Every law firm is different. Each one has specific needs, operations, and culture. This means that each law firm will value its own set of features in a practice management solution; one firm’s trash can, essentially, be another firm’s treasure. Despite these indubitable differences, there are – of course – features of universal usefulness to most legal professionals, regardless of the area in which they practice. Contact and matter management, sophisticated security features, client communication, and document sharing are some of the functionalities valued by attorneys around the world. Incidentally, these are the elements that are optimized by one of the most underrated features a leading practice management solution can offer: the client portal.

A mediocre client portal has little practical use, failing to accomplish much more than any email inbox. However, when designed and implemented correctly, client portals can render attorney-client interactions exponentially more efficient. Below are three of the most definitive components of the best client portals on the market.

A Client Portal should be Secure

First and foremost, the best client portals offer their users the highest degree of security. If a practice management solution lists a secure client portal among its features, make sure it offers 256-bit encryption. This is the same level of security offered by online banking systems and credit card processors, and it will ensure that any data sent between you and your clients via the portal is instantly encrypted.

Communication

Too often, client portals operate almost independently of the practice management solutions of which they are apart. Rather, your software’s other communication functions should supplement the client portal. Namely, invest in a solution that sends notifications to your phone once messages from your client are sent through the portal. This will ensure timely, efficient communication.

Sharing Documents

Secure, quick document sharing is where a client portal’s security meets its communication functionality. Due to the sensitive nature of the majority of documents sent between your clients and yourself, it is critical that the information contained within them be delivered without fail and kept as secure as possible.

Conclusion

When determining which practice management solution best fits the particular needs of your firm, do not overlook the importance of a high-functioning, secure client portal. Though it is only one of the numerous features that contribute to the performance of a practice management solution, a robust client portal has the power to facilitate and optimize your firm’s client communication capabilities to an exponential degree.