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It’s not that a traditional law firm can underbid an ALSP or even desires to. But law firms must assure clients that their lawyers work at the same pace and employ the same technology — or better — as their ALSP rivals.

Upgrading technology doesn’t just mean completing tasks faster. It means giving your firm’s lawyers the ability to devote more time to value-added advisory services — at a level ALSPs can’t match. It means making substantial changes to areas including:

• Communication
• Case management
• Document automation

Communications: No more phone tag

Start with the foundational block of the client and law firm relationship — how the two parties engage and convey information during a case or assignment. Communication is becoming less structured and hierarchical and more fluid and improvisational. Lawyers and clients have ongoing chats via internal Slack channels. They can leave messages or documents in a shared portal. If a quick meeting is needed to clarify a point, it’s only a matter of finding a few minutes for a Zoom or Microsoft Teams catch-up.

In ��ӯlll recent , six out of 10 stand-out lawyers surveyed said they’re focused on a future-forward approach to client communication. These lawyers still value face-to-face meetings when appropriate, but place greater emphasis on maintaining regular, virtual communication with clients, employing such tools as generative AI (GenAI) systems.

These lawyers say they’re likely to employ multiple means of communication, choosing whatever best suits the occasion. For example, any simple client query could be answered through an AI interface, while a more complex question could be resolved with a lawyer’s response in a client portal or a virtual face-to-face meeting.

This advent of near-instantaneous communication reduces potential friction between clients and lawyers. With so many avenues of communication available, the client feels more engaged with the legal process. Meanwhile, lawyers can get vital information from the client when needed, not after spending half a day trading voicemails.

Case management: Fewer hurdles, greater speeds

Case management is complex. Before embarking on a case, lawyers and their clients must assemble a list of contacts, draw up a schedule, enter all necessary data, and supply all relevant documents.

Digital business management platforms automate much of that process, from preliminary scheduling to final billing. Such automation can substantially reduce costs. For example, it streamlines the process of onboarding a new client or renegotiating with a current one. Bills get paid faster and documents are processed in a fraction of the time.

More importantly, automating case management helps clients and lawyers to collaborate. Say that a lawyer on a client’s case gets overscheduled and needs to be replaced by someone else in the firm. In the past, such a change caused a temporary slowdown until the new lawyer got up to speed. A client grew frustrated from feeling back at square one with a new lawyer.

With all relevant information now stored digitally and updated automatically, a lawyer’s replacement can seamlessly pick up where their predecessor left off, adding no delay to the process. This smooth transition is possible with an easily accessible and detailed record of all previous client-lawyer communications and the ability to video chat with the client to answer any questions.

Document automation: The end of drudgery

Document processing can be a road full of chokepoints. For example, say a partner who needs to sign off on a document is hard to reach, or an overburdened paralegal can’t finish a draft by the initial deadline. Automation clears away such obstacles. Now, the partner can e-sign a batch of documents while on a plane, while an AI-powered document generator creates a first-draft agreement in seconds. All the paralegal does is tweak and distribute it.

How does this strengthen client-lawyer relationships? There are several ways:

• Custom tailoring. If a client has specific needs for their contracts or requires case information summarized in a preferred format — such as bar charts, tables, or lists — this no longer entails an associate to customize each document. Instead, they can input the client’s parameters and let the system do the rest. If the client changes their mind and wants to alter the template, no problem. The junior lawyer changes the parameters and generates a fully drafted and branded document, ready to sign.
• Forensic searches. Advanced analytics programs enable lawyers to drill into virtual documents to retrieve specific phrases, keywords, data points, and other vital information. If clients ask how many non-compete agreements are currently operative in their business, for example, their lawyers can answer the question precisely and within minutes.
• Goodbye to duplication. At the same time that AI is automatically uploading client documents, it can analyze and flag them and eliminate duplicates. AI programs can automatically alert users about incomplete pages or illegible documents. So, a discrepancy that a junior lawyer might have discovered after a week is detected within seconds.

AI as a strategic collaborative tool

In the 2025 ALSP report, respondents from one in six law firms said they plan to offer services powered by GenAI. Among respondents from firms with ALSP affiliates, 40% said their firms are planning to develop services enabled by GenAI, compared to 7% of respondents from traditional law firms without ALSP affiliates who are planning GenAI expansions.

What can AI provide?

With GenAI, law firms can prepare client work faster, more efficiently, and with increased accuracy and thoroughness. It provides opportunities to streamline the preparation process, giving firms more time to focus on complex, high-value work to better serve their clients.

Using GenAI can bolster a lawyer’s arguments and improve their suggestions to clients. Strategic planning becomes more concrete and actionable. For example, by running reliable and secure AI-fueled analyses of a client’s financials and leadership structures, lawyers gain deep insights into workflows, structures, compensation levels, and other factors.

The result is more data-driven decisions. Say a client is wavering on whether to make an acquisition. Your firm’s preliminary due diligence analysis shows that the potential seller is fundamentally sound and could greatly benefit your client’s operations. Rather than have your legal talent caught up in document processing, put them to work on making a clear, concise, and data-backed presentation.

One of AI’s strongest attributes is its ability to learn. The more data AI technologies gather, the more accurate their actionable insights. It’s a great selling point for a law firm — advice to clients improves with each passing day. The more work you do for them, the more insight you will gain.

As per the Generative AI in Professional Services survey from the ��ӯlll Institute, wariness remains about GenAI usage, but there’s also a growing amount of enthusiasm. Essentially, many respondents believe that they still don’t know enough about GenAI tools, but they also think GenAI could be appropriate for their industry.

While a large majority (89%) of respondents said that GenAI can be applied to their work, fewer (62%) said they believe GenAI should be applied to their work. That said, more than half (55%) reported being hopeful or excited about GenAI’s introduction into their industry. Further, GenAI usage is growing — 40% of respondents said they were already using GenAI (22%) or actively planned to use it (18%) at an organization-wide level.

Law firms should use their best discretion when informing clients about employing GenAI. While the American Bar Association’s (ABA) stipulates revealing GenAI usage isn’t always necessary, it is important to have conversations with clients to understand their expectations about using the technology. They can feel like they’ve been blindsided by new AI functions without warning, explanation, and permission — which is no way to build trust. Be proactive in responding to their concerns about AI usage, be ready to alter your policy if they object, and assure them all data will be used confidentially and securely.

Delivering a superior client experience: Make your checklist

Given how many new technology options are becoming available for law firms, the amount of technological decision-making required can seem overwhelming. Start by assessing your client relationships. Look to see where they are lacking and how best to improve them. By asking such questions, a firm can determine which technology provides the most answers.
For example, the ��ӯlll offers a set of questions law firms should ask themselves to judge if their current client relationship efforts are adequate. Among these are:

• What are easy-to-adopt ways to improve client-lawyer collaboration? A secure client portal such as makes sharing and editing documents easy to accomplish and track. Almost all users of HighQ portals surveyed (98%) said they’ve experienced greater efficiency in exchanging and locating documents.
• How can I make my processes more efficient? Consider what your most repetitive processes are, then work to find ways to automate them. A large majority of HighQ users (88%) agree that using portals has created time for more valuable work.
• How confident am I that my client knows the extent of my abilities? Part of a strong client-lawyer relationship is when the client trusts their lawyer has their best interests at heart and is on top of all pressing issues. Building a relationship on a client portal allows your firm to provide constant progress updates, keeping clients in the loop.

Client portals as the hubs of the new client experience

Building a client portal, particularly one with secure GenAI options, can greatly enhance a law firm’s relationship with its clients, moving the relationship to an improved level of collaboration, with more ease of use and far less friction.

Portals take advantage of technology that a law firm may already use. They’re an adaptable means to bring together functions such as automated document review, virtual client-lawyer communications, electronic signatures, and AI-driven diligence and analyses. These features are part of a single, easy-to-use primary hub, making it intuitive to shift between various technologies.

Building your portal set

Portals are private, secured extensions of a law firm’s website. Consider them as a set of steps, each of which has a function.

Internal portals: The new filing cabinet

First, portals can serve as a firm’s private, internal hub of communication and document storage. Thus, all lawyers involved in a particular court case or working with a specific client on a merger have a centralized place to store relevant data and track workflow.

Second, a firm’s internal portal can be a means for verified third parties to send and review documents. Say that an ongoing acquisition requires getting permits and contracts from a building far from the law firm’s office. Not long ago, this would have entailed a lawyer getting on a plane, meeting with all respective parties, and returning with a briefcase full of signed documents. Now, this can be done virtually. Instead of booking a flight, the lawyer goes to work one morning, opens the portal, and finds every document they need signed and waiting.

General relationship hubs: The new lobby

Law firms often devote great attention and expense to their office lobbies. The color, the ambiance, the lighting, and the logo — all of it conveys to clients how the law firm sees itself. The lobby is a physical extension of the firm’s branding.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, however, many clients no longer went to their firm’s physical office but instead interacted with lawyers online. This change has led to a fundamental shift in attitude for many clients. They no longer value driving to their lawyer’s office to transact business. Instead, the virtual world has supplanted the real one.

So, law firms should consider their client portal as a virtual lobby. Each client gets a secure login to a portal with lists of relevant contacts and communication with their lawyers. They also have access to documents and can monitor case statuses or obtain cost summaries.

By having a digital lobby, the client can access all the information needed without meeting in person. With communication and information centralized, it’s far easier for clients and lawyers to keep track of a case’s progress and ensure nothing is missed.

Bespoke relationship hubs: The new private conference room

The function of a lobby is to be a space open to all clients. Thus, a standard client portal will have a generic presentation with a common layout, branding, and available resources. The next step is personalizing a client’s portal and making it the equivalent of a private conference room.

A firm can create a bespoke portal designed specifically for each client’s needs. If the client wants their relationship with their lawyers to be virtual, it’s important for them to feel they have co-ownership of their portal. Work with the client to determine what information they want to see, the means of communication they prefer, and how they want the portal to function. By integrating their branding alongside your own, you can make the portal feel unique, reinforcing their special status and enhancing the experience.

Portal building blocks 

One good way to ensure your portal is suitable for your client’s needs is to make sure its foundation comprises these :

1. Be superior to competing options
   A client should consider their portal to be more secure and user-friendly than email, faster than a phone call, and more accessible than your firm’s office. It should be available 24/7 — and on all applicable devices — so clients can check in at their convenience. 
2. Make collaboration intuitive
   When , lawyers should be able to share all relevant documents and files with real-time tracking and discussion — not just attachments. Automatic alerts should inform users about new messages and document uploads. You don’t want clients to feel like they constantly need to check for updates.
3. Keep it client-centered
   A well-rounded client portal means having a personalized, functional, and professional experience. The portal should be designed specifically with the client’s needs in mind, showing the client only relevant information.
4. Make integration simple
   A client portal should integrate with all the software and devices they’re using. Nothing will frustrate a client more than if they try to log into their portal via their phone, only to be turned away. You’ll need robust but non-intrusive authentication measures to protect sensitive client data.

Strengthen your client relationships with technology

The world has changed in many ways in the past decade, but the core foundation of the client-lawyer relationship hasn’t. Your client wants personalized, quality legal services at an acceptable price, achieved with minimal disruptions. The law firm aims to capture more client spending by focusing on high-value strategic insights, not competing with low-cost providers for basic legal tasks.

What unites — and potentially fulfills — these needs is revolutionary legal technology, from professional-grade GenAI systems to client portals. On every front, from speed to accuracy to insights, such tech innovations forge a stronger bond between client and lawyer. Devoting time to strengthening your firm’s technology position improves client relationships.

Keep your clients up to speed on matters with HighQ Client Portals and request a demo today.