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Colby Wegman

New Tech for Law Firms

From roofing to retail, every industry in the world is discovering that adopting new tech improves efficiency. The legal world is no exception. Law firms are realizing that software can help them build a broader client base and automate processes that once took up hours every day.

Below Colby Wegman discusses the biggest innovators in legal tech and how law firms are responding to these changes.

Innovative Legal Solutions for Employers

Law is notorious for its paperwork. Technological innovation doesn’t mean that there’s less paperwork – it just means that it can be filled out, organized, and filed much faster.

Several years ago, Littler Mendelson and Neota Logic launched a venture called ComplianceHR to change the game for companies’ legal departments. Littler Mendelson is the largest employment and labor law practice worldwide, and by partnering with Neota, it created a service that solved many of the legal headaches law firms face when it comes to filing paperwork.

Legal compliance is essential for an HR department, but there’s a lot to bear in mind given that most HR workers aren’t trained legal professionals. ComplianceHR provides up-to-date information on state and federal employment law and allows HR professionals to understand and act on their responsibilities more easily.

Since its inception, ComplianceHR has gone from strength to strength, and law firms even use its technology in-house. Similar services have emerged since, illustrating a huge market for law firms to innovate and provide technological solutions to help their commercial clients. It’s easy to ask what technology can do for your company internally – forward-thinking law firms are also seeing what new tech can do for their company’s growth and prospects.

Making it Easier for Clients to Engage

The biggest challenge facing most law firms in the digital age is driving client engagement. People hesitate to approach lawyers, even when they know they have a sound reason for seeking legal advice.

Software providers like MyCase and Iolite are building solutions to make client engagement much easier. Rather than contacting a lawyer in person, these software suites direct clients through the law firm’s website to a carefully-designed form that the lawyer can then read to get an idea of the case before responding to the client.

Of course, a full discussion with the legal expert who will represent you can’t fully be replaced by technology. However, innovations in this area drive engagement rates and enable law firms to take on more clients.

Colby Wegman client engagement

Keeping Track of Proceedings

Software providers also make it easier for lawyers to keep track of their documents and case timelines. For example, Iolite retains information about hearing dates and communications and ensures that the relevant parties are updated in due course.

Attorneys typically only spend a small portion of their day engaged in profitable client work. Increased automation of paperwork and monitoring means that there’s more time to work on cases.

New Tech will be Increasingly Adopted

Today’s legal software technology is improving how firms operate. Intuitive software and automation benefits law firms more than most other industries – the reduction in paperwork alone is a blessing.

We expect to see even more law firms transition to using data and HR management software to improve efficiency at their practices.

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Colby Wegman

Tips for Choosing Your Legal Specialty

As the founder of Wegman Partners, Colby Wegman recognizes that there are several important things for students and recentlaw school graduates to keep in mind as they look to enter law firms. For example, he realizes that many lawyers choose to specialize in limited areas of law- allowing them to develop expertise to make them more effective in their selected specialties. The path for exploring specialties can be daunting for some, but it does not have to be if you know what steps can prepare you to make an educated decision. Here, Colby Wegman provides a few tips that will help recent law grads evaluate their interests and choose a specialty that best matches their preferences.

Evaluate Your Strengths and Weaknesses

If you are having trouble picking from a variety of different specialty areas of law, try to consider your strengths and weaknesses to guide your decisions. It is always possible to learn to build on certain skills with time, but you may also find that you already have talents that lend themselves to a certain specialty out the gate. For example, individuals that have strong public speaking skills and are talented at producing convincing arguments may consider litigation. If working with clients on a one-on-one basis is more your speed, transactional law may be a good fit instead. An honest evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses will help you narrow down specialties quickly and is a great first step towards making a choice. 

Reach out to Attorneys with Different Specializations

Who better to learn about the ins and outs of a specialty than from legal professionals already working within the space?Asking experts how they ended up in their area of specialization is great for getting ideas for how you will find your own. Many legal professionals will allow students or recent graduates to shadow them or perform volunteer work at their office. This gives individuals the opportunity to learn about the daily routine in different areas of law, and this firsthand experience is extremely valuable for deciding later. 

Use Resources from Your Law School 

It is important to remember that most law schools will have resources that will help students or recent alumni determine their preferred specialties. In-house career counseling is an excellent way to get feedback on your educational background, skills, interests, and work experience while evaluating your strengths and weaknesses. Career counselors can also be a resource for helping recent graduates find a new job in their preferred area of expertise. If you can, try to speak with advisors in different fields of laws so that you can get a diverse range of opinions and insider perspectives that will aid you in your search.

Stick With Your Passions 

When it comes down to it, it always benefits us to consider how our passions and interests will factor into our prospective careers. Many prospective legal professionals follow the money and, while it is important to earn money for a variety of reasons, you are always more likely to be successful in a specialty that you are passionate about. Passion also helps keep a legal professional motivated to persevere through obstacles and challenges that individuals face throughout their careers. If you have a solid idea of what you enjoy doing from a procedural standpoint and are aware of what passions you have within the legal field, you will be well on your way to building a strong career that you are truly proud of.

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Colby Wegman

Wegman Partners: What Young Lawyers Are Looking For in a Firm

In 2019, the American Bar Association reported over 1.3 million active attorneys practicing in the United States. That same year saw one of the largest law school enrollments in recent history. The law industry has seen an unprecedented rise in lawyers within the last five years, and projections for the future show only an increase in these numbers. In response, many firms are now asking themselves what the best ways to attract these bright young minds are? Colby Wegman, the founder of Wegman Partners, has over a decade of experience in the search profession. Wegman Partners is one of the top headhunting firms in America and a vital resource for legal firms looking to add to their practice’s members. For firms looking to hire these young lawyers, Colby Wegman sits down and discusses what the new generation of lawyers are looking for in a firm. 

Work-Life Balance 

Perhaps the most essential point on this list is work-life balance. Many young lawyers are not looking for a firm that will require 80 hour work weeks, but instead promotes measures that do not lead to employee burnout. In a recent study, young lawyers received a survey that asked if they would give up their larger salary for a better work-life balance, to which the majority answered yes. 

Well Developed Training Programs

Frequently, young lawyers are still looking to expand their knowledge and gain experience well into their first few years at a law firm. Therefore, firms that offer developed training programs such as onboard training, continuing education financial support, and summer associate programs are more often sought after by candidates. 

Partner Potential 

While it is widely believed that the newest generation of lawyers do not wish to become a partner, this notion is untrue. Many of this younger generation, just like previous ones, see the benefits of becoming a partner at their law firm and often hope to reach that goal within their first ten years. 

Equal Pay Across Gender 

In recent years, studies show a higher percentage of women are now attending law school than their male counterparts. With an influx of women in the industry, young female lawyers are currently looking for firms that promote equal pay. Many young lawyers are now asking for open transparency regarding compensation and are demanding equal pay between the genders.

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Colby Wegman

Colby Wegman’s Commitment to Clients Helps make Meaningful Careers Possible

Colby Wegman

Recruiting services and career placement programs are an occasionally misunderstood sector. The majority of job seekers assume that it’s squarely upon their shoulders to find an opening and get lucky enough to land the job. This doesn’t have to be the case and Colby Wegman of Wegman Partners has been transforming the legal landscape for years. His industry experience at a law firm early in his career helped lay the foundation for the services that his company currently provides. Colby Wegman is ready to extend a helping hand to executives, attorneys and law office support staff; below are just a few reasons why it would behoove these individuals to accept that help.

It’s fitting that Mr. Wegman earned his degree from Texas Tech University in business management. The core of Wegman Partners is management and oversight. Those from the legal industry who step forward looking for assistance with their job search each require different forms of guidance. When it’s law firms that are the clients of Colby Wegman, the hiring needs will be clearly explained. From here, Mr. Wegman’s team will scour prospective attorneys and legal office staff to find the candidate who is the perfect fit. This skill has been honed over time and Mr. Wegman has years of employment and logistical skills to his name. The job search sector is where he’s found his calling and he has spent more than a decade in these types of roles. His commitment to helping employers and employees has allowed him to nurture a deep, loyal and strong network of clients and candidates. His company, which boasts offices in 10 U.S. cities, is known across the country for its search services. These offerings can make lateral transitions and the hiring of in-house attorneys and support staff a reality.

Colby Wegman is proud to say that he’s the owner of this legal sector company that puts firms and clients on even footing. The job search process is difficult enough and these uncertain times have only made things more competitive. Record unemployment levels do not need to be a disadvantage for the masses, says Colby Wegman. Rather, individual job seekers can benefit from the liaison services that Mr. Wegman’s firm provides and eventually get in touch with a law office that’s a good fit. Many litigation firms who’ve come to this company for assistance have also offered glowing reviews of the experience, saying that candidates who are “a cut above the rest” are regularly presented. This is a testament to the time and effort  Colby Wegman has put into his company.