Get organized and take control.

Managing information in a law firm is essential to representing clients effectively. Lawyers in offices without sufficient computer power often waste valuable time and suffer unnecessary stress because their office operations don't run smoothly. Deadlines may be missed, files may be lost, and correspondence may be neglected.

You can avoid these inefficiencies by using case management software. Now is the time to get started. Computer prices are at a historic low and continue to fall, while computer power continues to increase dramatically.

Case management software provides "back office" and "front office" control. With a centralized Rolodex, calendar, and to-do lists, you will have contact information and notes relating to clients, medical providers, opposing counsel, referring attorneys, and experts stored in your computer, only keystrokes away. You can set up reminders to meet statute-of-limitations cutoff dates, send discovery to opposing counsel, and call your clients from time to time.

Bookkeeping, tax, and other financial records are easily accessible with case management programs. When you're considering a settlement offer that a defendant has made to your client, closing statements showing net due to the client--including liens to be paid--can be before your eyes almost instantly.

You can easily review electronic files at any time. With a modem, you can even dial into the office system while you're on the road.

With a high-speed Internet connection such as a DSL or T1 line, you can connect from home with as much speed as the office computer offers. And when you are out of the office, staff members can access client files and keep them posted on the status of their cases.

A properly implemented case management program allows files to be reviewed quickly and easily from any location, which can help you ferret out weaker cases and try to settle them fairly before spending too much time on them. You can handle a bigger case load with less effort, or reduce the number of cases on your plate and handle larger matters more efficiently.

Get going

Generally, trial lawyers have personality traits that help them in the courtroom: They are aggressive, adversarial, quick to react, intimidating, and fearless. But these are poor traits for dealing with the business of running a law firm and supervising employees. (See Paul Bernstein, Warts and All: Take a Look at Yourself, TRIAL, Apr. 1996, at 66, available at www.atlanet.org/ publications/trial/9604/tr9604am.htm.)

Let's assume you have these traits. Even after you decide to buy and use a case management program, your attitudes and habits can stop progress. You delay, debate, and form committees; time passes; nothing happens.

Here are some suggestions on how to start automating the administrative and information tracking tasks in your office so you can spend your time being a lawyer.

* Network for software information.

Trial lawyers become the master of whatever subject they are taking to trial. However, unless you are an electrical engineer or a longtime techie, odds are you don't know enough about computer technology and software options to be totally comfortable selecting case management software for your firm.

What you can do is network. Talk to other lawyers in your community to see what they are using and why. Have your staff do the same. Read up on the subject and attend trial lawyer association meetings to learn more. Then, get together with your staff to discuss available choices and see which is the strong favorite.

* Hire a consultant.

You hire experts to assist you in trials, so hire an expert in case management software to help you, in addition to the networking computer expert you should already have. Choose an expert as you would a personal doctor: carefully, to be sure he or she is honest and knows the business. Then, listen to what your expert has to say about your computer needs. Drop the cross-examination routine; this is a team effort, and teams work best with supportive members, not adversaries.

* Get staff members involved.

Your office personnel know more about how the firm really operates than you do. Get their input, let them know they are on the team, and be a good coach and leader. Listen to what they say. If everyone in your firm is involved in the process, you will see high levels of interest, focus, and enthusiasm among staff members.

Once the plan is in place, listen to the recommendations of your partners and office staff. Never act as though you and only you will make the decisions. This will destroy whatever enthusiasm you have created, and you can be certain that your best people will go to another firm that will treat them with more respect.

* Set irrevocable deadlines for decision making.

Over and over I hear, "We have to reschedule the meeting to choose the software--I'm in trial" or "We have to set another date down the road, as my partner is busy with a deposition." Avoid these excuses by setting unchangeable dates for decision making. Organizing the office is as important as any case you have. If emergencies come up, stay late one night, meet on the weekend, or send someone who can speak for you at the automation meeting.

If you are the rainmaker in your firm and spend a lot of time traveling and attending meetings, you may have to designate another senior attorney to represent you during the software selection and implementation process. Choose someone you can trust to make informed choices and deal with problems in your absence.

* Budget for expenses.

Budget up front for both initial costs and ongoing expenses. These include outside consultants, software, software installation, possible hardware and networking upgrades, and training costs. Be realistic about your needs and the price tag. Better to overestimate the costs than to budget too low and have the project fail.

* Plan for training.

Training is imperative--and this includes you, counselor. You must learn to navigate the Windows or Mac environment, surf the Internet with a Web browser, and manipulate the case management program. This takes time, effort, and some professional training. Do not assume that a staff person has the time to be an ever-ready teacher for other staff members. Set aside both money and time for training.

* Allow for downtime during the ramp-up process.

There is no way your staff can learn a complex case management program and keep up with the daily workload. Something has to give. Expect lower day-to-day productivity during the ramp-up time while staff members learn the new program. During the crunch, you might hire a temp, pay some of your staff for overtime work, or do more of some types of work yourself.

Just do it

The benefits of law office automation are worth the effort. Your firm will be more efficient and productive and operate as the business it is. The goal is to have an operational infrastructure that allows you to review potential clients' cases, handle present clients' matters, prepare cases as completely as possible, and be ready when you are negotiating settlements or going to trial.

In other words, if your house is in order, you can practice law.

Paul Bernstein is an attorney and law office automation consultant in Chicago. He can be reached by e-mail at [e-mail]. The views expressed in this column are the authors and do not constitute an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.