Client Satisfaction Through Technology.

Law firms are forced to be more attentive to client concerns by increasingly competitive pressures in the legal community. Many clients are demanding change and improvements in their legal work. Clients have become more cost conscious and want their cases resolved quickly for the lowest possible cost. Even a courtroom victory is sometimes viewed as “unaffordable!”

The traditional way of delivering legal services (labor intensive) needs to be re- engineered to be more efficient and effective. Technology can be the answer. But a more satisfying method for the client is the combination of client involvement in a case and technology.

One Seattle law firm has found the answer to that challenge. This law firm has

implemented a system of allowing the client electronic access to ongoing activities in their case. This is done by way of four forms: an evaluation form, a strategy form, a settlement form, and a budget form. As the case progresses each form is updated after consensus is reached with the client. A well-managed case can be recognized by constant refinements in the strategy and settlement log. The budget form is automatically updated by the system as the attorney’s time is entered. The system “watches” the fee totals and notifies the managing attorney for this case when they start to approach budget limits. All this information is accessible to the client by calling into the attorney’s computer and viewing these forms. This eliminates telephone calls, status reports, billing surprises, and achieves client satisfaction.

This system is only one example of how technology can enhance client relationships and client satisfaction. The key is to listen to the clients’ requirements and complying with their rules.

Gisela B. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Law Practice Management Consulting.

Prior to Law Practice Management Consulting she served Texas attorneys with practice management advice and education as the first director of the Law Practice Management Program of the State Bar of Texas. She successfully built this program from the start and designed and developed the products and services offered. During her almost eleven years of service at the State Bar of Texas she developed award-winning educational programs, authored numerous articles on legal management trends, and presented workshops and seminars on local, state and national levels. She also consulted with law firms and individual attorneys on improving their management practices.

Before coming to the State Bar of Texas Ms. Bradley managed law firms of varying sizes for fifteen years.

Ms. Bradley served on the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Advisors' Committee from 1996 to 2005. She also serves on several Advisory Boards of legal consulting and attorney training firms.

Ms. Bradley focuses on assisting solo and small firm practitioners in improving the efficiency of their client service, and increasing their productivity while enhancing the quality of their work product. She provides management consultations to firms as well as individual management coaching to attorneys.

Examples of accomplishments at the State Bar of Texas include:

Writing the Start Up Kit For A Small Law Practice, a step-by-step guide to opening your own law office;

Developing and presenting Planning to Conquer the Real World of Private Practice, a practical preparation course for law students;

Developing and presenting The Law Office Management Institute, a 12-months comprehensive management training course for attorneys;

Developing How to Organize and Manage Your Law Practice, a series of seminars for 12 practice specific areas.

Ms. Bradley received her BA in Liberal Studies with a major in Accounting from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas

Antony Ng

Antony P. Ng is a registered patent attorney with extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Mr. Ng has drafted over 600 patent applications encompassing a broad range of technological fields such as electrical hardware and computer software, telecommunication and network systems, semiconductor fabrication and chemical compositions, etc. In his Austin-based practice, Mr. Ng also provides, to domestic and international clients, counseling on various intellectual property related matters, including infringement and validity opinions.

Prior to his legal practice, Mr. Ng was a reliability engineer at Texas Instruments for over four years with responsibilities including investigating new testing methodologies to detect reliability problems of integrated circuit devices. During law school, Mr. Ng was a judicial intern for Honorable Judge David Hittner, Southern District of Texas, and Honorable Justice Michol O’Connor, First Court of Appeals of Texas. Mr. Ng also served as an assistant editor for the South Texas Law Review.

Practices

Patent preparation and prosecution Patentability and infringement opinions

Intellectual property portfolio development and management Trademark prosecution

Technologies

Telecommunication and network systems Computer hardware and software Analog and digital electronics Semiconductor fabrication Chemical composition

Bar Admissions

State Bar of Texas

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuits U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Education

J.D., South Texas College of Law M.E.E., Rice University

B.S.E.E., Texas A&M University

Affiliations

In document START UP KIT FOR A SMALL LAW PRACTICE (Page 102-111)