About Test Category
Firms that have installed case management systems have different experiences that range from "absolute chaos" to "the best thing since sliced bread."
WHO CARES ABOUT CMS
Imagine this: You receive a phone call from a client wanting to know the status of her case. You haven't cracked her file in several weeks, though you know your legal team has been working on it. "You pull up her case file on your computer and, at a glance, see what work has been done on her case: all correspondence, documents (both internally generated and received), memos, e-mails (and attachments), invoices and payments — everything. You can even "drill down" to individual items. It doesn't get much more efficient than that.
CMS MUST INTEGRATE
While case management systems can work on its own, it really rocks when combined with your other core software. For example, most work with Microsoft Outlook to integrate e-mail, calendar, tasks, and contacts. If you already have a time, billing, and accounting system, there's a good chance the CMS will integrate with it, making one-time entry a reality. If your firm has document management software (such as OpenText, iManage, or Worldox), chances are the CMS will integrate with it, too. That way, you can use the power of the CMS for case and client management and your existing DMS for document management. Keep in mind that there are several case and matter management systems that include some document management functions — check out the differences between your existing DMS and the built-in DMS capabilities of the CMS you are evaluating.
WHAT IMPACT CMS WILL HAVE IN YOUR FIRM
Depending upon the size of your firm, there will be an impact at the management level, the practice group level, the specific office location, the individual attorney, the paralegals and legal assistants, and of course, the IT staff. Typically, attorneys may have to change the way they currently practice law to effectively use the system. An example: the attorney will type an entry into the CMS diary instead of drafting or dictating a "memo to the file." The attorney can access case and client information right on her computer, but the system does require some initial training. For buy-in, they must see the benefits. Training must focus on how attorneys will use the CMS, not just how the legal assistants will use it.
GOING GREEN
If your firm is looking to "go green," a CMS can definitely help. With all data in the system, your firm will definitely reduce its use of paper. Case management systems are really just a big centralized database with lots of bells and whistles. Some are more complex than others and may require dedicated staff. This doesn't mean that your attorneys need to be computer wizards, but it does mean that someone must be responsible for addressing user requests and training. For example, litigators use the systems differently than transactional lawyers. All CMS programs can be customized to different practice areas; someone in the firm (or a vendor or consultant) will need to make the changes. It is not a full-time job, but it does require that individual to be available when your professionals need help. In most cases, the responsibilities of caring and feeding of the CMS will fall on the shoulders of IT.
CULTURE SHOCK
The biggest obstacle to using CMS usually is firm culture. Transactional lawyers are more concerned about documents than they are the calendar; litigation professionals are the opposite. Listen to individual needs and help your professionals determine which functions of the CMS will work best for them.
Despite management's assumptions otherwise, many lawyers will not share client and case information with other lawyers in the firm unless they are working together on the matter. Beware of this potential problem.
Is your IT staff up to rolling out another system? Most CMS vendors will insist that their system is easy to use and maintain — but they're not in the daily workings of your law firm. You will have issues; someone in the firm will need to take charge. Usually problems develop around practice area configurations or user support.
Excerpted from:
Taming Chaos - Small firms still resist case management systems.
Law Technology News
March 01, 2010
Andrew Adkins III is the director of the Legal Technology Institute at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a member of LTN Editorial Advisory Board. E-mail: adkins@law.ufl.edu.