Family law: Client care in the digital age

One of the most crucial aspects of family law practice is striking a balance between empathy and efficiency, as clients often seek reassurance as much as resolution. Clients who come out of an abusive relationship often need additional reassurance. While the digital age is transforming legal practice, client care remains paramount, especially with the rise of online reviews.

During my time as a family lawyer, particularly over the past five years, I have encountered several tools to enhance efficiency and firm profitability. What I’ve learnt is that, when used thoughtfully and with purpose, these tools can enhance our ability to deliver clear communication, swift action, and consistent support, acting as the scaffolding to strengthen client relationships.

Digital case management systems, such as LEAP for Family Law, enable family lawyers to deliver accurate and timely updates to clients without having to scramble through emails, spreadsheets, or paper notes.

However, good client service is less about prompt replies and more about providing clarity, anticipating needs, and reducing stress.

LEAP’s automated document creation, integrated communication logs, and streamlined workflows allow lawyers to spend less time on administrative repetition and more time on guiding clients through complex emotional and legal landscapes with compassion and confidence.

Compliance, accuracy, and reduced risk

Compliance in family law is non-negotiable. Every document that lawyers produce must reflect the relevant guidance, legislation, and professional standards.

This is where LEAP Prompts offer transformative support, enabling lawyers to create a detailed blueprint for specific document types. For example, if you were to launch a prompt for a letter of instruction, you could ask the AI to follow:

• Pensions Advisory Group guidance (to include the draft letter of instruction included in the second report)

• Relevant Practice Directions

• Court order directing the report

• Resolution’s Code of Conduct

Prompts can also be set to meet specific law firm requirements on formatting, tone, and structure, and once perfected, they can be saved and reused for future matters. This leaves you with an accurate, compliant draft, drastically reducing the risk of omissions, inconsistencies, or outdated precedents.

As I become more familiar with various artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the legal profession, one of the most compelling advantages of AI is its ability to analyse matter data. For example, if you had a brief to counsel, a precedent could insert standard details such as party names and children’s ages, but an AI prompt would go as far as:

• summarising the child arrangements

• identifying current issues in dispute

• extracting relevant chronological facts

• detailing the time and location of the hearing

The result of the AI prompt, in this case, would be the equivalent of a trainee’s first working draft, produced in seconds. This isn’t about replacing paralegals and junior lawyers but rather about ensuring the team’s time is spent where it has the greatest impact for clients.

Integrations and applications

In my experience, no law firm operates in isolation, and the tools we use must integrate seamlessly with each other. There are many reasons why this is necessary, such as a well-integrated case management system, which can make the lives of clients easier.

One example of this is Settify, an app purpose-built to empower clients going through a difficult time to start their matter at their convenience from the solicitor’s firm website. When combined with LEAP, Settify provides an exceptional client onboarding experience, allowing clients to provide detailed instructions online at their own pace, thereby reducing the anxiety often associated with first appointments. Advances in this area mean that, in the coming months, matters can be created from the information provided by the client even before they have spoken to a solicitor.

For the lawyer, Settify’s questionnaire and automated matter summaries ensure that the initial meeting is productive. Once imported into LEAP, this information sits neatly within the matter file, ready for analysis, document creation, or AI-assisted drafting.

The integration doesn’t just save time, as it streamlines the onboarding process, enhancing the quality of the very first interaction a client has with the firm.

Fostering collaboration

Family lawyers often have to collaborate with colleagues, barristers, courts, and third-party experts. Besides that, an increasing number of divorce cases now require the use of digital communication platforms to facilitate mediation between separated parents.

LEAP’s robust digital system makes this collaboration effortless, ensuring that:

• All case materials, documents, messages, and notes are stored in a single, secure location.

• Team members can work simultaneously without worrying about version control headaches.

• Permissions offer confidentiality while enabling seamless cooperation.

For example, LEAP’s LawConnect product enables family lawyers to confidently share documents, files, and bundles with barristers, allowing them to collaborate online from anywhere, at any time. The robust document-sharing solution provides lawyers with complete control over files, enabling seamless access management and greater visibility across all shared documents.

Legal technology purposely designed to support lawyers ensures that every piece of information and every decision is delivered with care, clarity, and compassion. As the head of family law at LEAP, I’m proud to play a part in shaping a digital ecosystem that empowers family lawyers to deliver truly exceptional client care in an increasingly digital world.

Modern family law practices don’t need to choose between human empathy and digital efficiency. When technology is used to minimise administrative burdens, solidify compliance, and foster collaboration, the two are woven together, leading to new and improved client care.

About the author

With over 20 years’ experience in family law, including as a former partner at Brethertons LLP, Katie Phillips brings deep expertise in complex divorce, financial remedy, and children law cases. As Head of Family Law at LEAP Legal Software, she combines her practical legal experience with a passion for innovation, helping family law firms harness technology to work smarter, enhance client care, and navigate the evolving justice system.