Law Office Technology Forum

Investing in Case Management, Wisely

By Denny Newberry

A wise man once said, "While financial management is a science with exact rules, case management is an art with many variables". This may sound informative to some, but as most of us know, finding the right case management system to fit your specific firm can be exhausting given this truth.

Case management systems have taken on a life of their own over the years. While some have adopted the core concept of tracking basic information across multiple files, other systems take the route of tracking a large amount of information for a few cases.

How do you define case management?
I have spoken to hundreds of people across multiple positions within legal groups, and each person has a different idea of what case management actually is. Some people believe a good case management system concentrates on tracking emails and correspondence. Another person will tell you that they would not purchase a system that does not provide a solution for document management. I would like to break down what I believe a comprehensive case management should provide to a legal group.

Most attorneys will tell you that their decision on which case management system to purchase does not fall on which system has the most bells and whistles, but which system they believe their staff is actually going to use. A case management system is worthless without any data, regardless of all the functionality that it has. Attorneys, and legal professionals alike, understand this concept, so they tirelessly try to find the right solution.

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Real Profiles: Interview with Hedrick Gardner's John Hagan

Hedrick Gardner Director of IT John Hagan chats with Client Profiles about how a law firm’s Case Management system should be easy and reliable

How long have you been with Hedrick Gardner and how would you best describe your role with the firm?
I’ve been with the firm for 9 years and I am the primary researcher, evaluator and decision maker when it comes to all technology purchases. My role with the firm is to make sure that we utilize the most appropriate technology solutions to solve our business challenges.

Hedrick Gardner had a case management system already in place prior to Client Profiles. Why were you looking to replace this system?
Our previous system was unreliable and expensive to maintain. Those issues, coupled with a very low adoption rate among our attorneys, doomed the product.

Why did you select Client Profiles?
We needed a new system that was easy to learn and implement and was also reliable. CP fit the bill.

What was the conversion process like?
The process was lengthy by design. We wanted to repeatedly test the conversion process, and we did that until the process could not be improved any further. Keep in mind that we had to convert two systems — our accounting system and our old case management system. In the end, we lost none of our data going into the new system.

How have your attorneys and staff adapted to the system since you’ve implemented Client Profiles? We have 100 percent adoption across our practice areas.

Has Client Profiles’ tight integration with Microsoft Office and Outlook made it easier to use the system?
The integration with Office and Outlook has made the product easier to accept by our attorneys and staff. The fact that they spend most of their day in Office has given the project a great boost toward success.

How has Client Profiles allowed you to better serve your clients?
We now have everything a client would need from any of our attorneys and staff members, right at our fingertips. We use Profiles to it’s fullest extent. Now when a client calls, we have what they need, when they want it.

For more than 50 years, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, L.L.P. has built a strong tradition of representing business and industry with our comprehensive litigation services.  With offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina; and Columbia, South Carolina, Hedrick Gardner is one of the largest litigation and dispute management firms in the Carolinas.

http://www.hedrickgardner.com/

Learn more about how Client Profiles Case and Financial Management solutions can provide real value to your practice. Schedule a demo at www.ClientProfiles.com/demo.asp.