It feels like every lawyer in the world is using Microsoft 365 in some form to run their law practice.

Well – almost every lawyer. In a recent webinar for the American Bar Association, Matter 365 Vice President of Customer Success Rohit Parekh found that 99% of lawyers surveyed were at least using Microsoft Word as part of their legal practice management system. 

Microsoft 365 for Legal

Technicalities aside, leveraging the tools, power and security of the Microsoft Suite is a must for any 21st century law practice. Microsoft 365 is so popular because it’s easy to use, its apps are consistent and integrate together, and it packs the punch of world class security protection. 

You already live and work within the Microsoft 365 set of tools. Matter365 is simplifying the way you run your law firm by offering the world’s only law practice management solution that is fully integrated with Microsoft 365. Rather than forcing you to upload you and your client’s sensitive data and information onto a different application, Matter365 is built on top of Microsoft 365 and allows all of your data to remain yours. It’s simple, safe and secure – and allows you to stay within the Microsoft 365 framework that’s working for your firm right now.

Office 365 Practice Management

Matter365 provides a comprehensive task management system and helps with document management by intelligently creating matter-based folders to help you keep all of your documents organized. Built-in time tracking and integration with QuickBooks online makes billing and invoicing much more efficient.

Best of all, you can accomplish all these time-saving measures without leaving your Microsoft tools. For even more efficiency, check out these ways to utilize the Microsoft tools you’re already paying for:

• Word
• Outlook
• OneDrive/Sharepoint
• Planner
• Teams

Word

Even in a world where Google Docs and Apple Pages are gaining prominence, there’s simply no replacement for Microsoft Word – the most well-known tool in the Microsoft 365 suite. Microsoft Word is the industry standard for document creation and offers the ability to comment and track changes on existing documents to show colleagues and clients where you make edits.

No matter what you need to do with a document – redline, track changes, comment, highlight, hyperlink – you’re likely able to do it in Microsoft Word. 

Outlook

Outlook is the premier email communication tool out there. Beyond sending routine emails, Outlook allows you to build folders to organize your inbox, set reminders, flag tasks and view your calendar. Everything becomes easier when your email software is integrated with your Microsoft apps and provides intelligent task management to boot.

No lawyer can survive without Outlook – and it certainly has its place at every law firm. But the next three solutions can help you get out of your inbox and declutter all those emails.

OneDrive

OneDrive is the perfect way to share documents with colleagues and clients and collaborate virtually. It allows you to create folders and upload documents, all while managing permissions to enable access to only those who need it. With OneDrive, you can work together with a colleague or a client within the same document (and even use a chat feature), as if you’re sitting together. If you’re not working at the same time, the autoversioning feature allows you to recover previous versions and see your progress.

The best part of it – everything on OneDrive is secure thanks to Microsoft 365’s enterprise grade security features.

Planner

Matter management is made easy with Microsoft Planner. Planner allows you to organize tasks and track deadlines in a dynamic, Kanban-style matter board. Organize matters by client, priority, due date and more. Assign tasks to colleagues and add notes within each matter to track your progress. It’s the best way to visually show your firm’s workload – and make a game plan of how to tackle all of your relevant matters.

Teams

Leveraging Teams is the perfect way to communicate outside of Outlook. You can message colleagues and clients for quick chats, or use the audio/video calling feature. Strategically create teams by matter in order to have a built-in conversation chain with the right people for the job. Static emails don’t always get the job done – use Teams to liven up your collaboration.

How can you take small steps within the Microsoft suite to make your law practice more efficient?

If increased efficiency is your goal, check out the demo of Matter365 to see what all the buzz is really about.  Matter365 is the easiest and most secure way to run your firm, and it’s all done through a single pane of glass. The only legal practice management software that is fully integrated with Microsoft 365 is sure to make life easier for you, your colleagues and your clients.