Map out your current process and adjust to the electronic process. Also, educate people on how it’s going to work beforehand and know you might not have all attorneys using it. There will be some that still want to print the prebills. When you implement a system like this you have to work with your implementation partner. They took us 80% of the way, and we completed the other 20%. We should have gone to the latest version at the time – it would’ve helped with any issues, so always make sure you’ve upgraded to the latest version. Finally, don’t get caught up on the workflow. Don’t think about it as a workflow project. The workflow simply represents the business process and you can map it accordingly to meet your requirements.

We were impressed with the intuitive nature of the software; our ability to customize it using the extensive set of rules already built in; the willingness of CompuLaw to make revisions to the software based upon our needs and demands; and that it integrated with existing software (Microsoft Outlook, Elite, and Autonomy’s Interwoven line).

The Aderant Professional Services team was great. We were a little bit concerned about the tight time frame, and that Aderant might not have enough resources available. But Aderant did a terrific job, including providing resources all hours of the day during the migration process. The consultants were very knowledgeable, they had a very clear understanding of the application and knew all the pitfalls that were involved in this sort of project.

The integration of the front and back offices is pretty flawless. Double-entry is eliminated. Cash, case costs, and trust accounts are always in balance. Printing and voiding of checks is smooth and charging to the correct case is seamless.

Deadlines.com is easy to use and intuitive. You don’t need to change anything; the system automatically updates and easily syncs with your calendars. It’s much easier to change dates without having to re-calendar deadlines. Plus, you don’t receive any additional charges by doing so!

Set expectations up front. Firms considering a similar implementation project should recognize that lawyers are passionate on time recording, and you need to engage them early in the process. You won’t get their buy-in if they don’t understand the process and see the benefits.

Aderant Expert has led to significant improvements in the organizational and financial performance of Taylor Wessing. Aside from partner compensation calculations, all the time and billing activities take place in Aderant Expert. During the implementation, we have learned a lot about our own processes. One should take the time to understand and learn Aderant Expert. Often, the system has a more efficient structure than we had in our operation. This has taught us to first analyze the possibilities of the system before asking for customization. We were surprised that a system with an U.S. origin could function so well for a German law firm. It brought us more reliable information that gives us confidence for the future.

We met with Handshake experts weekly to brush up on template creation and how everything worked. After about a month time, I really understood the beauty of the Handshake toolkit and Handshake Content Designer. Now, harnessing the power of SharePoint via the Handshake Toolkit, SQL writing is a lot easier plus you can look at codes for custom fields and harvest a lot of examples that way as well.

In the case of SmartNet, our Handshake Software powered, SharePoint-based firm portal, we took a close look at how our professionals and staff are working; how they consume and share information; what type of files, information and resources they need instant access to, and how we can package and present this in order to assist them in better serving firm clients.

We would have to have another full-time person to keep track of all the court rules and deadlines, and it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all of the rule changes when manually calendaring—which can make or break your case. We actually had a scare where the judge ordered us to show cause as to why our removal deadline was a day late—because the federal judge neglected to calendar a state court holiday because it only applied in limited situations! We were so grateful to the Deadlines.com attorneys who provided a timely, detailed response on how the deadline was calculated. For a small law firm that handles cases nationwide, Deadlines.com is a great alternative over the larger calendaring systems, especially if you’re mindful of pricing. Deadlines.com gives your firm the ability to keep overhead low without compromising quality.

The impact of Aderant Handshake on our business has been incredible. When we set out to change our portal system, we were striving to create a better environment for the legal team to increase profit and productivity. Aderant Handshake was clearly the best foundation to build BakerNet.

We can keep clients fully informed, flag up any issues early, and make more accurate projections of cost.

Going with Aderant was a no-brainer. The main reason was integration, that’s just obvious. What made Spotlight our number one choice was the quick implementation, which we highly recommend. The feeling we had during implementation was that everything was going great. It ran exactly as we expected, and we were very pleased with Aderant’s Professional Services team.

Through BillBlast, our cash flow increased, errors decreased and our billing staff’s capacity increased by 160%.