Law Technology Today From the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center
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Proofreading software is the legal tech equivalent of receiving wool socks on Christmas morning: none of the excitement and all of the practicality. You would think that, as a profession known for its analytical and practical nature, we would be much more interested in tech solutions that solve the monotonous problems that we face every day. But we aren’t. By simply surveying the other legal tech on offer, and observing the topics that garner interest, this is clearly true.
At ABA TECHSHOW, you will see that just like you become thankful for the boring wool socks on the first big snow day, you will also be grateful for simple, impactful proofreading software when you’re racing against a major deadline.
Proofreading Matters, So Proofreading Software Matters
Proofreading errors impact your reputation and credibility, so lawyers spend a lot of time reading and re-reading documents. It’s boring and time-consuming, but lawyers spend over three hours per week proofreading. A study by LexisNexis found that number was even higher–up to two hours per day. Even worse, that same LexisNexis study found that as many as 33% of lawyers are skipping proofreading! It’s clear that a better solution is needed.
Some human element of review cannot be eliminated entirely (and skipping proofreading is definitely not the answer). But if you cut two of those three hours per week from proofreading, that adds up to 100+ hours per year.
Imagine what you can do with 100 extra hours per year. That can mean going home at midnight rather than 3:00 A.M. It can mean avoiding compounding levels of exhaustion that increase errors and decrease efficiency. The first time that you experience that relief will feel just like the first time you have warm feet during a snow storm: you will wonder how you ever managed before.
Clever Solution, Big Impact, Tiny Price
Eventually, the big, expensive, exciting gift from Christmas morning loses its interest. We must all return to regular life and focus on the task at hand. The expensive item becomes a dusty art installation piece, yet you’re still wearing the socks throughout the winter. It’s as if those sock designers know you and truly understand the bitter cold of a Midwest winter.
We know you, too. PerfectIt was designed with American Legal Style for lawyers to address the pain points that we experience every day. With American Legal Style, you can spend six minutes in the familiar context of MS Word, and save hours of frustrating proofreading time per week.
Familiar, Comfortable, and No Pressure
American Legal Style enforces the rules that we know, from the guidebooks that we trust, and works in MS Word, a program that we all use. PerfectIt runs from the ribbon and guides you through the prompts while assisting you with proofreading in a familiar manner, like spellcheck. It’s easy to install (quick download), and easy to run (no training required).
