You can use biometric devices
Five ways you can deploy IT in law office
Computers – online legal research e.g. law pavilion, communication i.e sending official emails, sending memo’s,
Camera’s – for security reason and monitoring work done in offices
Printer and scanner
Face recognition cameras – for security and to gain access into the office
Hard drive – to back up system.
USES OF IT IN LAW OFFICE MANAGEMENT
- Administrativelegal work
- Solicitors financial transactions
- Law library
- Case management
Advantages/ disadvantages of IT;
Challenges and solutions to the challenges of IT in Nigeria.
- Computer – storage of clients information, typing; printout
- Spread sheet – for data presentation/ computation of accounts
- Electronic/virtual library – connection to libraries all over the world; legal pedia; lexis/nexis
- Instant messages
- SMS
- Social media
- Different software/apps relevant to the practice of law
- Hosting of a website
- Video conferencing
- Storage devices – flash drive/USB
- CLOUD COMPUTING – SOFTWARE AS a service (SaaS)
- Telephone
- Modem for transmission of information on the electronic platform
- Optical disc
Advantages
- Quick storage and recovery of information
- Better organisation and co-ordination of the law practice, the Legal Practitioner and the support staff. In illustration the PDA or the electronic diary can be used in the co-ordination
- Facilitate easy communication with clients and receiving of instructions
- Keep track of the transactions on the client account. Data on such account can be stored and retrieved easily
Note: in exam you can be asked to cite/name devices that can be deployed in law office management, you can also be asked about the advantages of the use
Disadvantages
- Creativity and growth of professionalism is impaired as precedent is heavily relied/depended upon without major change/innovation
- Without a back-up, all information on client/practice may be lost to hacking/virus
- Loss of jobs for the paralegals
Challenges
- Electricity
- Cost of acquisition
- Cost of maintenance
- Computer illiteracy
- Virus
- Hacking
- Weather
- Poor service by the IT service providers
- Adherence to the conditions for admissibility under the evidence act
- Information may be interfered with/erased/lost