The Benefits of IT Support for Law Firms

The last thing you need as a law firm is to be worrying about IT related issues. Law firms in the South East, including Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Norfolk, have a lot on their agenda, and having to manage an in-house IT department on top of their tasks can be unnecessarily time-consuming and costly. It makes much more sense for a law firm to instead have a third-party IT service provider that manages all of its internal IT needs and operations.

Lawyers rely on technology to:

• Communicate with colleagues and clients
• Research precedent and legal issues
• Exchange documents
• Track billable hours
• Invoice clients and pay vendors
• Schedule events and share calendars
• Access important files and information
• Virtually conference

It's safe to say a law firm would struggle to operate without technology, and even common IT issues can cost your lawyers hours of precious time trying to fix avoidable problems. Unfortunately, fixing IT related issues is just the beginning. Your law firm also needs to keep their data security up to standards and ensure you’re meeting ongoing compliance.

So… What are the benefits of IT support for law firms? We’ve listed some below:

Enjoy IT Stability

Lawyers come to shock when a seemingly minor IT issue has the power to bring an entire law firm to its knees. The guarantee of IT stability doesn’t just mean your law firm will receive quick fixes and fast responses; it means no hardware/software failure or malware attack will be able to hinder your lawyers tasks. Not every IT provider is able to guarantee that kind of stability, but MSPs with experience within the legal industry should have the ability to offer this. A law firm that’s assisted by an IT provider will always be able to rest knowing that tomorrow will be just as smooth-running as today, no matter the issue.

Guaranteed Security

An experienced IT provider can offer law firms the best cyber security technologies and certifications. This is crucial for any law firm since they deal with large amounts of sensitive client information, and there are always ongoing government regulations for data security. With the most advanced security measures, your IT support team can prevent unauthorised access and malicious attacks on your systems, providing peace of mind and allowing you to focus on your core business activities. A good IT support company can also provide legal firms with cyber security certifications, such as Cyber Essentials. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme that is designed to keep your business protected from all common cyber attacks. Not only does it keep your legal firm protected, it also lowers your business insurance and can help win new business. You can download your free Cyber Essentials eBook here for more information.

Enhanced Accessibility

Many lawyers need access to sensitive information and documents when they’re on the go. An IT company can provide your law firm with the best cloud solutions, opening up the possibility to access needed documents anywhere, anytime, all while keeping you secure. Through the cloud-based services of an IT provider, a law firm can easily establish a secure cloud environment for all its data.

Easy Access to a Dedicated IT Support Team

Having reliable 24/7 IT support at your law firm's fingertips is essential. A reliable IT support team act as life-savers when it comes to daily issues. They can save your law firm's employees the time and stress of having to fix an avoidable IT issue. Worrying about technical issues holding up your business is something of the past, and reactive IT support can even detect issues going wrong before they happen.

Cost Savings & Cost Control

A concern for all businesses, including law firms, is saving money. Running a law firm is by no means inexpensive, and a law firm is going to appreciate every bit of money that it can save. Who wouldn’t? Hiring an IT provider is much cheaper than hiring an in-house IT team, from implementation to management. Not only is it cheaper, but it's arguably the quickest way to resolve your day-to-day issues too, with technicians ready to help just a short call away.

Why Law Firms are Choosing Managed IT Services

Make Sure Your IT Provider has Experience Working with other Legal Firms

This is a huge mistake many legal firms make; not all IT providers are the same. Each one will have different levels of expertise, pricing, services, and areas of specialisation. You need to do your research before choosing an IT provider, and you also need to know what to ask them.

• Do they specialise in your industry?
• Is the price too good to be true?
• What about their certifications?
  

At Method IT, we specialise in IT support for legal firms across the South East and London areas. We understand the specific needs of law firms and the pressures that exist within the industry, having provided a tried and tested IT service to lawyers for almost three decades. We work regularly with leading tools and end-user applications, including:

• Elite Law
• LEAP
• Osprey
• SOS
• Access

We’ve created a free eBook that covers the questions a legal firm should ask an IT provider when either switching providers or trying to find an MSP. The eBook will answer all your questions when it comes to working with an IT provider that specialises in the legal industry. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or enquiries.