How LawBase and HotDocs Tackled a Texas-sized Need for Case Management
The Firm:
What began thirty years ago as a solo practice has grown into a firm with eight attorneys and a support staff of fifty-five. The Dallas-based lawyers at Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough work tirelessly to aid victims harmed by prescription medications or defective medical devices. Dedicated to protecting victims’ rights by fighting against pharmaceutical and insurance companies, they are a national leader in both mass tort and personal injury litigation.
The Problem:
As the Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough firm grew and the number of practice areas expanded, the need to increase efficiency and profitability grew as well. It soon became necessary to implement a case management solution.
With so many case management options on the market, it was difficult to find one that was well-suited to the firm as a whole, while simultaneously catering to the requirements of each individual practice area. They felt that a case management solution should contain elements such as: reporting tools; centralized, accessible, yet secure case and contact files; the ability to integrate with other software; and an intuitive user interface.
The Solution:
After an extensive search, it became clear that LawBase by Synaptec Software, Inc. stood out from the crowd. Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough felt that LawBase met and exceeded their requirements for a case management solution. It would ultimately play a key role in aiding the attorneys and staff increase efficiency and profitability.
Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough began using LawBase in February 1991. LawBase, in keeping with advances in technology, releases new versions and updates frequently to ensure that their clients are always on the leading edge of case management trends.
The firm continues to improve functionality with LawBase today. Cynthia Ferrer, Administrator for Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough, recently said that her favorite features of LawBase include: the adaptability of the screens; the SmartFolders, which make adding a note to multiple files at once very easy; and the capability to export information and reports in Excel, HTML, and other formats.
Ferrer added that the support staff at Synaptec Software, Inc. is ready and willing to assist with any issues that arise. The firm values the short response time for technical support, and appreciates that Synaptec consultants are available to visit for additional services when necessary.
The Additional Benefit:
After Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough implemented LawBase, Synaptec Software, Inc. provided them with HotDocs document generation software. HotDocs is the most widely used document assembly program on the market today, with over one million users worldwide. The company accounts for over 50% of the US domestic document assembly market.
The addition of HotDocs has proved to be very beneficial to Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough, because it allows them to generate reports and documents from within LawBase with just the click of a button.
How it Works:
LawBase is the only case management software application that allows for bi-directional information flow. Not only does LawBase push data into documents generated by HotDocs, but users can also automatically update LawBase with note entries, calendar items, or changes to the database, eliminating time-consuming duplicate data entry. HotDocs also serves as the basis for many of the LawBase reports, which are unique and valuable tools because of their flexibility and customization capabilities.
The Result:
At Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough, LawBase and HotDocs have met and exceeded expectations for a comprehensive case management and document generation solution. LawBase’s incredible adaptability and extensive integration options have helped them grow their firm without having to worry that their case management and document generation software won’t be able to keep up. The unique LawBase integration with HotDocs has allowed the firm to handle an ever-increasing number of cases and to reliably generate thousands of documents in a fraction of the time previously required. The firm discovered that improving document consistency and minimizing the potential for errors allows them to better serve their clients while also increasing firm-wide productivity and decreasing overall labor costs.
By Guest Blogger: Synaptec Software, Inc.
