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How to avoid pitfalls in an uncertain economic context

by With No Comment Lawyer EntrepreneurDigitalizationProductivity

More and more lawyers are discovering the power of BI or Business Intelligence.

Yes, it's a somewhat barbaric term and not necessarily very clear.

Explanations.

For a long time #lawyers had to juggle sources of information as diverse as they were varied to get an idea of ​​the economic activity of their firm. We obviously think of Excel tables, updated as often as possible but which quickly become obsolete. You then have to get back to work.

Another source is the accountant. A phone call or an email provided more or less rapid feedback to find out the turnover achieved to date and, in the best case scenario, whether the firm was generating a result or not.

In an economic context that is tense and becoming more and more uncertain, this artisanal mode of operation no longer meets the challenges. The parameters are identified:

☣️ galloping inflation
☣️ rise in interest rates
☣️ purchasing power of households at half mast
☣️ economic slowdown, possibly recession
☣️ deterioration of the geopolitical situation
☣️ health crisis and successive waves of confinements

The events that have occurred since 2020 have taught us that nothing is impossible, even the unimaginable.

But it goes both ways. The worst is never certain 🌈!

In this context full of challenges, it is crucial to see as clearly as possible. Well-ordered charity begins with oneself. To avoid being a passenger dependent on the vicissitudes of the market, it is better to be in charge.

This is where BI comes into play!

The lawyer needs performance indicators like the captain of an A350 needs his dashboard. It's when the weather gets bad that he needs to know his route while avoiding traps.

The important thing here for any lawyer is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their firm. To do this, it must have several indicators and monitoring tables. Let us cite a few particularly essential ones:

📈 The turnover achieved to date + forecast

📊 The amount of unpaid amounts overall and per customer

📈 The elderly scale

📊 Customers to bill

📈 Profitability per File and per Client

📊 The top 10 Customers by CA excluding tax

📈 The top 10 Files by CA HT

Updated 29 / 08 / 2022

Automate

Of course, these detailed indicators and tables should act as facilitators, meaning that they should not represent an additional workload for lawyers. 

The update must therefore be entirely automated, this is a key point in the success of the approach undertaken by the firm. Thus, even when carrying out your activity alone, you can have the same information as structured firms with greater resources.

Precision

Beware of an overdose of information and indicators. But even with the right indicators in place, it is necessary to be able to target the information sought. Each indicator, each table must offer the user the possibility of being able to filter the information to be displayed to allow him to visualize only the expected results. Better understanding a situation requires usable information. 

The power of the Cloud

This is where one of the main advantages of SaaS solutions lies, developed specifically to be intuitive and always available.

Because this is the other challenge: being able to consult these key indicators at any time and wherever you are. This means that the lawyer must be able to connect to the firm while traveling, from their own computer or from third-party equipment, without ever putting their data at risk.

This is a notable difference with the usual Excel tables: having a real BI allows you to consult your performance indicators as soon as it is necessary, simply and immediately. It's much simpler and more flexible than with an Excel table which requires a PC or a (large) tablet at least.

If the subject interests you and you want to regain control of your activity to be prepared to deal with any situation, do not hesitate to contact one of our specialists: 

Make an appointment with a specialist
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How to automate your accounting as a lawyer?

by Lawyer EntrepreneurDigitalization

Beyond being a legal specialist, an advisor and a professional who best defends the interests of his client, a lawyer is also an entrepreneur, who is led to explore all the aspects related to his profession. In this sense, a lawyer does not escape the administrative obligations that apply to all self-employed people, such as accounting for example. Together we will go through the accounting obligations that apply to the profession, as well as the best practices for automating your accounting as a lawyer. 

 

The accounting obligations of lawyers: what are the rules? 

As with all other entrepreneurs, the accounting and tax obligations of lawyers depend on the applicable tax regime. There are generally two types of plans used by lawyers to practice their independent activity:

    • – micro-BNC regime
    • – BNC regime in controlled declaration

 

 

 

Accounting for lawyers in micro-BNC

 

The micro-BNC is the regime which allows a lawyer to benefit from relief in terms of accounting and administrative obligations. In fact, a lawyer subject to this regime (often a collaborating lawyer at the start of his career) does not have to close accounts at the end of the fiscal year, nor does he have to submit a balance sheet to the administration. On the other hand, a micro-BNC lawyer is required to keep a recipe book. This lists all collections made as well as their details (the amount of fees, means of payment, date, etc.). 

The accounting of a micro-BNC lawyer is not limited only to keeping this book. As a professional, a lawyer has the obligation to issue quotes and invoices to his clients. Whether the micro-BNC lawyer invoices fees to his firm or to his own clients, an invoice is required for each service. Moreover, these tasks can prove to be the most repetitive. 

The other administrative aspect of micro-BNC lawyers concerns VAT declarations. A lawyer exceeding certain turnover thresholds (€44 and €500) becomes liable for VAT. L'subjection of a micro-BNC lawyer to VAT entails for him the obligation to prepare VAT declarations every month or every quarter, depending on the regime chosen. 

 

Accounting for lawyers in controlled declaration 

 

The accounting of lawyers in controlled declaration is more complex than that of lawyers in micro-BNC. Indeed, controlled declaration lawyers have a legal obligation to keep complete accounts (commitment or cash flow, as desired). Accounting requires: 

    • – the transmission of annual accounts to the tax administration every year (balance sheet, income statement as well as annexes). We are talking about the famous 2035 declaration
    • – keeping an accounting book which must list all the flows of the lawyer's activity, classified in the correct accounting category
    • – the obligation to keep all documents justifying activity flows (invoices, receipts, expense reports, purchase notes, etc.).

Being subject to VAT, a lawyer in controlled declaration must send his declarations to the tax authorities every month or every quarter (depending on the regime chosen). 

In the same way as the micro-BNC regime, invoicing in accordance with legal standards is obligatory for independent lawyers practicing under the controlled declaration regime. 

 

Our advice for not wasting time with accounting as a lawyer

 

As you can see, accounting and administration are no fun for lawyers. Fortunately, there are solutions to simplify your daily life as a lawyer and save time between client meetings, hearings and files. 

 

Automate as many tasks as possible

 

1. Billing 

To free up your time, consider adopting efficient invoicing software. Choose software that gives you the ability to create catalogs of recurring fees, costs and disbursements. As a collaborating lawyer, for example, you will be able to generate invoices in two clicks for your firm for the re-invoicing of fees. This is also what is proposed Jarvis Legal. You can create your own predefined activity lists, which will save you considerable time when it comes to time entry and invoicing.

2. Management of supporting documents 

Managing the supporting documents is certainly the most painful part. If you are not in the habit of doing your accounting as you go, you risk ending up with a ton of accumulated invoices and tickets. To avoid being overwhelmed, consider adopting software that allows you to digitize supporting documents by taking photos or uploading them. This will encourage you to forward your supporting documents to your accountant over time. Here too, Jarvis saves a lot of time by killing two birds with one stone: you can deposit your supporting documents in the appropriate directory in your file, which will also automatically send it to Acasi to be integrated into your accounting.

 

Delegate, you are not an accounting expert 

 

Managing your accounting, VAT returns and balance sheet alone exposes you to errors and oversights. You are not an expert in accounting, so it is better to delegate all these legal obligations to experts whose job it is. Imagine the stress and anxiety of having missed the deadline for your balance sheet or VAT returns. Call an accountant who will take care of all this part for you. This will save you time, nerves and the mental burden that accounting represents for self-employed people. With Acasi, you have a coach dedicated to your file whose mission is to support you in all these steps. 

 

Use modern solutions 

 

As we said in the introduction, being a lawyer also means being an entrepreneur. This role implies a certain vigilance and, above all, anticipation regarding the management of its cash flow. This can be tedious if you are not equipped with the right tools. Adopt tools that allow you to avoid unpleasant surprises. 

 

In summary, accounting and administrative management can be tedious if you are not equipped with the right tools. Does this mean that we need to increase subscriptions and therefore costs to remain efficient? No. Fortunately, there are all-in-one solutions that are there to help you. For example, Jarvis et ACASI offer simple, intuitive tools that simplify your daily life. Acasi, the accountant for lawyer, is both an accounting application that automates all your accounting tasks to help you on a daily basis and an accounting firm, registered with the Order of Chartered Accountants to take care of all your legal obligations. Right now, Thanks to the Jarvis x Acasi partnership, you benefit from a 10% discount on all their offers.

Go for it! 

Copy of Profession _ Lawyer Entrepreneur (2)

4 Models Lawyer Fee Agreements

by With No Comment Digitalization

4 models of lawyer fee agreements

Download the free fee agreement models made available on the website of the NBC and Paris Bar.

What is a fee agreement?

A fee agreement is a contract signed between you and your client. It must be drawn up and signed at the first consultation. It is a guarantee of seriousness and an assurance for you, as a lawyer, to be paid by your client. This fee agreement details the remuneration conditions under which you will handle your client's file.

In this fee agreement that you will provide to your client, you will specify the cost of your service as well as the calculation method.

FEES AGREEMENT ON THE BASIS OF A FIXED FEES
WITH POSSIBLY A RESULT FEE

Example of fixed fee agreement with additional performance fees (Word format)

Example of fixed fee agreement with additional performance fees (PDF Format)

lawyer fee agreement template
lawyer fee agreement templates
lawyer fee agreement template

FEES AGREEMENT IN THE PAST TIME

Example of fee agreement based on time spent (Word Format)

Example of fee agreement based on time spent (PDF Format)

FEES AGREEMENT IN PACKAGE

Fixed fee agreement (Word Format)

Flat rate fee agreement template (PDF Format)

Fee agreement on the basis ofa fixed fee
with possibly a result fee (CNB)

Fee agreement on the basis of a fixed fee with possibly a performance fee (PDF Format)

Fee agreement on the basis of a fixed fee with possibly a result fee (Word Format)

Copy of Profession _ Lawyer Entrepreneur (2)

Why is lawyer billing software essential for a firm?

by With No Comment Digitalization

The essential lawyer billing software for a firm

Le lawyer billing software is a healthy practice's best friend.

As we all know, avocados don't live on love and fresh water. And without invoicing, no fees. So why on earth is this task seen as the bane of their to-do list?

No doubt because the time devoted to it takes time away from more essential missions: file processing, client meetings or even the firm's growth strategy.

Yes but… Bringing in money “physically” is part of the life of any business that wants to survive and flourish. Of course, not all firms have a dedicated accounting department and the smallest of them have to do everything themselves, in addition to consulting work.

But this step is no less essential. So you might as well roll up your sleeves and find the tool that will free them from this repetitive work.

Invoicing software for lawyers or how win time

The path to invoice a client is a bit like an obstacle course: complete the mandatory information, calculate the fees excluding VAT and including VAT, send the invoice, monitor the collection, follow up on unpaid debts, transfer everything to the accountant. And all this, for every customer the earth has ever known.

So why not take advantage of the benefits of technology and innovation? In fact, simple software can pre-fill all the mandatory invoice data. Above all, it does the boring calculation and editing tasks in place of humans. This in just a few clicks on your phone wherever you are geographically.

In addition, the system automatically synchronizes with features that track files instantly. Is a file closed? This systematically triggers invoicing. Goodbye to the mental load of accounting!

Edit invoices quickly: the promise lawyer billing software

Each his trade. And employees have better things to do than calculate additions or percentages.

Digitalization has the ability to produce a number of invoices per minute that a fast human typist would be incapable of producing. Lawyer invoicing software industrializes the editing of invoices and exports the data to any accounting tool.

In addition to saving time, readability is also very clear thanks to the centralization of all essential information. A dashboard summarizes the list of customers to be invoiced, the pricing conditions negotiated with them and the payment history. 

Stop losing money and control in real time the cash flow of his office

Firms, like any business, are facing a phenomenon that is killing cash flow. Yes, we are talking about unpaid debts which represent 30% on average of shortfall. However, cash flow is the crux of the matter, especially in this period where the digitalization of law is giving rise to competitors eyeing the lawyer market (not to mention the gloom linked to COVID).

Invoicing is already a thankless task. But follow-ups and follow-up are even more important. Lawyer billing software will take care of all of these time-consuming tasks. The gain from the operation? 30% on average more in cab turnover.

This tool gives associates the ability to see the cash flow situation live. And therefore to identify lucrative market shares and take appropriate actions for the growth of the firm thanks to the time saved on invoicing.

Learn more about Jarvis invoicing software
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Why choose lawyer software for running your practice?

by With No Comment Digitalization

Why choose a lawyer software for the management of his office?

Le lawyer software takes the offices by storm. Lawyers are realizing that legal practice must digitalize in order to compete with legatech. The latter are clearly on the rise and are taking up more and more space in the legal landscape.

Because yes, the law is experiencing a real change. It is therefore urgent to jump on the innovation train. Firms that have understood this are already one step ahead of others so as not to lose market share.

It is clear that lawyer management software is not expensive compared to the benefits that practitioners can derive from it. 

Better organization, time saving, productivity are the prerogative of this software and this with a more than praiseworthy perspective: better advising your client.

Lawyer software to improve the organization of the firm and promote collaboration in the team

Avoid the constant back and forth by email with employees? Stop wasting time furiously searching for documents? This is what technology promises you! Thus, a machine worthy of the name brings together all the data in the same place. The advantage? Every lawyer has exactly the same level of knowledge.

The digitalization of work simplifies communication within the firm and optimizes file management. Everyone knows what they have to do at the right time. Goodbye misunderstandings and scattered information! Collaborative work is obviously more efficient and removes the mental load when processing a case.

Ultimately, it is an essential way to modernize the handling of files thanks to precise coordination that leaves no room for chance. Like the captain of his ship, the partners have a real dashboard to keep the firm on course.

Online lawyer software for better productivity and increased time savings

Well-chosen lawyer software modernizes the way of managing a case not only with colleagues but also with clients. Thus, the transfer of documents or the exchange of essential elements of the file are no longer daunting tasks. Lawyer software is there to facilitate this type of procedure.

The latter relieves the team of time-consuming tasks. He can transfer this time saving to missions which therefore provide real added value for customers. Indeed, the lawyer's advisory mission takes on its full meaning here. Decisions are made with much more serenity and reflection.

Furthermore, by having a panoramic and immediate vision of the tasks in progress, a firm becomes aware of its areas for improvement as a company. For example, there is data on the time spent on a file, current business volumes and billings to be closed. So many indicators to monitor to make a firm competitive.

A tool to work from anywhere: long live teleworking

Before the term “telecommuting” appeared, some legal professionals were already taking files home with them. However, this way of working was not institutionalized and it is still exceptional today.

But times are changing and firms are gradually opening up to this new way of working. Confinement revealed that “physical” presence was not necessary to work well. Beyond this economic event - confinement - teleworking is very good for the productivity and well-being of teams provided they work with an appropriate tool.

Online lawyer software will be able to meet the expectations of a firm. The secure centralization of documents, integrated means of communication (such as videoconferencing) and management of files in project mode with employees are essential features for effective teleworking.

And you ? When are you getting started?

lawyer entrepreneur

Communication 2/2 – Means of communication

by With No Comment Digitalization

Communication chez l’Avocat 2/2 – Means of communication

You have defined the commercial offer that suits you and will allow you to differentiate yourself. The challenge now is to make it known using all the means of communication at your disposal.

Like evoked previously, the lawyer can today communicate more, provided that he respects the rules of the profession. These are summarized in the vademecum of the National Bar Council, for more details: http://encyclopedie.avocats.fr/GED_BWZ/107763592594/CNB-2016-03-17_Ru_Communication-des-avocats-Vade-mecum[Version-2016-03-16][P].pdf

My intention here is not to draw up an exhaustive inventory of lawyer solutions. My ambition is rather to encourage you to set up sequenced communication by using the different channels in a hierarchical manner, so that you can use them in order of priority.

As soon as they are established, most lawyers rush to create their own website. In my opinion, this should not be their priority! To be successful, a website requires reflection and a relatively significant investment: definition of a graphic charter, writing texts, taking photos, etc.

Resist the incessant canvassing to which you will be subjected! Especially if these are subscription offers which will ultimately turn out to be very expensive... Being present on the web is essential, but you are not obliged to opt for a website from the start.

 

Be referenced on the Internet to be reachable

 

At the start of your installation, the priority is to be reachable. In 2020, most of your customers will prefer the telephone; more than 8 out of 10 customers in my case.

Once your telephone line is activated, you will be able to list yourself in professional directories. Most are free: that of your bar, of course, that of the CNB portal (www.consultation.avocat.fr), the essential Google my business and always the Yellow Pages.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to complete your SEO with the creation of a LinkedIn profile.

On all these media, take care of your image. Your profile must be complete, illustrated with a recent and professional photo, your information and schedules will be provided and up to date.

 

Stand out from the crowd and assert your legitimacy

Referencing your own website will be time-consuming and expensive. On the other hand, you can quickly emerge on the web by writing in-depth articles. You will publish them on different sites which will be consulted by litigants (and some colleagues) looking for advice: Village de la Justice, JuriTravail, the CNB website, etc.

These media have the advantage of being free. Thanks to your LinkedIn profile, you will easily relay your publications to reach more people. Obviously avoid “duplicate content” which would penalize you in terms of SEO: only publish each article on one site.

A lawyer's reputation is also established online: do not hesitate to ask your clients to leave a positive review, particularly on your Google page.

At this stage, if you want to create a website, a showcase site is more than enough. It is one to two pages, including your presentation and the means to contact you.

 

Earn new customers on the Internet

Do you want to accelerate your development? I'll give you other tips, to adapt to your activity of course, depending on the time and resources you can devote to it.

First, it may be interesting to enrich the content of your website: more pages, with more details on your areas of activity. It is also a good time to invest in targeted advertising based on keywords on search engines (“adwords” campaign).

Sending a news letter to your clients can give your firm even more credibility. To save time, it can include the content of your latest articles by adapting them to your contacts.

 

Become known outside Internet : " he who comes out comes out »

Not everything is played out on the internet and fortunately. It is important to invest “offline”, to meet people, develop your reputation and gain new customers.

Register for legal access hotlines to meet your clients. Join professional networks that suit you and that will create new opportunities. Meet entrepreneurs, association or political leaders, depending on the law you practice.

If you like to transmit, give courses to the faculty. Your concrete vision of law can help more than one student to understand sometimes hermetic subjects. Preparing for lessons will stimulate you intellectually. And as sometimes, in giving, we receive, you are not immune to meeting wonderful people, why not future interns/collaborators or future professionals who will need your services…

Finally, do not neglect meetings between colleagues, because mutual assistance can prove to be an asset in many circumstances.

About the Author

lawyer entrepreneur

Presentation and introduction by Maître Chloé Schmidt-Sarels.

Having graduated from CAPA in 2012, I did not at all want to practice as a lawyer. So I started my professional career as legal manager of a start-up.

After a very enriching experience, a need for autonomy and a certain nostalgia for public law led me to set up as a liberal lawyer.

lawyer entrepreneur

Communication at the Lawyer 1/2 – Differentiate yourself

by With No Comment Digitalization

Communication chez l’Avocat 1/2 – Differentiate yourself

As you know, since 2014, the lawyer has the right to communicate. If this communication is authorized, it is nevertheless strictly regulated by the texts. Fortunately, this will not prevent you from communicating in different ways to make your message known (we will come back to this in a future article).

Today, in the general hubbub, and whatever market you have chosen, it is a safe bet that your prospects will be spoiled for choice. You must therefore develop a message that attracts their attention: the only way to be the one they choose.

Differentiate yourself to to exist 

As explained previously (editor’s note article 2), presenting yourself as “a family law lawyer”, as “an administrative law lawyer” or practicing in “labor law” is a good start. Unfortunately, this will not be enough to allow you to emerge. It is important to construct a distinctive message to be quickly noticed and identified.

A social law lawyer can thus position himself as a defender of employees or, on the contrary, a defender of employers. A family law lawyer can communicate on a particular aspect (international divorces, etc.). The criminal law lawyer can obviously present himself as a lawyer for the defense or the civil party. As for business law, it offers the possibility of presenting a limited offer such as intellectual property, companies in difficulty or, for example, business criminal law. Look carefully, all areas of law lend themselves to this targeting exercise.

Depending on the market you have targeted, it may be relevant to strengthen your skills by adapting them. With a DU in rural law, I was able to practice town planning law more geared towards the agricultural world. On a personal level, although my desire has never been to practice solely in rural law, my move to an area close to the countryside has led me to improve my skills in this area.

Simplify and make accessible his message

To be understood and impactful, make sure to present your message in the interest of those for whom you will act. To simplify your message, ask yourself how you would present your activity to your parents (or your children). Would you say that you are “a lawyer specializing in labor law on the employee side” or “a lawyer who defends employees in their conflicts with their employers”? As a criminal lawyer, you can say that you support the civil parties from the filing of the complaint until the execution of the judgment. Intellectual property practitioner, helping companies protect their brands etc.

Presenting will be all the easier if you have carefully thought about your offer, your skills and your motivations (see articles 1 & 2). This presentation follows from the previous stages presented (summary definition of your offer, comparison with the market, refinement of your offer, which becomes “remarkable”).

If you want to become an expert in remarkable and “disruptive” marketing, I invite you to discover the vision of marketing of Seth Godin, the author of “The Purple Cow” https://www.conseilsmarketing.com/referencement/critique-du-livre-the-purple-cow-de-seth-godin/.

As a lawyer by training, you probably have the impression that my advice is too far removed from your concerns. It is true that Seth Godin has inspired many more start-ups than tenors of the bars. You are probably skeptical or worried. Do not panic ! It couldn't be more normal to be afraid! Don't worry, an offer that misses its target will be easy to change and inexpensive. And if you miss, no problem. Before succeeding, Thomas Edison never failed but “found 10 solutions that didn’t work.” The advantage of our intellectual and intangible profession is that we do not have to invest in a new machine or create a manufactured product which required 000 years of research and development. Test your offer and you will see!

Furthermore, nothing will prevent you, at least initially, from continuing to practice in areas other than those you have highlighted. But this “targeting” will allow you to give your office a dynamic, a color, in a word: a signature. It will then be a matter of using as many communication levers as possible to make this signature known.

About the author

lawyer entrepreneur

Presentation and introduction by Maître Chloé Schmidt-Sarels.

Having graduated from CAPA in 2012, I did not at all want to practice as a lawyer. So I started my professional career as legal manager of a start-up.

After a very enriching experience, a need for autonomy and a certain nostalgia for public law led me to set up as a liberal lawyer.

teleworking lawyer software

Lawyer and teleworking? Yes it is possible but not just anyhow!

by With No Comment Digitalization

Teleworking and Lawyer, compatible and maybe more.  

Until a few months ago, lawyer and teleworking were not two words that we thought of associating. A lawyer works in his office, whether small or large, he is in the office. However, since March, the Covid19 crisis has highlighted a practice already in force among a majority of lawyers who worked remotely without knowing it, often processing their files in the evening, on weekends or very early in the morning. and this, from home, without lawyer software to help them.

Teleworking, less constrained than in other professions, is now beginning to attract more and more support from lawyers, starting with the youngest among them. Two reasons for this shift, already perceptible before March and even more so since: a personal life on the one hand already highly digitalized; a more precarious personal/professional life balance.

According to a survey carried out by our teams this summer, 75% of lawyers are considering setting up the work within their office in the next months and for 25% of them for a longer period 2 days a week.

But who says remote work, says adapting your work tools.

A laptop certainly, but also the use of new communication tools and information sharing. Of course, in this area, general public tools already exist: WhatsApp for rapid exchanges with customers, the use of drives to record and exchange documents, videoconferencing to compensate for the absence of “face-to-face” meetings. » (Zoom, Skype, etc…).

Yes, but what about data security and compliance with the GDPR regarding these tools accessible to all? Wouldn’t a tool specific to lawyers be more suitable and more secure? Wouldn’t a single “multi-tasking” tool be easier to use? Not to mention the saving of time and greater ease of organization and therefore management of working time...

Vision remote work by Jarvis

Jarvis anticipated all of these questions to best support the profession and secure it in this new way of working. A new way to work from anywhere as if you were in your office.

How ? In the simplest way possible thanks to its full web solutions. Better. You can also now work locally without internet connection thanks to the Jarvis box. As soon as you regain a connection, all the data is synchronized with your cloud.

Jarvis is finally also a secure videoconferencing tool to guarantee the confidentiality of your exchanges with your customers, making its offer a complete offer, bringing together all the uses of remote working in a single tool.

And because people remain at the heart of our concerns, even more so in these times of “everything dematerialized”, and it is important for us to maintain a form of relationships at the heart of our profession and yours, Jarvis, it is also and above all a team who remains at your disposal to support you as best as possible in this new transition and way of working.

It is the use of all of its features around a team at your service that makes Jarvis a pioneer of virtual practice.

This is the “Jarvis” recipe to promote personal and professional life balance, to limit health risks and to save time and reduce fatigue (travel, etc.).

 

Learn more
Support plan for lawyers and collaborators - 2020

Support Plan for Lawyers and Collaborators – COVID19

by Digitalization

Dealing with emergencies and preparing the future of the profession

Already faced with numerous challenges that have emerged in recent years (questioning of its status as an expert in law and pricing policy, demand for transparency, availability and responsiveness on the part of customers, pressure on deadlines in the face of overwhelmed courts) lawyers have gone through a historic strike over the last three months which has undermined the activity of their firms. The Covid-19 pandemic is yet another major challenge that they must face to continue to exist and serve citizens so that the law prevails in all circumstances. This task is made particularly complicated by the confinement and the almost total shutdown of the courts. To despair, they tell you! Moreover, the latest CNB survey does not say anything else (see here: https://lnkd.in/d9XHAfR) However, the current situation offers new opportunities to be seized. The need for law is exacerbated in this very particular context. The challenge is to find the means to carry out your activity despite the distance, to preserve the link with your clients and colleagues despite the impossibility of meeting. Fortunately, there are quick and easy solutions to implement to respond. Since the start of the health crisis, several measures have been taken to help lawyers cope with an unprecedented situation. The State, professional organizations, bars and Legaltech have taken initiatives to provide support to a profession under strain. As it is sometimes difficult to navigate, we have created a file compiling as much information as possible to help you see things more clearly and identify the measures that may be useful to you. This file is freely accessible, you can distribute it without restriction. Do not hesitate to send us new information so that we can continually update the file. Continue to take care of yourself and thereby protect others. To access the file, click below.
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5 details that will make the difference on your website

by Digitalization

Creating a website is technically very simple, even for a lawyer. Indeed, WordPress, Wix or Avocalix allow any lawyer to create a website in a few hours.

However, the most difficult thing is not creating the form but the background..

What information is indicated? What services are offered to my clients? We give you some tips to make your website a real customer acquisition lever!

1- Integrate a customer area on your website

The relationship between the lawyer and his client evolves and the latter becomes more proactive in handling these cases. It now appears necessary to put the litigant back at the heart of the lawyer's service and to integrate him more into case management. Even if most lawyers communicate very regularly with their clients on the different elements of the file, the latter regularly needs access to all or part of their file. Thus, the integration of a customer area on your website will allow your customer to access their file whenever they want.

A solution like JARVIS allows you to open a secure customer area and integrate a file or a document from a file in two clicks. Furthermore, JARVIS offers the possibility of branding this client area in the firm's colors.

2- Speak in clear and dynamic language!

Accessibility of the subject is certainly the Achilles heel of many lawyers. The initial training of lawyers and professional practice impose a certain requirement, rigor and precision in their vocabulary. However, lawyers' language is not necessarily always clear to clients, which can lead to a form of distrust. Thus, the more easily accessible the content of the lawyer's site is, the more relevant it will be for the potential client.

To this end, avoid, for example, repeating the major legal disciplines (corporate law, social law, commercial law, etc.), which do not speak to all litigants, and further problematize your expertise on concrete situations. Likewise, have a dynamic approach by speaking directly to litigants with vocabulary that they master (e.g.: “recruit an employee”; “manage your peaks and drops in activity”, “respect your administrative formalities”, etc. )

3- Offer free content to your customers

Traffic to your website will depend in part on its content, its updating and keywords. It therefore seems relevant to regularly put free legal content on your website (articles, infographics, videos, etc.). This may be a summary explanation of simple legal situations or a new regulation. The presence of content on your website will allow you to increase your chances of being found on Google via a classic search for a litigant on a legal situation. Furthermore, this legal (or even business) content base will improve your credibility as a professional.

4- Indicate references

For a lawyer, a website must have the effect of showing litigants why they can trust them. An effective way to achieve this goal is to provide references. These references can be press articles, rankings, customer testimonials. They give you a basis of credibility. Word of mouth being the traditional method of client acquisition for lawyers, this can be done on your page via a success story. No need to violate the sacrosanct professional secrecy to share references, you just need to indicate a first name and a phrase/quote from a client.

5- Integrate forms

As stated previously, your website must be dynamic and no longer just an explanatory page. Use your website as a way to save time in processing your files. In fact, you can create intelligent forms allowing you to pre-qualify a potential client's request and save time in carrying out the service. You can thus establish several questionnaires, corresponding to common legal situations and request relevant documents and useful information directly from the client. To go further, a solution like Legal Pilot allows you to easily automate your legal documents and directly generate contracts from the responses on the form.