How Can I Collect Case Information Statement Data Quickly?

New Jersey divorce attorneys are faced with the task of gathering comprehensive financial data to determine fair settlements for their clients. Unfortunately the actual collection of this information can require a lot of the attorney's time unless they take advantage of the latest advances in Case Information Statement software.

Manual Collection
Twenty or so years ago, most family law practices handed out badly-photocopied forms for their clients to fill out with income histories, expense estimations and lists of assets and liabilities. The attorneys were then left to sift through this information to determine settlement offers, a process so complex that many practices were forced to hire outside accountants to handle the number crunching.

Surprisingly, many law firms still use this outdated practice. Manual data collection is slow and cumbersome for both the client and the attorney. Entering that information into New Jersey matrimonial software is tedious and prone to errors. Finally, the amount of paper involved is not exactly earth friendly. Luckily modern digital technology has opened up a better way: electronic collection.

Emailed Forms
Email was a big innovation in divorce data collection. Customers could fill out PDF forms or Microsoft Word files, scan any necessary forms and send the bundle to the attorney via email. Some software was able to import the information directly, eliminating data entry errors. Attorneys were able to store the documentation electronically, saving file cabinet space not to mention a few thousand trees.

However email has a serious flaw: it's insecure. When a client hands you a folder full of papers, or you receive an envelope in the mail you can be fairly certain no unauthorized people have seen the information. When the same information is sent through email, the documents pass through a host of insecure computers and could be intercepted by identity thieves.

Secure Web Portals
The web gave consumers access to everything from their bank accounts to online shopping to their home security systems. Along with access had to come a robust level of security to keep out unauthorized users. Today's NJ family law software applications use the same technologies that keep our credit card transactions safe to protect client financial information.

Using one of these secure web portals, your clients can log into a website and enter nearly all the information needed for a New Jersey divorce online from the comfort of their own homes, and at their own pace. The connection is encrypted to discourage eavesdropping, and the information can be imported directly into the software to produce a complete Case Information Statement within seconds.

These web portals have another benefit: collaboration. Each party in a divorce can work from the same baseline information, making it easier to come to an agreement.

Secure web portals are just one of the ways that cloud technologies are revolutionizing legal practice management software and ushering in a new age of automated law applications that help attorneys close cases quickly and securely.