The Perfect Fit
Case Management that works for every firm.
By Jennifer Rice
Jennifer Rice is a freelance writer based in Long Beach, Calif.
For a messenger delivering documents to an office in New York City, the bicycle is an invaluable tool. But for people who need to deliver thousands of bananas to a grocery store downstate, a truck is by far the better option. Can the delivery technically be made by bicycle? Quite possibly. But why take the more difficult road?
For law firms juggling mounds of client information every day, choosing the best tools of organization can be less clear. Every time a paralegal wrestles with a general office program in an attempt to manage a client’s case files, he or she is spending valuable time and energy that could be put to better use if the proper tools were available. This could explain the explosion of case management software in recent years. But with law firms, as with delivery services, one size doesn’t fit all.
Small Firm Finds a Solution
At the law offices of Mike Bugni, a Seattle family law firm with five attorneys, the recent implementation of Software Technology Inc.’s PracticeMaster was the firm’s first experience with a case management program. The firm already was using STI’s popular Tabs3 billing software. The firm cobbled together the rest of its system with paper files, Microsoft Word and Outlook, Bugni said. Then one day, STI’s technical support introduced PracticeMaster to the firm, and the timing was right.
“The firm was growing and getting more complex,” Bugni said. With that complexity came a need for a comprehensive program. The firm didn’t shop around much or evaluate many other case management offerings, Bugni admitted. He said the firm was sold on PracticeMaster from the start because of its integration with Tabs3. Although he still considers that integration critical to the software’s success, using case management software introduced new tools to the firm, which Bugni said it now couldn’t do without. Bugni’s favorite feature? “Clearly, the calendar. It has become integral,” he said. “Now, the front desk can make appointments, and each attorney can know what the other attorneys are doing.”
Another key PracticeMaster function Bugni said he finds useful is the conflicts checker. At a family law firm, he explained, it’s not unusual to have members from each side of a case approach attorneys within the same firm for representation. The conflicts checker allows the front desk operator to screen for these types of conflicts at the outset. “It has saved us in a few instances from embarrassing situations,” Bugni said.
Mid-sized Firm Resolution
San Francisco-based Brayton-Purcell’s story is quite different from Bugni’s. The 55-attorney personal injury and asbestos firm was extremely familiar with case management software when it set out to find a new program to organize its client information. The firm knew the program would have a tough standard to beat — its own.
Brayton-Purcell had implemented a case management program as part of its organization in the late 1980s. The original software, however, was written by founding partner Alan Brayton himself. “It was an old DOS-based system, but it worked very well for us,” said Cheryl Kaul, Brayton’s Information Technology manager.
The challenge was to find a highly customizable replacement system that would allow Brayton’s tech-savvy staff to tailor the program to the firm’s needs. The firm had outgrown the capabilities of the original program, Kaul said, but didn’t want to lose the customization aspect. Thus began the long and often arduous process firms undertake to find the right program to increase efficiency and manage workflow.
A committee of technical staff and managers shopped around extensively before selecting Case Manager Pro. In fact, when Kaul joined the firm six years ago, staffers already had been discussing how to update the home-grown system. “I knew we were going to do a lot of customization and automation,” Kaul explained. “The program needed a lot of flexibility.”
Although Kaul said it’s one of the most important features to look for, some staff members were apprehensive to trust Case Manager Pro’s highly automated system. At first, the idea of a letter not being manually typed made some people nervous, she explained. The firm started slowly, with one letter or form automated at a time, she said. But as soon as people learned to trust the system, they began automating dozens more. “What we are trying to do is take the busy-work away from the attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries,” she said.
Common Issues
While small- and mid-sized firms have different needs when it comes to software functionality, both can take a common approach to implementation. Bugni and Kaul said their firms implemented the new software in stages and said it’s important to be patient when getting a new system off the ground.
At Bugni’s firm, some aspects of PracticeMaster remain foreign territory to many users. “I think most of the people are holding out,” he said, referring to the more technically advanced aspects of the program. Creating letters from templates, in particular, has taken a while to catch on. Still, he emphasized that with time, he thinks the benefits of fully utilizing PracticeMaster will become clear to everyone in the firm.
Bugni’s advice for solo practitioners and small firms seeking case management software hinges on research. Having learned through trial and error, he said there are some questions potential buyers should ask themselves before they take on a new case management implementation:
- Is the program user-friendly, giving staff access to the client database, related-parties database, conflicts check, central calendaring and so forth?
- How well does it integrate with Outlook?
- How well does it integrate with the firm’s billing system?
- Can the case management database exchange data with your forms and word processing software?
- Does the solution slow the network down or require frequent maintenance?
From a technical standpoint, Kaul said she recommends that firms interested in a highly customized system concentrate on programs that have data stored in a nonproprietory format. She also recommends finding a solution that easily integrates with the firm’s existing software.
Overall, Kaul and Bugni said their respective case manager’s time-saving benefits made the growing pains of implementing the software well worth it.
“I have always wanted to keep client information on the computer,” Bugni said. “We now are to the point where we close out a file and can save all of the documents to the system.”
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Large Firm Solution
Pittsburgh general practice law firm Dickie, McCamey and Chilcote employs nearly 150 attorneys. Yet, when IT manager Gabriela Isturiz began working there seven years ago, the firm never had implemented a case management program. Today, the firm uses Elite Practice Manager, a comprehensive practice manager.
With many large firms having offices around the world, most need a case management system with advanced features accessible to multiple remote users. Isturiz said the latest software, such as the beta version of Elite Practice Manager her firm is testing, takes even comprehensive practice management to a new level. “Right now, the trend is changing from case management to practice management, including document management, client relationship management and marketing,” Isturiz said.
She has a few recommendations for larger firms to look for when selecting practice management software:
- Flexibility: You should be able to customize your system to meet your firm’s needs.
- Support: The software must interact with many functions and users, so look for a company that really focuses on customer relationships.
- Integration: If the software doesn’t integrate with your other programs, particularly your e-mail system, its utility is diminished.
When it comes to implementing a new system, Isturiz said it takes patience — both with the system, as well as the staff, who have been functioning without the software for many years. “It’s so comprehensive it can be a little overwhelming,” Isturiz explained. One benefit of Elite’s program, she noted, is that it has the feel of Web browsing, therefore the learning curve is not too high, and the rewards of learning the new system quickly become clear for the staff.
Isturiz said law firm staff members often are apprehensive and in shock initially, but they soon realize the benefits of case management. “They are used to Outlook or paper calendars. The first thing you find is resistance, but as soon as they start seeing the capability of the system, their perception completely changes.”
