Saving Time with Online Forms
The Law Office of Ruby L. Powers in Houston, TX, is dedicated to leveraging technology to save their practice and their clients, time and money. Primarily involved in immigration and naturalization, their office consists of three lawyers, each with a specialty in the realm of citizenship, consular law, asylum and humanitarian parole.
The region itself is high-density for the immigrant population. At approximately a million and a half individuals in need of legal assistance, this puts the area well above the national average, creating a very competitive market among the professional legal community. Firms that are able to leverage technology to their advantage have the edge, as it simplifies many processes and creates an easy way for them to collect information.
Firms save time and money with online forms
By utilizing online forms, the firm has been able to eliminate not only the time spent by clients filling out voluminous forms in the office, but it also saves a lot of time and effort for the lawyers, who are able to identify key issues prior to their first meeting with the client. By the time they meet in person for the intake appointment, the office already has a plan on how they could potentially help the client.
Building these forms and databases, however, may be tedious and complicated to build out, and extracting the collected information may take a lot of extra work in order to compile it into a meaningful dataset. Using a form builder like JotForm can help.
Online form builders like JotForm have simplified processes and greatly reduced the cost of running a law practice, eliminating the need to print and greatly reducing the time spent wrangling information.
JotForm is easy to use for just about anybody
JotForm is an online form building application that allows users to create customized web forms without having to write a line of code. The interface is drag-and-drop for any type of field you need to create, from biographical information to text boxes for longer explanations to drop-down menus or radio buttons for set answers to certain questions.
Powers’ practice has been using JotForm for several years now, based on the recommendation of a colleague. They were in need of a simple solution to the problem of the long intake process and the many forms that were required to get the intake process started. Ideally, they wanted a solution that would enable them to be able to work remotely. JotForm allowed them to be able to cut their procedure time in half, which in turn helped them to be able to take on more new business and grow their bottom line.
Enable multiple form types to suit your specific needs
They use several forms, each for a different purpose. There is a contact form on their site, enabling potential clients to send brief messages explaining their reasons for needing legal services, and basic contact information.
Intake forms are considerably more detailed, and focus more on the client themselves, and the case in question. From this form, the firm is able to determine whether the client is a good fit for any of their services. If a consultation is scheduled, the office can let the client know what documents they need to bring in order to optimize their time spent in the office.
Online forms help you go paperless
These days, all of Powers’ intake forms are available online. This allows the firm to store an entire paper trail digitally, helping them to stay organized and giving them an added layer of security, as all data is stored in the cloud. Lawyers are immediately notified when a new form or updates are submitted, and all of their data is organized in an easy-to-use dashboard, accessible via a login portal.
Before JotForm, the firm used paper forms and email, creating multiple datasets stored in different locations. Using the service has allowed them to get better organized. Form data is then copied and pasted into Word files for storage in local case files for quick access.
Conclusion
Bottom line, whether you are using online forms for intake, or for gathering any kind of data from your clients or site visitors, a form builder can make an attorney’s life much easier. It simplifies the data collection process, and makes that information easier to access for the entire team, whether in the office or working remotely. Additionally, JotForms also allows you to create as many sub-users as you require, meaning everybody in your office can have their own access, no matter how large or small your firm may be.
