What computer skills do lawyers need?

Jul 07, 2022

Written By Natasha Jones

Computer skills are absolutely essential for today’s future lawyers. As the business world evolves, lawyers need to be able to use technology to help ensure efficiency and lower costs. So, what are the top technology skills lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals need? We answer this question for you by looking at the typical tasks that lawyers are expected to undertake on a daily basis.

Drafting

Drafting documents is a key skill for lawyers. Although it may seem obvious, effective drafting requires basic knowledge of Office products like Microsoft Word.

When drafting, many lawyers create and re-use templates to act as a precedent, rather than starting each document from square one. Successful lawyers therefore need to be able to create a document from a template and apply basic formatting to suit the house style of their firm.

When reviewing drafted documents, don’t underestimate the importance of basic skills such as knowing how to turn on ‘track changes’ and navigate documents using keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+F.

Some firms also benefit from legal drafting software such as LexisNexis, a Microsoft Word toolbar that helps lawyers draft more efficiently. If accessible, lawyers should know how to use such software to check for errors and inconsistencies in their documents.

Legal research

Often a task reserved for junior lawyers, legal research becomes necessary when complex or unfamiliar points of law arise. You need to be able to find sources that might be relevant to your matter as quickly as possible, without wasting time sifting through irrelevant material. Knowing how to efficiently navigate legal research databases is therefore another key competency for lawyers.

Budding lawyers – rest assured. Legal research databases often offer training on how to use their systems to find primary and secondary sources of law.

For example, LexisNexis and Westlaw offer training that helps you develop your research techniques and explore some lesser-known, more advanced search features. At the end of the training, you have the opportunity to gain a certification that you can display proudly on your CV as evidence of your skills.

Time recording

In private practice, time recording is an essential part of a lawyer’s day. Time recording is a way for firms to track the cost of a matter and determine how much to bill a client. Lawyers must accurately record their time in keeping with their firm’s best practices. Some firms have time recording software that allows you to easily record time spent on billable tasks.

Future trainees – paying attention in your firm’s IT training is essential. Understanding how to use your time recording software can help improve your productivity and, in turn, your profitability.

Video conferencing and collaboration

Love it or hate it, remote working looks set to stay, in some form, for the long haul. Tomorrow’s lawyers must possess the skills needed to collaborate with colleagues and facilitate remote meetings.

Lawyers should be able to leverage communication platforms like Microsoft Teams to improve collaboration while working from home. To take Microsoft Teams as an example, understanding how to create new teams and build multiple channels within those teams can help to structure collaboration on a matter.

Networking

The proper use of professional networking sites such as LinkedIn is becoming more and more important for lawyers.

A lawyer that understands how to use LinkedIn can make connections with fellow lawyers and persons from other professions, who may one day become their clients.

Law students or aspiring lawyers can even use LinkedIn as a learning tool by joining discussion groups and engaging in conversations with lawyers or other like-minded individuals about topics affecting the legal industry.

In addition to engaging with the legal tech available to lawyers, a grasp of basic technology skills is just as important. As a starting point, future lawyers should arm themselves with an in-depth knowledge of everyday software like Microsoft Office.

Becoming a Lawyer