Legal product reviews and business guidance from industry experts.
Lawyerist Announces Field Guide to Legal Technology
Lawyerist’s Field Guide for Buying Products & Services helps lawyers and their staff find their way through the legal tech software landscape. Choosing technology is never easy. Determining how that technology fits into the larger picture is even harder. Tougher still is getting buy-in from the rest of the team. This legal tech buyer’s Field Guide arms law offices with the information necessary to make thoughtful and informed decisions.
Field Guide for Buying Products & Services
The Field Guide helps lawyers determine how to make their purchasing decision. Importantly, it arms users with the information necessary to garner buy-in from the rest of their team.
“This guide is intended to assist teams in making their big legal technology software decisions,” said Ashley Steckler, Lawyerist’s Product Director. She continues, “We’ve created a tool that organizes relevant legal technology in a way that lawyers will understand. Instead of limiting their search to single areas of legal tech software, law offices can search more broadly and determine how particular technology fits into their overall legal tech stack.”
The Field Guide breaks legal technology software and services into three broad categories: Firm Growth, Service Delivery, and Firm Management. From there, Users can learn about specific types of software like Law Practice Management systems, and discover how they fit into the firm’s overall structure.
Lawyerist Legal Tech Software Tools
The Field Guide joins Lawyerist’s other tools to help law firms demystify legal technology. These include Website Product Reviews, where the Lawyerist legal tech advisor organizes, rates, and reviews software and services on the marketplace. Here, lawyers can easily compare products and learn more about specific pieces of technology. In some cases, they can use the decision wizards to hone in on exactly what they need based on their specific circumstances.
Additionally, the Complete Guide to Legal Tech teaches lawyers and their teams how technology fits into their overall business. The Legal Tech Guide doesn’t specifically look at how something should be done. Instead, it teaches law offices what should be done and why.
Lawmatics is a client relationship manager (CRM) specifically built for law firms. Most lawyers know it for its easy-to-use automation tools and its ability to track marketing efforts on top of client intake. In the current market, however, it is also gaining interest for its ability to remain independent.
While many CRMs have become entwined with specific Law Practice Management Software, Lawmatics is focusing on broadening its reach. Recently, they have launched integrations with Clio, Filevine, PracticePanther, Rocket Matter, and Smokeball. These integrations, as users are finding out, are not just in-name-only. And now, they are adding MyCase to their growing list.
Sarah Bottorff, SVP of Growth at Lawmatics, says they are building these integrations because they are, “looking to meet the needs of their customers.” Adding that they, “love being agnostic,” to which LPMS their users favor. This allows Lawmatics users to determine which LPMS works best for their practice rather than being pigeonholed into a less-than-ideal platform.
This focus on the customer can be seen in the Facebook groups that have popped up around specific integrations. The Lawmatics team is often engaged in discussions with their customers in forums like the unofficial Smokeball + Lawmatics group. Lawmatics CEO Matt Spiegel even held a live Q&A recently in the Lawmatics Member Group.
Lawmatics Features
From a user perspective, it’s easy to see why lawyers would want Lawmatics to remain as LPMS agnostic as possible. It has very reliable features that one would expect from a CRM. It also offers some hard-to-find features that put it ahead of most of its competitors.
From a standard CRM perspective, Lawmatics sets itself apart with its project management, document creation, and eSignature features. It has a kanban board that is easily automated with a multitude of triggers and actions. And it allows users to easily track what lifecycle stage a particular matter is in at a glance. Additionally, it has a no-code document automation solution built directly into the system. Meaning, users can quickly take advantage of the integrated eSignature functionality to quickly send and receive engagement letters.
Lawmatics, however, is not just a standard CRM solution. They are listening to their customers and consistently adding features that help foster a great relationship between lawyers and clients. They recognized some work and billing is done prior to engaging a lead as a client. So, they recently added a billing and ePayment feature to their system. Similarly, document sharing and correspondence often happen prior to moving a case fully into the firm’s matter management system. So a client portal was woven into the platform earlier this year.
Instead of wandering into matter management, Lawmatics is sticking to what they do best: customer relationship management. They recognize Lawyers manage their cases in extremely diverse ways. So, they continue to launch integrations with some of the more popular LPMS platforms on the market.
Lawmatics Integration with MyCase
For those who know the history of Lawmatics, a MyCase integration has been a long time coming. The CEO of Lawmatics, also started (and sold) MyCase. One would think that their platforms would work and play well together. But neither company throws itself into integrations without plenty of forethought.
Still, this integration makes sense. MyCase, at its core, is a Law Practice Management System. And Lawmatics, even with its time and billing capabilities, is focused on managing client relationships. Users are increasingly asking for these portions of their practices to mesh. And Lawmatics, for its part, wants to give its users as much choice as possible.
Additionally, and importantly, their ideal clients overlap considerably. If we go back to Lawmatics’ focus on its clients, users have likely been asking for this integration specifically. And these users didn’t want just a one-way integration that limited what was shared. No, they wanted depth.
Recently, Zack Glaser, Legal Tech Advisor, sat down with Matt Spiegel, the CEO of Lawmatics to discuss just how deep this integration goes. He says that, among other things, they will even be able to share custom fields from each platform. Take a look at the video below to learn more.
Interview with Lawmatics
How to Get It
If you’d like to learn more about the Lawmatics + MyCase integration, head to Lawmatics.com. Where, if you’re already a Lawmatics + MyCase user they can help you turn on the integration. If you’re not already a Lawmatics user, you can read more and even get a demo of the platform.
LEX Reception Expands to Lead Qualification Services
Sometimes lawyers just need a little help managing their incoming phone calls. No one likes to call their attorney and get an answering machine. Answering services have been assisting with that for a long time. Remote work and distributed offices have increased. And lawyers are looking to their virtual receptionists for more than just a friendly voice picking up the phones. Companies like LEX Reception are more than happy to expand their offerings.
Yes, virtual reception companies can help with inbound calls. But LEX can assist with outbound calls, qualifying leads, and even setting up appointments. In both Spanish and English.
LEX Reception Beyond Answering
Fielding inbound calls is LEX Reception’s bread-and-butter. But they have been working to increase their offerings and make their services more accessible over the last few years. They have launched a web app, mobile app, and softphone to help attorneys access their services from anywhere. They now have a video conferencing application called Teleport built right into their system. And they integrate with many of the most popular Law Practice Management Systems.
Beyond technological upgrades, though, LEX is also making itself an integral partner in a law firm’s intake process. LEX Reception can easily assist with marketing campaigns by fielding and filtering incoming calls. More importantly, however, they can make outbound calls. So web qualified leads can have a human being help them set up an appointment with the law office.
How to Get It
Ready to learn more? See more features and community comments in our full review of LEX Reception. Don’t forget to claim your Affinity Partner discount. Or, if you’re ready to jump right in, get a custom demo at LEXReception.com.
Client Gifts in 2022: Say No to the Jelly of the Month Club
Over the years, law firm gifts have changed. While firms used to rely on large gift companies like Harry & David (remember that jelly of the month club?), now gifts are trending personal and experiential.
Law Firm Gifts That Remember the Whole Family
A recent trend, especially in family and estate law, is to ensure the client’s whole family can appreciate a gift—not just the client. Lawyerist Lab member Spencer Schmidt will hand out Legos to his client’s children. This gift has the bonus of keeping kids distracted in the office while their parents meet with their lawyer.
Similarly, lawyers are turning away from expensive bottles of scotch and vintage wine and sending cookie baskets and local food items instead. At Rose Law Firm in Napa Valley, Lab member Megan Campbell celebrates completed estate plans by sending mugs that say Grateful. With those, she includes locally-roasted coffee, tea, or dessert baskets.
The Key is Personalization and Usable Branding
When it comes to law firm gifts for clients, using your logo is fine—as long as the associated product is usable. Lawyerist Lab member Aaron Thomas gives his clients branded Starbucks gift cards. Instead of branded shirts or tote bags, this option may feel more like a thank you or happy holidays gift and less like a sales pitch.
Another example of personalization is gifting experiences. A puzzle-lover client might enjoy a pass to a local escape room. An avid reader may love a subscription to Audible for audiobooks. Lawyers can often upload their branding to the e-card.
Don’t Underestimate the Value of a Note
More than any other trend, lawyers find that taking the time to send a personalized note to their clients has the most meaningful impact. While a basket of treats will always be appreciated, clients remember what you say, not what you give. Does stamping and mailing a letter tend to get pushed down your to-do list? There are services like Scribeless that will send handwritten notes for you.
Lawyerist has more ideas to help you improve your client service game in the Guide to Law Firm Clients.
Siskind & Susser Partners with FastCase to Develop Immigration Case Manager
Most lawyers in their careers have thought, “I should build that.” Longtime Lawyerist Lab member Greg Siskind and his team at Siskind Susser, PC, don’t stop at should. They have a habit of following through, which they’re doing with their FastCase partnership.
FastCase Immigration Partnership
Recently, through their sister company, Visalaw.ai, they announced a partnership with FastCase to turn their immigration cookbook into a case management system. The American Immigration Lawyers Association Practice and Procedures Manual (‘Cookbook’) will be implemented through FastCase’s NextChapter platform.
Siskind, along with partner Ari Saur, published the manual to assist immigration lawyers in the United States in filing their cases. It takes the processes, procedures, and decades of experience they have acquired and organizes it into checklists, questionnaires, and step-by-step processes.
Never satisfied with the status quo, however, Siskind and his team wanted to take the cookbook a step further. They determined that no comparable product existed on the market. So, he and his partners at Visalaw.ai decided to turn the cookbook into a case management platform.
Turning an Idea into Reality
One option for Visalaw.ai was to build the software from the ground up. But, a natural partnership appeared in the form of FastCase’s NextChapter product. Using the already existing NextChapter platform will allow the product to get to users much more quickly.
“We are excited that lawyers relying on our Cookbook will now have a case management system customized to match the systems in the book,” said Siskind.
This appears to be a consistent step for FastCase. As a legal research and intelligence company, they are always looking for innovative new ways to deliver knowledge to lawyers. Recently, expanded NextChapter’s capabilities beyond bankruptcy with Doc Creator, forms automation, and now immigration management. According to Mandy Ballinger, NextChapter’s Vice President, this extension “enables more law firms to benefit.”
NextChapter Immigration beta platform is already open to lawyers who would like to test it out at Visalaw.ai/nextchapter.
Learn More From Lawyerist
If you’d like to learn more about creating the processes necessary to build a platform like this, take a look at our Healthy Firm resources. Or, join Greg and others like him in the Lawyerist Lab coaching program.
Zola Suite Tracks Problem KPIs with Advanced Accounting Features
Lawyerist knows the value of tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). But we also know it can be a complicated endeavor, as relevant information is often stored in unrelated applications. Firms commonly resort to third-party software like Zapier to make the connections and run the reports. Even more often, however, firms don’t track the information they can’t easily access.
Since Zola Suite users can run their entire firm from a single platform, the relevant information is never siloed. This allows for some hard-to-find features like origination reporting and productivity tracking.
Zola Suite’s Complex Firm Reporting
Many law firms compensate their attorneys based on how much business they bring to the practice. This is common whether the firm charges flat fees or on an hourly basis. What is not common, however, is a cloud-based platform that understands this.
Origination Reports
If your firm is stuck with a legacy provider, now may be the time to change. Zola’s origination reporting allows for multiple sources and fully customizable fee-split accounting.
Productivity Reports
High-level reporting, like P&L statements, can give you a good idea of a portion of your practice’s productivity. But, this is not always enough. Decisions about where marketing money is spent or when to hire your next team member often need a higher level of discernment.
Zola Suite allows your firm to determine the productivity of individual matters. Intake data, origination information, timekeeping, billing, and expenses are all tracked in the same platform. You can even determine the productivity of specific timekeepers.
How to Get It
Want to learn more about Zola Suite? Check out our full review, where you can get user feedback, compare features, and see more demo videos.If you’re eager to jump right in, though, you can go straight to ZolaSuite.com and get a free demo.
LawPay Launches New Integration with Neos from Assembly Legal
LawPay now integrates directly with Neos, the law practice management platform from Assembly Legal. LawPay already works and plays well with most systems, through its payment link functionality. This direct integration, though, provides much more power and usability.
LawPay Directly Integrates with Neos
According to LawPay, this integration allows for more customized reporting and document conversion. This means less data siloed in separate platforms. Law offices will be able to gather better information about their files and manage their accounts receivable more effectively.
Importantly, though, this maintains LawPay’s advanced encryption capabilities and level 1 PCI compliance. This will allow Neos users to store client credit card information with confidence and ease. And they can take advantage of LawPay’s Card Vault system.
How to Get It
Want to learn more? Check out our full review of LawPay, including community comments, features, FAQs, and more demos. Ready to contact LawPay directly? Request a free demo from them over at LawPay.com.
CosmoLex Brings Intake and Marketing to its Platform with Internal CRM
Are you thinking about what happens before a lead becomes a client? If you aren’t, you are missing out on a key step of your client’s journey.
Client Relationship Management software (CRMs) is not something most law firms think too much about or even feel they need. But for firms to scale, and manage and maintain healthy client relationships, attorneys need a solution that can streamline efficiencies. CRMs are an important tool for driving your firm’s growth and relationships.
CRMs are more than just intake and a fancy Rolodex. They can help boost client satisfaction, strengthen referrals and relationships by keeping client info from being siloed. They also add rich insights into your business development efforts. When used correctly, CRMs can even help make your firm’s marketing (think automation, scheduling, drip campaigns, etc) more effective.
What if you could take care of your clients from intake to closing, all from a single platform? With the CosmoLex Internal CRM combining with its already powerful Law Practice Management Software (LMPS), you can.
Details
Start by checking out the modules section to go from the CosmoLex LMPS to the CosmoLex CRM. From there, you can check the inbox for new leads.
Inbox, Forms, and Fields
The CosmoLex CRM inbox will collect leads from a variety of different sources that you’ve connected to it. This means forms on your website, through email, text, (with phone capabilities coming soon!) or via Zapier integrations. You can also input leads manually.
Screenshot provided by Partner
If you want to collect certain information about potential clients, you can create and design intake form templates based on case-type. You’ll be able to create detailed forms that are completely customizable. Each form can have its unique questions, conditional logic, layout, color, tabs, fields, and more. This means if your firm has different practice areas, you can create an intake form for each one. This is not only impressive from a client perspective. It also helps you focus on getting the information you need to move forward on a particular matter.
The CosmoLex CRM also utilizes custom fields, allowing your forms to be as straightforward or powerful as you need. With custom fields, you can easily store and track data. You can then use that data entered in custom fields in workflows, automations, and document creation.
Workflows, Tasks, and Remote Work
But the customization for each practice area doesn’t just stop with intake forms. Based on the case type, you can automate workflows and automatically assign tasks as your potential client moves through the intake process. You can create tasks in workflow templates, and create those tasks on conditional logic. That way, you’ll be able to pivot based on a status change. Was that car accident actually a three-car accident? Click-click. New tasks are updated to that workflow.
In addition to adding tasks to workflows and leads, you can also add relations, related parties, and more to a lead’s data file. This is especially helpful when it comes time for conflict checks or referrals. Creating a custom workflow for types of matters, and specific matters themselves, allows you to set triggers for certain activities. You won’t miss a beat. You can get as detailed as you need.
For example, after a client completes an intake form for an auto accident, you can set automations so that:
Send an automated text message to the client to prompt them to set up a consultation.
Direct the client to schedule a consultation. If a client doesn’t schedule one, you can have a follow-up email sent after a few days.
Assign the consultation to an attorney. Is that attorney OOO? Have that consultation sent to someone else!
Send any follow-up information to the client before and after the consultation.
Assign intake or billing tasks to specific staff at your firm.
Email an engagement letter to your new client.
Have your new client sign that engagement letter from CosmoLex, and
Set up a meeting with you.
All of the above tasks can be triggered just by the client submitting an intake form. This helps you and your colleagues stay on top of things, eliminate meetings, and reduce inefficiencies. Oh, and by the way, yes, CosmoLex CRM has e-signature capabilities and also integrates with Google and Office365. This means that any consultations or events created will automatically appear on your calendar.
While automated workflows and tasks are helpful in any setting, for firms that are moving towards remote work, this sort of automation is especially useful. Automatic task assignments and calendar invites help to improve accountability and remote team management. Anyone will be able to check on a lead or matter and see what the status is whether they’re at the office, in court, or working from home.
Demo Video
Erica from CosmoLex recently gave us a demo of the CosmoLex CRM and how it works. Take a look at the video below to see a walkthrough she provided our Legal Tech Advisor, Zack Glaser.
How to Get It
To learn more about CosmoLex, its CRM features, and how it can help you take your firm to the next level, check out cosmolex.com. Once there you can schedule a demo, or dive into their other educational resources.
Want to learn even more about CosmoLex? Check out our full review, where you can see a features list, other demo videos, and community comments. Remember that Lawyerist readers get an affinity benefit through the review page.
Clio Takes a Noticeable and Fundamental Shift at Clio Cloud 2022
Cloud practice management is maturing and Clio is poised to reap the benefits—but so is everyone else. How do they stay ahead of the curve in a competitive market flush with investment?
When I first heard about the Clio Legal Trends Report and the Clio Cloud Conference, I was in a CLE in Nashville around 2013. We weren’t talking about client portals, or business text messaging or integrating our client intake with our matter management. And we certainly weren’t talking about kanban boards or digitally tracking our service of process. It was simply, what is the cloud? And is it safe?
A lot has changed since then. According to the most recent Legal Trends Report, lawyers cite work/life balance as one of the major factors for leaving a job. It’s even on par with increased pay. And, according to Clio’s Lawyer-in-Residence, Joshua Lenon, this is a huge shift from 2019 in how lawyers want to work.
No longer do service providers need to convince attorneys of the benefits of remote, cloud-based services. (Or, at least, no longer do they have to convince enough attorneys to make it worth their while). And we see this in the changes at the most recent ClioCon. Sessions were about the utilization of the product, rather than convincing attorneys of the product’s initial benefit. The big splash was a shift in how partners will integrate with the Clio platform, instead of a large purchase or expansion.
Learning How to Clio Instead of Why
Initially, ClioCon existed to court early adopters. One needed to be a cool rebel to use this product—mainstream just doesn’t get it, yet. Currently, though, Clio isn’t even a unicorn, it’s a thirty-thousand-pound Centaur with loads of users. They don’t need to convince people that the Cloud is safe anymore. They need to convince users that they are the better product.
No longer did talks focus on building a rebel community or convincing people to go paperless. They focused on showing attendees what Clio can do. After all, according to Reagan Attle, the CMO of Clio, they built this conference to cater to their clients.
They had talks on how to use Grow for your intake, and discussions on how to best use Lawyaw. They had integration demonstrations from third parties and talks by service providers about how they can help set up Clio. Rarely, in this conference, did they need to answer the question, “Why?”
So that wasn’t there. And it probably felt less cool. But the market has changed—and Clio knows it.
Staying Ahead of the Market
The game is no longer Cloud v. Legacy. The time has come to be the biggest and the best in a maturing market. It’s Cloud v. Cloud. And Clio intends to win.
But winning in this market won’t be easy. Companies like ProfitSolv, AffiniPay, and NetDocuments are racing to bring functionality into their platform. Users want a cohesive experience. Simple integrations won’t be enough. The users are too savvy, and the competition is too stiff.
Recently, we’ve seen Cosmolex bring LawRuler’s functionality into its system. MyCase now has LawPay built right into the system. And NetDocuments has incorporated AfterPattern into its workspace with PatternBuilder.
Users want seamless. They want single platforms. But they also want a robust system.
So, Clio’s big announcement wasn’t that it acquired a new product outright. No Lexicata, Lawyaw, or Calendar Rules announcement. Just a fundamental shift in how they are going to approach the game—doubling down on what Clio does best. Integrations.
The embedded apps and Clio Certified App program will allow third parties to bring their apps into the Clio ecosystem. Much like what others have done. Except, Clio won’t have to purchase a product to make it feel like native functionality.
What Does This Mean?
It means that everyone just discovered that underground restaurant you already knew about. The question is, did you like their food, or did you just like being cool? Clio, for better or worse, is out to make better food.
PracticePanther Brings Texting Directly into Platform
PracticePanther can save lawyers time with two-way texting using a business line. It may also save you an ethics complaint. Lack of communication is often cited as the biggest point of stress with clients. Although not a panacea, SMS texting with clients help lawyers meet their customers where they are—on their phones.
It’s unlikely that clients are sitting at their computers waiting for an email from their attorney. If a lawyer wants to communicate with them, they will have more success through text messaging. We’d like to stress, however, that texting is not generally secure. Lawyers should keep from sending confidential or privileged information via text.
Business Texting with PracticePanther
PracticePanther ships with two-way text messaging built directly into the platform. This allows lawyers to track communications beyond just email within the system itself. It also makes it more convenient to keep track of the time a lawyer spends on that communication.
Beyond sending notifications and status updates, a lawyer can also send invoices, custom payment links, and documents for eSignature. This convenience may be the difference between signing a client and never hearing from them again. Additionally, since the communication is within the system, it’s easier to use PracticePanther’s tasks and automations to spread communication responsibilities among multiple team members.
How to Get It
Want to learn more? Visit our full review of PracticePanther. There, you can compare features, read community comments, and watch additional demo videos. Or, if you’d like to jump right in, get a demo or a free trial at PracticePanther.com.
McKeen Builds Firm to Support a $100 Million Verdict
Five years ago, attorney Ryan McKeen, heard Mikey Cruz’s story for the first time. How a guy gets up and goes to the plant where he has worked for the last fifteen years. Then how, in an instant, his whole life shattered.
Connecticut Trial Firm Takes on Major Case
Unsecured Philips light bulbs, weighing 1,300 pounds, fell on Cruz from twenty feet in the air. His injuries were extensive, and the doctors told Cruz there was a 95% chance he’d never walk again. Ryan knew it was an important case. He also knew his small firm would need the resources to support it.
Five years ago, Connecticut Trial Firm, LLC was a team of two lawyers and an assistant who worked nine hours per week. A case like Cruz’s would not be easy or cheap. Ryan knew he’d need to build a firm to support the case.
Big Defendants Try to Kill Cases with Litigation Costs
“It’s easy for lawyers to hear a $100 million verdict and want to jump into the contingency fee business,” said Ryan. “It appears to be ‘easy money’. Nothing is further from the truth.”
It became apparent early on that the four defendants in the case would not settle quickly or easily. The defendants would spend five years vigorously defending the case. In those years, there were over forty depositions, ten experts, and thousands of documents exchanged. As the trial date loomed closer, the defendants filed hundreds of motions.
“You have to do the work, understand the risks, and put all of your chips on the table.”
Ryan mckeen
Ryan and his law partner, Andrew Garza, knew they would need to invest tremendous time and resources to prosecute the case. And take it to trial if necessary. They also realized that making such a bet could bankrupt their law firm if they weren’t careful.
“You have to play all in,” said Ryan. “You have to do the work, understand the risks, mitigate those risks, and put all of your chips on the table.”
Connecticut Trial Firm Grew Strategically
Ryan and Andrew accepted Cruz’s case. But they knew they needed to build a business that could sustain them. They knew the firm had to give them the necessary resources to fight for Cruz.
Ryan and Andrew intentionally built Connecticut Trial Firm to provide better client services than what they heard other PI firms did. They designed every part of the client’s experience—from the first phone call to how they closed their cases—with the client in mind. They even hired a Client Happiness Coordinator to ensure every client felt cared for throughout the entire representation. While other firms invested thousands of dollars in marketing, Ryan and Andrew invested in their team and their client’s experience.
Their work paid off. They found client referrals were their best source of new business. And they quickly found more and more potential clients calling to hire them. They continued to grow their team to keep up with their growing caseload. Today, the Connecticut Trial Firm has a team of 29 people.
The firm’s exponential growth allowed them to have the cash and attorney time to invest in Cruz’s case. In fact, for the last ten months, Andrew has worked almost exclusively on Cruz’s case. That amount of attention would have been impossible if the firm still had two attorneys.
They made space for what was really important.
The Firm’s Investment Paid Off
On Wednesday, October 5, 2022, Ryan and Andrew sat at the counsel’s table with Cruz and his wife and heard the words “$100 million.” It was the highest verdict in state history.
“It was the greatest honor of my career…”
ryan mckeen
Ryan sobbed. It was the result of five years of not just hard work but many sleepless nights worrying about his clients. It was five years of fretting about his business and agonizing if the jury would appreciate the severity of the situation. Five years of brooding on the hundreds of other unknowns that pop up and make business owners question everything.
“In the end, justice was served,” said Ryan. “It was the greatest honor of my career to have stood next to our clients and said ‘Ryan McKeen for the plaintiffs, Mikey and Emily Cruz’.”
Beyond showing Ryan and Andrew’s legal prowess, the verdict is a testament to their business skills. They successfully built Connecticut Trial Firm to litigate the case to a jury verdict. And through appeals and collections, if necessary. It isn’t easy money. Years of managing an extensive pipeline of cases and strategically building their business led to this amazing result.
McKeen Shares His Wisdom with Lawyerist Lab Members
Now, McKeen also works as a business coach for Lawyerist Lab, a paid business coaching program for solo and small firms. But his success story isn’t straightforward.
Ryan started his firm with $2,500. He had a previously failed partnership and years when his taxable income was negative. One morning, while watching his wife cry after learning they had $50,000 in credit card debt, everything changed. That was the moment Ryan decided to go from being a solo to operating Connecticut Trial Firm as a business.
“I love being able to share what I learned along the way with other attorneys who are just starting or still building their practices,” said Ryan. “I have benefited from the sage advice of mentors and colleagues. But I also invested in paid business coaching at different stages of my business. My coaches have helped me prioritize, define my strategy, and have kept me accountable. I’ve had 20-minute coaching sessions that have unlocked six-figure changes in my business.”
If you are interested in learning more about Ryan’s coaching or Lawyerist Lab, tell us a little more about your business, and we’ll connect for a quick call to see if Lab is right for your firm.
American Legal Tech Awards Names 2022 Award Recipients
On Sunday, October 9, American Legal Tech Award recipients were honored during the Awards Gala at Clio Cloud Conference in Nashville. Now in its third year, this is the first time the Gala has been held in person. Attendees and honorees alike celebrated with glitz and glamor at the famed Gaylord Opryland.
The American Legal Tech Awards celebrates legal industry innovators in eight categories: Access to Justice, Startup, Enterprise, Technology, Law Firm, Individual, Court, and Law Department.
Award recipients are recognized for demonstrating excellence in creative innovation and technology in the legal industry. Specifically by, “expanding our understanding of what is possible, encouraging a virtuous cycle of improvement, and creating a more just society.”
2022 American Legal Tech Awards winners are:
Access to Justice:Rasa Legal, for making a difference by helping the underserved access the legal system through the use of technology.
Enterprise:Everlaw, for successfully growing a product or service that demonstrates a unique and positive impact on its users.
Individual:Michael Eisenberg, for demonstrating success throughout his career in making a positive difference in the world as it relates to legal innovation.
Law Department: General Motors, for using an innovative approach to create significant efficiencies or a positive human impact.
Law Firm:Fox Rothschild, LLP, for utilizing innovation to exceed client expectations in a significant, measurable way.
Startup:Trellis, for creating a product or service that shows significant promise in providing outsize benefits to its users.
Technology:JustFix, for applying technology in a new or novel way in the legal industry that achieves a significant benefit.
Congratulations to the 2022 award winners for their accomplishments this year, and within the entire legal industry.
Postali Makes Sense of Law Firm Social Media Management
Social Media is an integral part of most law firm marketing efforts. Even if they aren’t doing it well, most law firms have some sort of social presence. Most, however, don’t have a thoughtful management plan in place and posts are often reactionary or sporadic.
Postali wants to help law firms make social media work for them.
Managing Social Media for Lawyers
In order to leverage social media, a firm first needs to have a plan. They need to ask themselves questions like, who is my ideal client, and where are they most likely going to be? What type of information will speak to them, and what is it I want to convey to them? They need to write these things down so they can be more deliberate in their efforts.
Postali guides law firms to effectively work social media management into their overarching digital marketing strategy. They help attorneys understand which platforms will work best for them. They also help firms determine what type of posts will appeal to their clients and how often they should post content.
Postali can also educate the attorney and help them manage their own social media. They have multiple blog posts on their website, and their internal experts are always happy to help.
Better yet, Postali can manage a firm’s social media for them. This means that a comprehensive solution is in place to connect with potential new clients. This solution can integrate into other aspects of a law firm’s marketing. A firm’s public relations efforts can reflect its social media, and its content marketing can lead directly to a significant place in its funnel.
With Postali’s social media management, firms can focus on what they do best, and leave the marketing up to capable professionals.
How to Get It
Want to learn more about how Postali’s marketing agency can help you manage your social media? Check out our full review, where you can compare features, read community reviews, and see other demo videos. Alternatively, if you’re ready to dive right in and connect with Postali, get a free consultation at Postali.com.
Retiring Attorneys see a Bright Future in Booming Firm Sales
Today’s senior attorneys are realizing they have more options for transitioning their law firm when they are ready to retire. In the past, many attorneys assumed they had two options. They could either find an associate willing to assume the practice or shut the doors and turn off the lights. Fortunately, the marketplace for buying and selling law firms continues to grow. And retiring attorneys are discovering new options for capitalizing on the value they have built with their law firm businesses.
The Legal Marketplace Is Rapidly Growing
In the 2022 Law Firm Buying & Selling Legal Trends Report, law firm broker, Tom Lenfestey, recalled a brief market pause in early 2020. Since then, the marketplace for buying and selling a law firm has recovered, and sales continue to increase year over year.
Lawyers ready to exit will find solace that there are more buyers in today’s market than ever before. More buyers means more opportunities to sell the firm and realize a tangible return on their investment of building a practice.
More Lawyers Are Looking to Grow Through Acquisitions
Attorney Erik Pelton runs an intellectual property law firm outside Washington, DC. He sees huge potential to expand his practice by acquiring practices of senior attorneys ready to retire or transition from full-time practice.
“I’ve been talking with lots of senior lawyers who are ready to scale back and enjoy the fruits of their labors,” said Pelton. “I can offer them a road to retirement and ensure that all of their clients continue to receive exceptional legal services. It’s really a win-win-win for everyone.”
“Now is a great time for retiring attorneys to see what the market will bear.”
tom lenfestey
Lenfestey agrees. He has seen more lawyers looking to grow their existing business through acquisitions of smaller practices from retiring attorneys. “We are seeing firms of all sizes looking to acquire firms and client rosters from retiring attorneys,” said Lenfestey. “Now is a great time for retiring attorneys to see what the market will bear.”
Sellers Structure Transitions to Suit Their Needs
Many times, attorneys considering retirement struggle with the idea of not working anymore. Fortunately, it is typically in everyone’s interest for the selling attorney to stay on after the closing to ensure a smooth transition.
“Buyers want to make sure there is an effective hand off after the sale. It is not uncommon for a retiring attorney to stay on for some period of time. They slowly ramp down their work as part of the process,” said Lenfestey.
Bottom line is there is no reason for a retiring attorney to close the doors and walk away in today’s market. Instead, retiring attorneys should explore how they might sell and transition their business to the next generation eager to jump in. For more information on the selling process, interested parties can connect with law firm broker, Tom Lenfestey, at info@thelawpracticeexchange.com or by visiting The Law Practice Exchange.
CosmoLex Tightens NetDocuments Integration
CosmoLex has streamlined its integration with NetDocuments, bringing much of the functionality within the CosmoLex platform. With this enhanced partnership, storing, retrieving, and editing documents within CosmoLex just got much easier.
CosmoLex brings NetDocuments Closer
NetDocuments has long been a document management option for CosmoLex users. The integration seamlessly shared documents back and forth between platforms, allowing users to take advantage of both platforms. But users, for the most part, had to switch back and forth between platforms, which could lead to inefficiencies.
With the release of CosmoLex 6.0, however, much of the NetDocuments functionality has been brought into the CosmoLex workspace. Users can now access emails and documents from within the practice management system. Not only will this streamline workflows, but secondary information, like notes, can more easily be kept in one location.
How to Get It
Ready to learn more? Visit our full review of CosmoLex. There you can compare features, read community comments, and read frequently asked questions.
Remember that Lawyerist subscribers get Affinity Discounts from our partners through their full review page.
Lawmatics Expands Robust CRM with New Timekeeping & Billing Features
Lawmatics’ new billing feature may make lawyers think twice about purchasing a practice management solution. The already robust Client Relationship Manager now boasts features like custom invoice reminders and trust account transfers. This, added to Lawmatics’ strong automation features, is likely enough to run most law practices.
Lawmatics Timekeeping & Billing Features
Although Lawmatics does not compete with the likes of TimeSolv (at least, not currently ), their basic features will probably do the trick for most law firms. Their timekeeping has a built-in timer, centralized time tracking, and—in true Lawmatics fashion—real-time reporting.
Their billing features include standards like customized invoicing and online payment processing. Yet, they take it a step further with more advanced functions like invoice reminders and trust account transfers. All of this means Lawmatics timekeeping and billing are more than just in-name-only.
How to Get It
To learn more about Lawmatics and its other features, read our full product review. Or, you can get a free demo at lawmatics.com. Remember that Lawyerist subscribers get an affinity discount through our product review page.
LEX Reception Simplifies Video Intake with Teleport
Virtual Receptionists are an integral part of the intake and client communication process for many law firms. This process, however, can have a lot of moving parts. Virtual Reception companies can often set themselves apart through integrations with the rest of a lawyer’s legal tech stack. These integrations attempt to simplify the process. Much like LEX Reception’s video conferencing platform, Teleport.
LEX Reception Video Conferencing
With Teleport, law firms can make virtual meetings a breeze for clients. There’s no app for a potential new client (PNC) to download and no extraneous steps for the PNC to take. Just send them a link, and they can join via any modern web browser. This means that a PNC can connect with a law firm using their phone, a computer, or a tablet.
It’s not just about initial client convenience, though. Lawyers can share their screens, take meetings with multiple parties, and even create custom branding. And integrating all of this into the intake process is easy with LEX Reception.
How to Get It
Ready to learn more? See more features and community comments in our full review of LEX Reception. Don’t forget to claim your Affinity Partner discount. Or, if you’re ready to jump right in, get a custom demo at LEXReception.com.
Zola Suite Brings ePayments In-house with APX Integration
Zola Suite is an all-in-one law practice management platform. It seeks to bring functionality in-house rather than integrating with third parties, making information control more seamless. So when Zola sought to integrate ePayments into its platform, it makes sense that they built it in with Abacus Payment Exchange (APX).
Zola Suite ePayments
AbacusNext, the parent company of Zola Suite, announced earlier this year that it was producing payment processor APX. This platform, according to the company, would benefit AbacusCloud, Amicus Attorney, Zola Suite, and OfficeTools, their child companies.
This allows Zola Suite to integrate a payment solution directly into the law practice management platform. Users no longer have to rely on a third-party platform to sync their ePayments. This makes pricing more transparent and simplifies Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance for users.
More importantly, for the users, it means that ePayment information is accessible from Zola Suite’s reporting platform. Billing, invoicing, payment, and client information can all be accessed with business analysis reports. And, since accounting is built-in as well, this means that all of a law firm’s financial information is in one place.
How to Get It
Want to learn more about Zola Suite? Check out our full review, where you can get user feedback, compare features, and see more demo videos. If you’re eager to jump right in, though, you can go straight to ZolaSuite.com and get a free demo.
Clio Cloud Conference Returns Live to Nashville
Clio users, legal professionals, and legal tech aficionados will gather in person in Nashville, Tennessee and virtually online this fall for Clio’s annual Clio Cloud Conference. After two years as a virtual event, Clio is excited to bring people together in person once again.
This year’s theme, Make Your Mark, features a variety of speakers focused on law firm marketing, business management, client-centered experiences, and transformation in action. Event workshops will teach users how to level up their business with Clio or specific areas of their business. The product pitch stage allows Clio’s partners to showcase how their products help law firms.
One not-to-be-missed feature of the Clio Cloud Conference is the fantastic lineup of keynote speakers. This year, Clio welcomes Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, and Neal Katyal, former Solicitor General of the United States and Saunders Professor of Law to the main stage.
Lawyerist is always proud that many past and present Lab community members share their knowledge and expertise as featured speakers. This year is no exception. Be sure to check out the following sessions:
Justie Nicol on How to Convert More Leads into Clients
Iffy Ibekwe on The Benefits of a Legal Blog
Erin Levine on How to Use PR to Build Your Law Firm’s Brand
Erin Gerstenzang on The First Call Close: Marketing to and Retaining your Ideal Client
Finally, attendees can always expect great fun and entertainment at Clio Cloud Conference. With the event traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, participants may want to pack their favorite hat and boots. Monday’s Clio After Dark party will allow participants to experience Iconic Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry House. On Tuesday, the party shifts to Nashville Underground. Luckily, there is always a great mix of events and networking opportunities to match every person’s speed.
Lawyerist is excited to once again partner with Clio as a media partner. Stephanie and Zack from team Lawyerist are excited to attend the event and connect with lawyers from the community.
NetDocuments Breaks Into Document Assembly with PatternBuilder
As an attorney, you probably have a template library. It’s filled with contracts, wills, complaints, NDAs, business formation forms, or even employee onboarding forms. Those templates probably have blanks or highlighted texts to remind yourself where to plug in that new client information. While a “mail-merge” style approach to generating new forms and documents works, it’s slow and inefficient. Automating documents helps high-performing and fast-paced practices become even more efficient.
What is Document Automation, and Why Do You Need it?
Generally, document automation is software that uses predefined templates to generate completed documents with previously input data. It allows you to auto-fill data into designated places on the form, then save completed templates to your client files.
Automation allows you to complete dozens of files in just a few minutes. Not even Barbara Blackburn, the world’s fastest typist (212 wpm), could complete that many documents that quickly. Even if you have a fillable Word, PDF, or Excel file, document automation can save you hundreds of hours annually.
In addition to saving time, document automation also saves you money and helps you scale. Less time spent on document generation means more time spent on billable hours. Document automation also enables practices to streamline new employee training, allowing them to ramp up to higher-value work quicker. Plus, document automation is a key practice to running a paperless firm.
So How Do I Automate My Documents?
Unless you have familiarity with coding or Excel formulas, it’s best to use automation software. But even with some of those, having a basic understanding of coding or logic helps. Especially if you’re uploading your own templates to the platform.
It can get complicated quickly. But, document automation can be a powerful tool in your arsenal when integrated with other document management platforms.
Introducing PatternBuilder, by NetDocuments
PatternBuilder is a no-code document and workflow automation tool, allowing you to automate your legal processes and effortlessly generate custom documents. And because PatternBuilder is natively integrated into the NetDocuments platform, you’ll be able to use it with all NetDocuments’ features, including all of the security and compliance tools. You’ll be able to build and run automations while retaining all the benefits of NetDocuments’ existing document management capabilities. A powerful combination!
With PatternBuilder, you can translate your expertise into workflows by automating document templates and apps to better support your day-to-day work. For example, you can create apps to intake requests, deliver NDAs, draft sales contracts, and more. You can even streamline business operations like engagement letters.
Next Level Automation
Level up from “find and replace” or looking for highlighted texts in Word documents. In seconds, PatternBuilder lets you populate user inputs or even enter them into Word or PDF documents. You can even automate completion of third-party PDFs for commonly used government and corporate forms. This means you can scan any government form and PatternBuilder will turn it into a template to be populated automatically (this is particularly useful for those in immigration law). Creating document sets in a single workflow generates document packages in just a few clicks.
Conditional Logic
PatternBuilder uses conditional logic, giving you options to include specific text in your assembled document if certain conditions are met. This allows you to incorporate your rules and logic into auto-populating documents, saving even more time. Instead of using separate templates for specific scenarios, you can just create a decision tree for templates. PatternBuilder will then create repeatable and error-free drafts for any situation.
Demo Video
Jake from NetDocuments recently gave us a demo of PatternBuilder by NetDocuments and how it works. Take a look at the video below to see a walkthrough he provided our Legal Tech Advisor, Zack Glaser.
How to Get It
NetDocuments is a cloud-based content management platform with over 20 years of experience in helping secure, organize, and collaborate on your documents and matters. NetDocuments offers an end-to-end platform for document organization, management, and so much more. If you’d like to learn more about NetDocuments and how PatternBuilder can help you automate your documents, visit their website to read more or to schedule a free demo. If you’d like to learn even more about PatternBuilder, check out their press release.
Curious about what else NetDocuments can do for you? Check out our full review, where you can see a features list, other demo videos, and community comments. Remember that Lawyerist readers get an affinity benefit through the review page.
LawPay Launches ePayments Integration with MyCase
LawPay is optimizing its integration with MyCase by bringing the bulk of its functions in-house. And by “in-house” we mean, within MyCase. Rather than switching back and forth between the two platforms, users will now have a seamless experience using LawPay directly within their MyCase app.
This is something many watchers of this space were hoping for. After its recent purchase of the MyCase platform, LawPay is taking advantage of its intimate working relationship with the cloud-based practice management provider. While the platforms have allowed users to share information back and forth for years, they have never allowed for the efficiencies seen today.
Now, MyCase users can request trust account funds, save credit card information, and even send custom payment links without having to leave the platform. Check out the video below to see how LawPay is using its weight to increase the MyCase user experience.
LawPay & MyCase Integration Demo
How to Get It
Want to learn more? Check out our full review of LawPay, including community comments, features, FAQs, and more demos.
Ready to contact LawPay directly, request a free demo from them over at LawPay.com.
