Law Firm Portal Blog

Law Firm Capabilities

2006-03-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Need a way to share information about your law firm's capabilities with prospective clients. Considering building customized internet sites for each client, they will consider themselves special for having had a unique site and content provided to them and be more likely to take a look at your marketing materials. What can be placed on this site.... attorney capabilities, recent successes, upcoming events, clients who might be impressive to your prospective client, a proposal to provide services, firm newsletters .... the possibilities are endless. What is great about a law firm portal is that the content need not be remailed or resent, it can be updated on a prospective client's site as needed and a prospective client can then refer to updated content if/when the need for additional legal representation arises.

Client Visits

2006-03-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have client visits scheduled but are not sure what additional services you can offer to them? If so, offering your client a law firm extranet / portal with information of interest to them might be something you want to consider. This offer, especially when coupled with a system demonstration, is one way to really impress your client!!!!

Sharing Contact Information Lists With Clients

2006-02-25T05:48:00.000-08:00

What is the best way to get administrative staff contact information out to clients?

Law firm portals are one method. Most law firm public websites publish attorney contact information but not the information for paralegals, clerks, etc... If a law firm would like specific clients to be directly in touch with individuals who can help them on a specific issue (e.g. billing, technology, litigation support, administration), a law firm portal can be used to publish contact information for these firm employees.

This allows clients to get answers to issues more quickly, and in a manner where the law firm's attorneys need not be troubled with ministerial duties such as providing email address or phone numbers to clients.

Marketing Portals

2006-01-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Portals continue to be a great way to market your law firm. Putting up a portal for a client as part of a RFP process is one way to help differentiate your law firm from others attempting to get a client's legal business.

System technology - how important is it?

2005-08-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Law firm portals are not terribly sophisticated systems in terms of today's large and complex applications. Any of a number of technologies are capability of putting out strong, functional portal systems. But, here are a few things to watch out for.

1) Avoid flat file database packages or open source database packages. There are numerous portal systems running on relational database packages (Oracle or SQL Server based) - enough so that one can safely exclude proprietary database packages and open source (mySQL) packages when selecting a technology backbone for their portal. Choices like this align the company deploying a law firm portal with vendors and technologies offering maintenance contacts, security patches, and service level assurances one does not typically receive from open source packages.

2) Avoid systems that require internet browser plugins. Systems that require java to be running on the browser, or any other bolt-on package, will not be well received by your clients. They might not have the required plug-ins, and if they do not, your portal will not work on their machines. Deploy a portal that runs solely on Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Also, be sure your portal package is backward compatible a few browser versions.

3) Ask the portal vendor how difficult it is to add new fields or components to the law firm portal package. If they have done a good job coding their system, it should be easy for them to support your needs going forward. It is not wise for clients to get "locked-in" to certain sets of functionality in today's business world where change is all around of and client needs or requests might dictate that you deploy other types of functionality within your law firm portal.

4) Find a vendor that has chosen to keep the interface relatively simple. Cool FLASH introductions or sophisticated graphics look quite nice, but if you have a client with a relatively slow internet connection or an older PC, these additions might make their user experience poor (and, no one will use a system that takes more than 3-5 seconds to load up). Keeping the interface simple will position you to provide better response time and a more positive user experience (since all of us prefer systems that respond quickly). Law firm portals are business systems, not entertainment vehicles.

ASP's - What in the world are they?

2005-08-20T04:23:00.000-07:00

Most legal extranet and law firm portal systems are provided by ASP's. This stands for "Application Service Provider". What is an ASP? It is a company that provides computer applications that run within their own data center. The clients of the application system connect to it via the internet.

This is quite different from the traditional model where a company or individual purchases software from a software vendor, than installs it on their own personal computer or server.

Why are ASP's sprouting up and what is good about them? They significantly lessen the complexity of putting new application systems up within an organization. Since one does not need to bother with setting up new hardware (servers) or installing software, one can focus on learning to use the software and making sure it possesses the features and functionality required to support a business process. And, obviously, technical support issues are identified and resolved by the ASP (not your company's IT group), typically resolved swiftly since the provision of the software application to clients is their core competency.

ASP's also typically provide subscription based pricing models that provide more of a "pay as you go" model - fewer startup costs replaced by a series of monthly usage payments.

Leveraging your law firm website

2005-08-17T02:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, you have invested lots of time and effort and money into your law firm website, but nobody looks at it. Why is this?

Well, certainly one issue is that people can not find it. A law firm needs to be sure a site does well with search engines, that they promote their website, that it is properly registered with search engines, that the site is interesting, etc...

But, is not another issue that law firms do not directly the organizations most likely to use their services in the future -- their existing customers -- to their website? It is said that 20% of legal business is prone to being lost every year and that law firms need to find ways to rebuild this work. Perhaps the best possible strategy to get more work is to encourage your existing clients - those who trust you the most -- to use your services in other practice areas.

A great way to do this is with law firm portals. A firm can build a portal site to post information a client wants to or needs to see -- for example invoices, contact lists, trial exhibits, etc... Then, one the same site, a law firm can make available strategic marketing information that will help them get more business from these clients.

What kind of information can be posted? Often, the same information that is posted on a firm's website -- areas of expertise, published works, etc...

The key difference here is that it is likely that an existing client will see this information, since it is likely the client will be on this site. Thus, the marketing information previously developed is viewed by very likely clients of other practice groups, which in turn may indeed help to generate more leads and business for a law firm.

Keeping in touch with alumni

2005-08-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Law firm portals can be a big help in keeping in touch with law firm alumni. A firm can post up 401K information or other documents of interest to them, and at the same time keep alumni posted on firm events, seminars, victories, etc.

Keeping your alumni in touch with your law firm can provide many benefits to a firm - they might retain the firm, they can serve as useful ambassadors of the firm, they might even potentially come back and return to work at the firm without the firm having to pay costly recruiters fees.

Law Firm Marketing

2005-08-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

As we all know, law firms put together a wealth of excellent marketing material: newsletters, brochures, practice group updates, listings of victories and other positive client outcomes, etc.

In addition to mailing (and e-mailing) these to clients and making them available on a law firm's public website, publishing this information on a secure, client-portal is also a best practice.

These portals could be for existing clients or they could be for prospective clients. One of the wonderful aspects of a client portal is that it provides customized information for clients that they are more likely to review and appreciate.

Building awareness of law firm events

2005-08-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

Law firm portals can be used to share with your existing client base upcoming events that may be of interest to them.

For example, if a law firm hosts monthly information sessions / CLE sessions for other attorneys, they can use law firm portals to broadcast the date/time/location for the event to their clients.

Using law firm portals to perform this function is a good complement to existing strategies of making these events known on a firm's public website, word of month distribution, or email/hard copy distribution of information about the events.

Sharing Procedural Information Betweeen Law Firms and Clients

2005-08-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

When there is a need to share documents together between law firms and clients, but not necessarily a need for a litigation support extranet, a law firm portal might be a good choice to meet this need.

For example, if a client would like all employees of a law firm to be aware of their outside counsel policy manual, EEOC guidelines, preferred vendor listing, company mission or pledge, etc.., these documents might be posted on a law firm portal for convenient access by all interested parties.

Likewise, if a law firm needs to convey adminsitration information to clients such as billing rates, office hours and closures, billing procedures and terms or other items, the law firm can post this on a client portal.

Using a law firm portal obviously allows law firms (and clients) to post client-specific information for common review and use without exposing this information to the general public (as information on a firm's public website is exposed).

Rising Stars

2005-08-05T05:13:00.000-07:00

Many law firms have attorneys who are identified in lists such as "rising stars" lists as those excelling within their profession. Publishing this award and a profile of the skills and accomplishments of these attorneys on a client-specific portal is a great way to introduce your existing clients (and bring to their attention) some of the additional legal services and legal representation options your law firm can provide to that particular client.

Practice Group Newsletters

2005-07-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

Many law firms write monthly or quarterly newsletters about recent events and trends within their areas of expertise. These newsletters are frequently mailed to clients within a practice group or placed on law firm websites.

Using law firm portals, a firm can place these materials on a client specific site. This might, for example, direct a client specifically to some writings which provide visibility of a firm's outstanding insurance law department for a firm currently representing a client in product liability work. If awareness of a firm's other areas of expertise can be raised with existing clients, this opens the door for law firms to get more opportunities to bid on additional RFP's or other types of revenue expansion opportunities.

Improving law firm cash flow

2005-04-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

How many times has the head of a firm's billing department heard the comment "I lost your invoice, can you send me another one"?

No doubt, countless times.

Law firm portals help deal with this issue. By posting invoices on a secure internet site, they are always available to clients. This eliminates the "lost invoice" issue which then, if for no other reason other than for a client to avoid embarrassment, triggers a more timely payment on invoices by clients.

Law firm portals also facilitate a client's review of an invoice. One can full-text search an invoice for a quicker review, or download the invoice to their PC if they wish to scan and review it in an electronic manner.

And, although it is a somewhat minor point, it is also true that posting invoices on a law firm portal and then sending an automatic email based on the invoice posting will get the invoice in the hands of a client instantly. No more mailroom delays, interoffice mail confusion, etc... The invoice is just posted, and it is there.

So, for all of the above reasons, if cash flow is a concern of a law firm, consider using law firm portal internet technologies to try and collect monies as quickly as possible. It is sure to be a wise investment.

Law Firm Portal Article

2005-02-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

ITLA recently published a white paper titled "The World of Intranet, Extranet and Portal Technology." The paper contains an article by Xerdict which provides a case study on the benefits, features and construction steps for building law firm client portals. There are other articles within the paper all relating to legal extranets, collaboration systems, content management systems and related technologies.

The article is available by clicking here.

Collaboration Information Site

2005-01-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Forbes research website contains a number of interesting links to articles and information describing the benefits and value to having workteams better communicate with one another. If you are interested in the topic and in better understanding how linking up workteams in different locations and geographies can be beneficial to you, you might want to visit the site. It is available by clicking here.

Why law firms get fired

2005-01-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

I read with interest a recent article on the Law Marketing Portal dated December 28, 2004 written by Charles Maddock which cited reasons such as lack of responsiveness and cost management as some key reasons clients seek other law firms to represent them.

Why was this of interest to me?

Think about how putting up client portals can help a law firm avoid these "reasons for getting fired". Portals can communicate more effectively with clients, providing them with information "anytime, anywhere", helping avoid the perception of "lack of responsiveness". They also can help disseminate information and data to clients without incurring mailing/distribution costs, helping contribute to cost containment. And, they can help improve the quality of legal work by allowing more and more attorneys to contribute to work product by improving the ability to review prior work, or to communicate about current issues of note.

For all of these reasons, it would seem to me to be helpful to consider putting up client portals for any client a law firm wishes to retain on a long-term basis.

2005 Strategies

2004-12-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

Law firm portals provide firms with the opportunity to bring better visibility to their existing set of published works, websites, achievements, victories and the like. How many of you out there are considering using such systems to help better leverage your materials to your current and prospective clients? It would be interested in hear your thoughts -- thanks in advance.

Ken

Technolaywer Article

2004-11-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Today we had an article on law firm client portals and their purpose/usefulness in helping law firms extend and expand relationships with their clients published in the Technolaywer publication. We hope you found this article, which was entitled "A DIFFERENT APPROACH FOR A LAW FIRM WEB SITE", to be of interest. If you did not receive the article and would like to discuss this topic with us, kindly send us a note at info@xerdict.com, and we would be happy to speak with your about client portals.

LawNet Meeting

2004-11-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

The recent November LawNet meeting hosted at the Sedgwick downtown New York City offices seemed to be a big success. The meeting presentation topics, discussing how collaboration technologies and other technologies like blogs can help improve and enhance the operations and marketing capabilities of a law firm, seemed to be of great interest. A number of questions was asked and answered, and there were a number of discussions regarding "build vs. buy" decisions, how to measure ROI, how to educate potential clients about these technologies and the value they can deliver to a law firm, and other topics were discussed by the members of the LawNet group.

NY LawNet Meeting on Collaboration Technologies

2004-11-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

The NY Chapter of LawNet will be conducting their November meeting at the offices of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP (Note: this is the parent company of the Xerdict Group).

The meeting will discuss how collaboration technologies can be helpful to law firms in the areas of litigation support, law firm marketing and how blogs can be used to facilitate law firm business objectives.

For more information on this meeting, please click here.

IMPROVE INITIAL CLIENT EDUCATION

2004-10-27T04:14:00.000-07:00

A recent article in Technolawyer by Dustin Cole spoke about the importance of educating new clients on law firm customs, rates, procedures all in an effort to set appropriate and reasonable expectations for both the law firm and the client.

The well written and thought out article recommends that a law firm at the outset of a case discuss rates, introduce the team, explain how information will be distributed, review how calls will be handled, provide an overview of the case timeline and process, and many other things. It also recommends that this information, in addition to being verbally reviewed with a client, be given to them in a folder for them to refer to in the future.

This entire process also lends itself well to a client specific law firm portal. Law firms can use portals to post, on a secure internet site, all types of material of this nature for the clients use and review. This is an excellent way to continually keep all of the client's contacts (not only those who visited the law firm, assuming the materials they reviewed by may be provided to all who might need to see them) updated on the appropriate processes, timelines and procedures associated with their case(s).

Events at conferences

2004-10-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

Recently, on the Legal Marketing Association LISTSERV (LMA), there was a dialogue about what type of special events a law firm might run at conventions or other special events to generate interest in the firm.

Here's an idea on how a law firm portal might be used -- why not ask the clients directly? Perhaps one of your clients has a particular interest and you can pursue it with them (a sporting event, local site, cultural event, etc...). If this is the case, what better way to get their attention and discuss possible opportunities with the client.

And, you never know, this client might drag another colleagues from other companies or associates from other companies with whom your law firm might be interested in representing.

Why guess when you can solicit actual feedback -- using an on-line portal!!!

Speaking Engagements

2004-09-28T05:41:00.000-07:00

Need a way to tell your clients one of your attorneys is going to giving a talk or participating on a panel in a practice area you believe your client may be interested in. A law firm portal is a great way to do this - you can add a bulletin board item or an upcoming event identifying the speaker, location and time of the event. Even if the client can not attend, a law firm can convey the fact they have a skilled and knowledgeable practice group with such messages.

A law firm might also wish to post meeting summaries or transcripts as a way of providing some historical benefit to the public speaking appearance of the firm's attorney. This also can be done via a law firm portal by adding a document or bulletin board item to the system.

New attorney announcement

2004-09-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

Has your firm just hired a powerhouse attorney in a new practice area? How are you going to tell your clients about this?

We all know some of the usual ways -- newspaper and website announcements, word of mouth, perhaps a mailed article. But, using a law firm portal is yet another way to do this. The marketing department of a law firm can post a document or bulletin board notice outlining the arrival of the new attorney. And, what is even more powerful is the fact you can customize these announcements on a client specific basis if you wish. If you want to break through into new practice groups with particular clients, this is a terrific way to do so!!!