When it comes to choosing technology for your law firm, there may seem to be an endless number of options. One of the obvious choices for small firms is Google Workspace. It’s affordable and has many of the features your practice needs to function. From email to document storage, it’s a popular solution for many new attorneys.
In the long run, however, Google Workspace alone may not be powerful enough for all the needs of a growing practice. Many law firms soon realize that they also need a practice management software to effectively manage their case load.
Google Workspace vs. Practice Management Software
At first glance, Google Workspace and legal practice management solutions have several similar features. We break down the similarities, and explain how they can work best when used together.
Software in The Cloud
Google Workspace is a cloud-based tool, as are many practice management software solutions. This means you can access your documents from anywhere. Whether you store documents using Google Drive or a legal software, make sure the solution meets your law firm’s security standards.
Calendaring and Notifications
Google Calendar is a powerful and collaborative calendaring app used by many law firms. Many practice management software solutions integrate with Google Calendar, but take it one step further.
The best solutions will create separate calendars for each case and make changes visible to those assigned to that case. Unlike Google Workspace, practice management solutions also notify you automatically when a case needs your attention, a task has been completed, if you have been assigned to a new case, and more.
Email
Many law firms depend on Gmail as an email solution, and for good reason. It’s effective, inexpensive, and easy to manage. But when you have a growing practice, it’s important to track all your communication in one place. Although you can organize each communication into a case folder associated with a client by name, this gets more complicated as you have more staff working on a file. In most cases, you’re also talking to hospitals, insurance providers, and healthcare specialists – and communication isn’t just through email.
The best case management solutions have a way for you to upload and track emails associated with cases. This means that all other forms of communication like phone calls, texts, and in-person visits are documented in the same place.
Practice management software tracks all communications with clients in the case file, saving you time, minimizing room for error, and giving you the ability to look back over time.
Document Management
Google Docs has the ability to store and sort documents in the cloud. Your team can also collaborate on these documents, editing them on the go.
For firms already using Microsoft Word for their document creation, making the jump to Google Docs can seem burdensome. Case management solutions like CASEpeer allow you to attach documents to their associated cases regardless of file type. From photos, to recordings, to pdfs or documents, they can all be attached to their respective case.
Document management is unique to each law firm. Decide which combination of tools is right for your practice to stay organized, while maximizing collaboration.
Everything in One Place
The biggest advantage of case management software is its ability to keep everything in one easily accessible place. Google Workspace keeps all of your documents and emails hosted by Google, but many firms still have a physical file. This means you have to have the case sitting on your desk as you sift through virtual information.
With legal software, you can see everything in the program, and track important data and patterns over time.
While Google Workspace has a lot of features, it is not built for law firms. Google’s tool set will get your business up and running quickly, but they are best used in conjunction with a legal management solution.
Coming up next week: our article on what practice management does that G Suite can’t.
CASEpeer is a legal case management software designed for personal injury attorneys. We are dedicated to helping law firms grow. Follow our blog for more legal technology articles and practice management advice.
For more information about CASEpeer and our features, click here.