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Modernizing your law practice management software is an enticing — and strategic — end goal. Whether that means moving your firm’s data from a server to the cloud or upgrading to an all-in-one law firm management and growth platform, you can significantly enhance efficiency and client service with modern software.
But all the features within law firm management platforms mean nothing if you find yourself questioning the accuracy of your firm’s data. Christopher Holmes, Chief Operating Officer at Hackett Feinberg P.C., knows this reality all too well.
In 2020, Chris led the charge to modernize his firm’s operations. A long-time user of Timeslips, Hackett Feinberg was eager to upgrade from an on-premise server to a cloud-based solution.
The firm decided on practice management software that seemed to fit the bill, as it offered the integrated practice management documents, email, and accounting capabilities Chris and his team wanted.
“The goal in moving to that system was to have a modern platform that would better serve our clients, be user friendly, and improve our firm’s efficiency,” he says.
After three years with the software, Hackett Feinberg learned its limitations. Primarily, the firm encountered data integrity issues in its accounting, where a deposit would have a date different from other deposits made the same day, throwing off the firm’s bank records.
In other instances, the system showed that clients’ payments were due, even though they had been paid.
“These issues were alarming, and they made us wonder what we might be missing,” Chris says.
The firm recognized other limitations, too, namely a lack of robust, customizable, user-friendly reporting.
“The reporting dashboards were not useful,” Chris says. “They were templates that couldn’t be customized, weren’t based on user roles, and they didn’t have proper user-based restrictions.”
Eventually, it was time to explore other options.
“I got a demo of Centerbase and saw the difference immediately,” Chris says.
Centerbase’s advanced reporting and customizability now give Chris the information he needs.
“I love that I can customize our dashboards by user roles, so we can have a managing partner dashboard, a new associate dashboard, etc., with information that’s relevant to them, and they can do what they need to,” he explains.
He especially appreciates not having to enter data and calculate compensation manually, thanks to Centerbase’s Production and Origination report. “I can let attorneys know their compensation on a daily basis if I need to,” Chris says.
Chris particularly appreciated Centerbase’s focus on data integrity during the onboarding and implementation process.
Centerbase has been in communication with us during the entire data conversion process, working with us to overcome the limitations of the data available from our prior software.
Christopher Holmes, COO, Hackett Feinberg
Centerbase’s proprietary implementation methods deliver accurate data imports by mapping and validating the firm’s data, ensuring it is accurate, organized, configured to fit the firm’s needs, and ready to use on day one.
Chris also likes that his team has an organized implementation process to follow with clear expectations, accountability, and target dates for completing tasks. Additionally, thorough live and online training give them the support they need.
“I’ve been part of software conversions before with larger law firms, and Centerbase’s implementation process brings back those previous positive experiences. The Centerbase team has been great and very helpful. They are magicians,” Chris says.
Agile, streamlined processes are what modern law firms need to effectively handle the full gamut of activities required to take a matter from client intake to paid in full. . Firms are under constant pressure to optimize their workflows, reduce manual errors, and maximize billable hours. Technology can address these challenges. But do you have the right technology to be effective — meeting client, staff and attorney expectations?
That depends. Have you embraced workflow automation yet? To get ahead of the curve, you’ll want to look into law practice management systems that offer more than out-of-the-box solutions — you need workflows personalized to your law firm’s needs.
Some workflow automation is better than none, right? Well, it depends. Although the standard workflows that come with some legal practice management software can be convenient and save time, they fall short of custom workflows in several critical ways.
Out-of-the-box workflows follow a one-size-fits-all approach, assuming all law firms have similar processes. However, a generic workflow might not work for different practices because, for example, criminal defense workflows differ markedly from those of a real estate firm. Pre-built workflows might miss steps critical to your practice or include irrelevant steps that can lead to inefficiency and redundancy.
Generic solutions can also hurt adoption. Employees are more likely to engage with technology when it aligns closely with their daily tasks. Out-of-the-box workflows might not resonate with lawyers and staff, leading to low adoption rates. When users don’t fully embrace automated processes, your firm won’t realize the full value of your investment in technology.
A personalized approach to workflow automation can significantly enhance the efficiency of a number of law firm processes. Here are just a few examples:
Workflow automation, especially when personalized, helps law firms work the way they want, and do it faster and more efficiently. By automating tasks like client intake and billing, law firms can reduce errors, accelerate results, and enhance client satisfaction. And, beyond saving time and boosting profitability, customized workflows help firms work the way they’re used to, encouraging adoption and sustaining the usefulness of the software for the firm.
Get a demo today to discover how Centerbase can customize workflows to meet the needs of your law firm.
