Clio and an Expanding Virtual Practice
I never thought about hiring an employee. I knew it was something that I was going to eventually have to do but I treated it like a rainy day: I knew it would eventually happen but I will deal with it when it gets here. Fortunately, that rainy day came sooner than I expected.
With the establishment of a virtual, paperless federal practice, I knew that I had to not only look for someone who could deal with the ‘red tape’ of the federal government but also navigate through a case management system that had to tie in medical providers, government offices, and clients from around the country.
The first logical step was the implementation of a case management system which was both ‘user friendly’ and ‘flexible’. Even though this was a logical step, the selection of such a system was not an easy one. I had come from a culture of case management systems connected with stand alone servers. When I was introduced to the SAAS concept, like many of my peers, I was leery. After some preliminary research, I took the plunge into SAAS systems and converted from Amicus Attorney to Clio.
At the time, I had one person working for me so the switch from Amicus Attorney to Clio was not traumatic. My office manager took full advantage of the quick access and messaging features. However, once I decided I needed to hire a virtual paralegal, I knew it was important to ensure they would not only be able to utilize the system but also maximize it’s usage since they would not be in the same geographic area as I.
After I hired my paralegal, I was really excited about the short turn around time it took for her to get up to speed with Clio. With my office manager in Florida, my paralegal in North Carolina and me traveling abroad, I was able to expand my firm from a state practice to a national practice. With the use of the documents tab, my staff was able to attach and share documents more fluidly. I was able to assign tasks and monitor their completions. Communications became easier and my staff is able to provide a greater experience for our clients.
Now as I prepare to expand my practice even further, thanks to Clio, the anxiety over implementing a SAAS software with new employees is over. Bring on the RAIN!
About Anthony Reeves
Anthony has built an extensive practice representing disabled individuals in obtaining their disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. Since 2001, Anthony has assisted hundreds of clients, both children and adults, in obtaining their Social Security Disabilitybenefits through the administrative process which included the Local District Office, Hearing office, and...
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[...] My interactions with Anthony are mainly through Solosez, an ABA Listserv, so imagine my surprise when I learned that he was also a Clio user. And, like Joseph during his interview, another excellent addition to Small Firm Innovation. For Anthony, it was his discussion about his office manager that prompted me to ask him to contribute, and delivered a post on expanding virtual practice. [...]