cloud-based system. As with option #2, this option relies on a legacy system (see below).
Create checklist of what accounts to create (i.e. email, cloud storage)
Create checklist of what data each employee needs access (abide by the principle of least privilege)
Provide firm devices when possible and monitored by IT
If BYOD, have a policy
Create and have employees sign WISP
Train on security policies and awareness
Procedure for off-boarding