February 21st, 2013 by Gwynne Monahan
Meet Garry A. Berger of Berger Legal LLC. With 15 attorneys, most working from home and a few from their own offices, Berger Legal is a virtual law office comprised of only senior professionals that delivers a full range of legal services. As Berger Legal grew and expanded into other areas, handling cases from New York to Florida to France, Spain and other parts of Europe, implementing a scalable practice management platform was crucial.
When asked how using Clio and ?the cloud? has changed the way he practices law, Berger emphasized the ability for ?his whole firm to work remotely, either from home or an office space of their choosing. Doing so allows his firm to keep overhead low, and charge lower rates for client services. He also said he ?used to have to wait until two weeks after each month closed to see how the firm was doing. Now I can find out how the firm is doing, by a particular client or matter, now instead of later. And I can also see what people are working on now instead of later.?
For any lawyer, tracking time is still the standard method for billing. And for Berger Legal, ?Clio is easier and neater than using a spreadsheet. It?s really great and a big win for billing since it cut down my office manager?s time spent on records.? Berger also said that his office manager can now ?focus on other tasks, which changes her role considerably and is a huge help to the firm.?
Before implementing Clio, spreadsheets were how the firm tracked and recorded time. As Berger explained it, ?each person recorded their time in Excel, and sent the spreadsheet to the office manager/billing coordinator. She did her magic to put the entry into QuickBooks.? Straightforward process for a one or two person firm, perhaps, ?but as the firm grew it became unmanageable. We needed remote, online access, in order to minimize all of the time spent populating bills with time records.?
Berger Law needed a scalable, cloud-based practice management platform. Being able to have his firm work remotely, simplify and streamline billing and time records and still keep overhead low are necessary to his firm?s success. To some, investing in a practice management platform might seem counterintuitive as it, too, is an expense. When asked about this, Berger said that ??if you?re trying to avoid expenses Clio makes the cut. It?s an expense worth incurring. Another way to think of it is that we don?t pay rent.?
And Berger had one final word on billing: ?The presentation of the bills in Clio is very nice, and though we?ve always been accurate in our bills and timely, we?re now a little more accurate and timely.?
Read more?#GoneClio interviews?to see how other lawyers have realized the benefits of cloud-based practice management. Interested in being interviewed??Let us know!
For the full interview, click
INTERVIEW?
How big is your firm?
15 attorneys now, and it?s a virtual platform so most of the attorneys work from home and a few work from their own offices.
What did you use before Clio?
Before Clio each person recorded in Excel, sent the spreadsheet to the office manager/billing coordinator who did her magic to put the entry into QuickBooks. When the firm was smaller, just two or three people, it was manageable but as the firm grew it became unmanageable. We needed remote access, online, in order to minimize all of the time spent populating bills with time records.
Our attorneys don?t all work full time, some work part time, so she wasn?t collecting a dozen full time schedules, but it nonetheless got to the tipping point.
What made you decide on Clio? Did you try out any other solutions?
Clio was recommend by someone I trust who ?was speaking at a conference on technology. I really hadn?t heard of Clio, then he mentioned it, and I took a look at it and thought it was really fantastic. He?s really involved in the space so his recommendation was meaningful.?
At various times I looked at other options, but they didn?t seem to be very user friendly.
What problems did Clio help your firm solve?
I used to have to wait until two weeks after each month closed to see how the firm was doing. Now I can find out how the firm is doing, by a particular client or matter and I can also see what people are working on now instead of later.
What did you find to be Clio?s most valuable feature?
Time entry is very easy. Clio is easier and neater than using spreadsheet. It?s really great and a big win for billing since it cut down my office manager?s time spent on records, which frees her up to do other things for the firm. She can focus on other tasks, which changes her role considerably and is a huge help to the firm.
What benefits have you realized from Clio that you didn?t anticipate?
Clio is what I expected. And it has plenty of bells and whistles.
Have Clio & ?the Cloud? changed the way you practice law? If so, how?
When I started, it was just the idea of working from home that I liked, and saving on overhead so I could charge lower rates. The firm grew, I hired people but it never made sense to rent office space and incur expenses. I wanted to maintain the same idea of working from home for myself and enable my colleagues to work either from home or in office space of their choice closer to home. As long as the clients are happy, it doesn?t matter where our lawyers work. Clio lets us work from different locations, which keeps overhead low which in turn keeps rates low.
How did you find the process of getting up and running with Clio?
Very simple. I did a trial and basically was up and running. I got some help from the videos, then did a walk through and a call or two with Clio and my firm. It was all pretty basic and from the point of view of an attorney. So it was pretty simple and at this point it?s very self-sustaining.
How has Clio improved your firm and the service you offer your clients?
The client still receives bills from me, though maybe a couple days earlier than before. The presentation of the bills in Clio is very nice.
Have you had any experiences with Clio?s support team?
Everyone is very helpful, and they know the product.
Would you recommend Clio to your colleagues?
Of course. That?s why I offered to do the interview.
Mac or PC?
Mostly PC. I think there are one or two people who use Macs. Either way, we haven?t had any issues.
Read more?#GoneClio interviews?to see how other lawyers have realized the benefits of cloud-based practice management. Interested in being interviewed??Let us know!
Source: http://www.goclio.com/blog/2013/02/goneclio-berger-legal-llc/
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