Sometimes lack of basic technology where it’s expected can be extremely frustrating. But forcing technology on clients without a human touch can backfire, too. We asked law practice technology pros Heidi Alexander, Tom Lambotte, Sharon Nelson and John Simek, Nora Regis, Reid Trautz, Courtney Troutman and Emily Worley about the technology lawyers absolutely should use to improve client service — and their best tip for keeping it human.

Secure client communication is a major concern for lawyers. Encryption is your best option for protecting confidential and sensitive information you exchange by email, text, voice and video calls with your clients. ABA Formal Opinion 11-459, Duty to Protect the Confidentiality of Email Communication with One's Clients, states: “A lawyer sending or receiving substantive communications with a client via email or other electronic means ordinarily must warn the client about the risk of sending or receiving electronic communications using a computer or other device, or email account, where there is a significant risk that a third party may gain access.” What are your options?

Today’s large corporate legal and insurance claims departments are learning from their peers in purchasing and HR how to leverage technology. And they are training a new category of professionals to better manage the business of law. These legal operations professionals are under intense pressure to drive efficiencies and keep costs down. Billing is one area that’s ripe for improvement.

Good marketers are good networkers. They meet lots of people in all kinds of settings and turn those people into clients. Chances are, you can be more focused about how your charity time and money integrate with your marketing efforts.

For many young associates, their first “real” job is at a law firm. If you fall into this group, it’s likely that you’re receiving honest — sometimes glowing, sometimes harsh — feedback about your work for the first time. On the other hand, you may be receiving no feedback at all. It’s up to you to discern the meaning of the direct, passive or complete lack of feedback that you receive. This means you need to understand the personality, quirks and traits of the person delivering it (or not delivering it, as the case may be).

Though it may seem like a trend among artists and hipsters, it’s not. The resurgence of old-school tools in the professional workspace is growing. People are choosing a pen, choosing a paper notebook, choosing to write a letter — not because they are faster or more efficient, but because they aren’t. Do you BuJo? Are you a pen freak? Is the Cornell method your secret weapon? Let us know.

I’ve always liked the saying “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” I think lawyers often make this mistake when approaching business development opportunities. Facing with pitches or presentations to clients, they typically come at it from one direction — why the prospect should select them or their firm instead of another alternative. Their “tools” are credentials and experience. In reality, that approach may not be effective or even appropriate, depending on where the client is in the decision-making process. Without knowing the prospect’s situation, you will not be able to make a compelling case for getting hired.

Finally, law is beginning to shift: new business models, intriguing new ways of delivering legal services, emerging markets driving new demand. But what does it all mean for your law practice? A few things going forward: You will have more, different and growing kinds of competition (ouch!). The demand to keep changing up how you do things will persist. Feedback from clients and potential clients should carry more weight. You’ll always be working on your business and finding better ways to meet your clients’ needs and wants. If you want to stand out, it’s time to build some new skills — and a fresh mindset.

It is said that new lawyers only face two challenges when opening their own practices: not knowing how to practice law and not knowing how to manage a practice. Other than that, the rest is easy. Other than that, the rest is easy. In recent years, a number of “incubator” programs have sprung up to provide recent law school graduates with the training and infrastructure to launch solo practices while encouraging them to offer reasonable rates to modest means clients to address the access to justice crisis.

There are places where you can tell a joke and places where you definitely shouldn’t. Generally, the courtroom is not the first choice for stand-up comedy. Unless you’re Paul Farahvar. Farahvar took improv classes at Chicago’s Second City comedy school to improve his courtroom game. “Originally, I took improv classes and did comedy to loosen up,” says Farahvar. The classes definitely helped — maybe a little too much. Today Farahvar, still a practicing litigation attorney in Chicago, is also a full-time stand-up comic.