Faruki Ireland & Cox
Tuning in to clients’ needs.
By
Charles Faruki
Who are you?
Faruki Ireland & Cox
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 227-3700
www.ficlaw.com
Faruki Ireland & Cox is a nationwide firm focusing on complex business litigation such as commercial disputes, antitrust, securities, intellectual property and more. Our staff consists of 40 attorneys, six paralegals and two Information Technology staff members.
Network Operating System
We use Microsoft Windows Server 2003 on our servers. We also recently installed a backup server and a LexisNexis Total Search server, both of which also run Windows Server 2003.
Hardware/Office Equipment
Our hardware consists of Hewlett-Packard servers, desktops and printers. Our attorneys use Dell laptops and Research In Motion BlackBerry devices for working on the go. We also use Xerox and Ricoh for copying and scanning.
Software
We use Microsoft Office XP Professional, saving our documents and e-mails by using either Hummingbird’s Docs Open, CyberDocs or DM5. We use Microsoft Access for relational databases and Microsoft Excel for numerical data, which then easily can be converted into graphical charts. We use Docs Imaging for capturing imaged documents into the document management system. To help the firm deliver electronically consistent documents, we use BEC Legal System’s LegalBar and Metadata Scrubber to fine-tune documents.
Outbound and inbound e-mails are encrypted using PGP Corp.’s PGP Encryption software, and internal Internet use is monitored and restricted via Webtrends by Webtrends Inc.
Our attorneys analyze and organize their cases using LexisNexis research tools, LexisNexis Total Litigator and LexisNexis Total Search to search online databases and firm documents simultaneously. Our attorneys also used LexisNexis Applied Discovery for the online document review of more than one million discovery documents in 2005. For trial presentation, we use TimeMap by CaseSoft to show the chronology of events in a case. We use CT Summation to organize evidentiary material and transcripts in document-intensive cases, and Verdict Systems’ Sanction trial presentation software to show deposition testimony with synchronized video and exhibits.
Because we are a national firm, our attorneys often are on the road. Therefore, remote users connect to documents at the office via CyberDocs. For remote e-mail access, we use Microsoft Outlook Web Access. Many of our attorneys keep informed of activities in a case by using BlackBerry devices or Cincinnati Bell wireless cards and service on their laptops.
Our accounting department runs Rippe & Kingston’s LMS-V software on an IBM iSeries 400. In addition to creating hard copy invoices, we use Allegient Systems software, LexisNexis CounselLink and Serengeti by Serengeti Systems for electronic billing.
How did you implement this technology?
As a firm, we view our relationships with technology partners as important and ongoing. Planning is key before implementing new technology. When rolling out technology, the goal is to provide users with all the necessary tools to complete daily tasks easily, efficiently and effectively.
We are both client and counsel to LexisNexis, and we often partner with LexisNexis to preview new product roll-outs. For example, our recent implementation of LexisNexis Total Search was first rolled out as a pilot. Once the pilot group’s comments and suggestions were collected and implemented, the product was successfully rolled out to all Total Search users.
What did you gain from it?
With each new technology implementation, we enhance and strengthen our ability to compete with firms across the country for complex litigation business. Our technology is comparable to, or exceeds that of, firms many times our size. Using leading-edge technology allows our attorneys to continue providing clients with innovative thinking, good judgment and hard work. Attention to detail in the planning of the technology and understanding that clients demand responsiveness, reliability, candor and cost effectiveness are leading contributors to the successful results for our clients.
What will be your next technology purchase?
Our next major technology purchase will be an upgrade to the 2007 Microsoft Office Professional Suite.
Do you have any advice for small firms when making technology purchases?
Forward thinking and advance planning are the keys to our success. The methodology we use in determining when to purchase new technology starts with first determining our needs and then seeing what is available that can perform the tasks. It’s not our goal to stay current with what Microsoft is implementing, but rather to stay current or ahead of what our clients are using so we can provide clients with the best service.
Charles Faruki is a trial lawyer with a focus on business litigation. In 1989, he left an eight-attorney firm to form Faruki Ireland & Cox, which now has more than 40 attorneys. Voted by his peers as one of the Top Ten Lawyers in Ohio in 2004, Faruki also chairs the Bar Examination Committee of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and is a longtime member of the Board of Governors of the Antitrust Law Section of the Ohio State Bar Association.
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