"Law firms can no longer attract new talent with the organisational structures of the past" - Interview with Ralph Vonderstein

What are today's employees demanding of their law firms when it comes to software?

On the one hand, the demands of law firms on the technology used have increased, and on the other hand, the demands of professionals on their employer have increased. The basic requirements that suitable software for law firms should meet are flexible, intelligent and location-independent working. It should also allow staff to easily access firm data from the road or at home using a Mac, Windows computer or tablet PC with a simple internet connection.

We are seeing a trend in many law firms, including our own, where younger colleagues are increasingly focused on their choice of work equipment. This means that good work equipment is a must. Law firms are no longer bringing new talent into the office with the organisational structures of the past. And they may not be able to retain existing talent.

So software should not only be flexible and intelligent, but also have an attractive and easy-to-use interface.

From your perspective as Head of Legal Software, what are the challenges in developing cloud software to simplify the day-to-day work of law firms?

When developing cloud-native software, there are several challenges. First and foremost is data security. You have to lay the groundwork for this by choosing the partners who run the data centre and develop the security technology. Appropriate security technology must ensure that the software is protected from access by unauthorised third parties.

A second challenge is that if you want to be flexible and the application to be intelligent, you need to consider which devices the software will support. Again, the focus is on using the most appropriate technology.

With the new version of Kleos, we have opted for a browser-based approach, which means that the software can be used in the Internet browser without any restrictions. The challenge is to bring the experience of decades of development of Wolters Kluwer's previous products to the digital world.

How secure is cloud software like Kleos?

I would rephrase the question: How secure is a law firm's data?

Experience shows that around 95 per cent of German law firms today use a so-called on-premise solution, i.e. software that stores data on servers in the law firm. And who can claim that their servers are secure and monitored around the clock? That's where a native cloud solution like Kleos, which is hosted in a renowned data centre, comes in. The security professionals there spend every day monitoring the world's network traffic and taking countermeasures before data can be attacked. They also have to make sure that the data is encrypted in transit and in the database.

How does Kleos transfer the status quo into the product and what role does collaboration play in this?

Kleos is designed for collaboration.

Software like Kleos creates an environment that allows users to work from anywhere at any time. When working at different times and in different locations becomes part of the daily routine in a law firm, it is also important that the software supports collaborative work and helps to pass on tasks from colleague to colleague. Also, clients no longer want to constantly send emails to lawyers or bring a USB stick to the office. With Kleos-Connect, we offer a direct exchange that is fully integrated into the law firm's software: Clients can access approved documents via a portal page and have the option of uploading documents to a file, of course with the appropriate security features and in compliance with the GDPR guidelines. An additional benefit is the elimination of insecure communication channels such as email.

How can law firms use technology to prepare for the future?

In our recent Future Ready Lawyer study, which surveys lawyers in law firms around the world each year, we found that the demand for technology solutions in the legal sector has increased. 72% of lawyers in law firms expect to be able to work in a hybrid way in the future. There is a particular focus on solutions to improve performance and productivity, enhance the client-law firm relationship and meet the expectations of new talent.

With forward-looking cloud software, law firms can meet the increasing demands of their staff, especially new talent, as well as their clients, and be best positioned for the digital working world of today and tomorrow.