Big data analytics is changing quite a few industries, and the legal industry is no exception. Any law firms not wanting to adapt to data-driven practices are bound to miss out on the innovations that big data offers more forward-thinking offices. Gone are the days when you can win in court using printed documents stored in physical cabinets or doing manual reviews of documentation. Big Data is here, it's here to stay, and it's already changing how most law firms conduct their business.

Law firms are already using applications of big data in order to enhance their own business performances. Law firms can't be reactive anymore. If they want to keep being players in the industry, then they need to get proactive instead. Wondering how exactly data analytics is changing the legal industry so quickly? Here are 5 distinct ways:

1) Finding The Right Lawyers: Some legal cases need particular expertise. That might be something a firm finds in-house, but it also might be something that has to come externally. Big Data lets law firms figure out whom they need to hire for their outside counseling. In the cases of bigger law firms, they might even need big data to know which one of their own lawyers would be the best fit for a particular case or situation.

2) Knowledge Is Power: Having access to tremendous numbers of documents only proves useful when you can sift through that information promptly and in ways that prove useful for cases. Big data lets law firms quickly digest and incorporate massive piles of documentation in ways that let them find just the right content. For instance, if your firm utilizes NoSQL Search technology, then it's easy to find just the right documentation when you need it, and in a quick fashion. Find all the documentation you need at Net Lawman.

3) Competitive Pricing: When your law firm doesn't spend as much time discovering useful information in tremendous volumes of documentation, you can price your services far more competitively. This broadens your target demographic and results in more business.

4) Better Staffing: Law firms should always be looking to hire only the best candidates. Having a thorough understanding of both the candidate and how their expertise should match up with law firm requirements is crucial. Big data is useful in law firms wanting to incorporate all sorts of different data throughout their application process. This can include social media data and even applicant performances on various assessments.

5) Predicting Odds Of Winning: Based on the documentation of previous cases and how they turned out, a law firm can use analytics to predict their own chances of winning a case. Such predictions have always played a role in taking particular cases or not. However, Big Data means better predictions and faster ones. You might just be able to take on higher-percentage cases and at lower prices to your clients, giving you a tremendous competitive edge over law firms that don't.