P2P

30 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 Clients remain rightly concerned about compliance and data security. But these days, they are smart enough to know that cloud-based services can supply defense-grade encryption, so the integrity of confidential and sensitive information is not compromised by remote working. Indeed, client files are much more secure in the cloud than they ever were in an office filing cabinet. Clients also want high levels of interaction between themselves and the firm and amongst their lawyers. But again, that is not hard to achieve using apps that let people have virtual faceto-face contact, like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Facetime; and cloud-based document management systems that enable collaboration and controlled document sharing. Finally, lawyers are also happy with remote working as long as they are empowered with the right tools for workflow efficiency, compliance, and collaboration. It gives them more opportunity to optimize productivity by allowing them to create the work environment they find most conducive to concentration. Likewise, with more control over their schedules, lawyers can boost their performance by working at the time of day, and on the days of the week, when they are at their sharpest, free from the old nine-to-five demarcations. They also get back the time that was spent commuting. All told, then, everyone stands to gain from remote working. But they stand to gain even more if it is converted into true mobility. Remote working vs true mobility To be clear, remote working is working remotely from a hub. While it might include some elements of mobility, the remote worker is still typically tied to a single location. Meanwhile, true mobility is being able to work seamlessly and compliantly across devices, from any location and at any time, without needing to go to a desk or home office or landline to do so. The key is not to swap being tethered to an office desk for being tethered to a home office desk. Instead, lawyers should be empowered with technology that's seamless, powerful, easy to adopt, and easy to use in any setting. True mobility is enabled by today's technology: cloud and sophisticated apps, which accomplish day-to-day tasks quickly and efficiently. But the point is that these apps aren't just pale imitations or clunky workarounds that just about match the functionality of their desk-based predecessors on smaller screens. These are apps that use AI, NPL and automation to outperform preceding desk-based solutions and indeed do things that weren't previously possible. Most of these apps can function anywhere, irrespective of if the user is online on not, and will synchronize data when a connection is reestablished. The best of them will be intuitive to use, with a uniform interface across devices, thus encouraging high rates of adoption. So lawyers and associates are empowered to be mobile, efficient, flexible and compliant at all times. There are no trade-offs to being truly mobile, it delivers genuine added value to the firm and its clients, no matter where lawyers are. On the road again In the present circumstances, true mobility will translate into giving lawyers the option to escape the kids and the bustle of family life by stepping into the back yard to review a contract, or giving them the means to do some essential "housekeeping," such as filing emails into the firm's DMS while standing in line outside a supermarket. These might seem like small things, but small things add up. And it's a lot about enabling people to do short duration tasks – checking in, filing emails – that fit into the rest of life. It's giving people the tools with which they can achieve immediate work goals and at the same time a balanced existence. F E A T U R E S

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