Streamlining Communication: What Microsoft Teams’ New Features Mean for Law Firms

You know your typical busy day – managing cases and communications with your team, when an important message gets buried under a pile of sporadic teams chats. It’s happened to the best of us.

Thankfully, Microsoft has heard the frustration, and its latest updates to Teams aim to solve this exact problem.

With new features like the @mention view, a favorites section, and enhanced filters, Teams is poised to make your day-to-day operations smoother and more productive.

Let’s unpack what these changes mean for your law firm.

The New Teams Features at a Glance

@Mention View: Your Personal Priority Inbox

Ever feel like you’re constantly searching for a needle in a haystack? The @mention view takes the guesswork out of tracking important messages. It gathers all the times you’ve been mentioned in chats and channels into one neat, easily accessible list. No more scrolling endlessly or worrying about missing a crucial update.

Favorites Section: Your Work, Organized

Think of this feature as a “favorites folder” for your most-used Teams conversations. Whether it’s a client-focused channel, an internal case discussion, or a chatbot assisting with scheduling, you can now pin these items into customized sections. Bonus: you can create up to 50 sections, each holding 50 favorites, keeping even the most complex projects at your fingertips.

Enhanced Filters and Controls: Find What You Need Faster

Filters like "Unread," "Muted," and "Meetings" let you home in on exactly what you need at any given moment. For example, if you're tackling unread messages between client calls, the "Unread" filter groups them all in one place. Additionally, you can tweak how your interface looks—decide whether chats and channels appear separately or combined, and even hide unnecessary previews.

Why These Changes Matter to Law Firms

Save Time for High-Value Work

These tools cut down on the time spent managing your inbox, freeing you to focus on billable hours and client strategy. The @mention view, in particular, ensures you won’t miss a beat when critical messages come through.

Stay Organized Across Teams and Cases

The favorites section is a game-changer for keeping team discussions and case-specific channels accessible. Whether you're juggling depositions or coordinating paralegals, this feature helps keep priorities in sight.

Focus with Fewer Distractions

By leveraging filters, you can block out the noise and focus on the conversations or updates that truly matter. This is especially useful for those days when you're wearing multiple hats, from lawyer to business manager.

When Can You Start Using These Features?

Microsoft will roll out these features in phases. The public preview started in November 2024, and they’ll be available across all platforms—desktop, iOS, and Android—by early 2025. For law firms eager to get ahead, testing the features during the preview phase could give your team a leg up.

The Final Verdict: A Simpler Way to Stay Connected

For law firms, where every second counts, these updates to Microsoft Teams are more than just bells and whistles. They’re practical tools designed to keep your team connected, your cases organized, and your focus on what really matters: serving your clients. If you haven’t already, mark your calendar for the update and start planning how to make the most of these productivity-boosting features.

What are you most excited about in these new updates? Let us know how you think these changes could transform your practice.

If you feel like your IT isn't what it should be, we can help.

Support, servicing, and security. It's what we do. Reach out today