2 page Case Study - Posted 10/22/2008

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Hermelee Geffin

Attorneys Boost Information Access and Billable Hours with Mobile Solution

The highly mobile lawyers of Hermelee & Geffin, a boutique firm in southern Florida, needed instant access to documents and other case information while in court or traveling. With a technology solution that combines Windows Mobile® 6 with a legal application from Client Profiles, lawyers now receive timely information wherever they are. The attorneys’ increased efficiency has helped boost their quality of service, as well as their billable hours.

Business Needs

When the six lawyers of Hermelee & Geffin are in the courtroom or visiting a client, they need the very latest information on their cases. “When we walk into court, we are presumed to know everything that’s been filed with the

With Windows Mobile, our attorneys are billing 15 to 20 percent more hours because less time is wasted. Bruce Hermelee Managing Partner, Hermelee & Geffin

Most days, however, the lawyers are in and out of court, or travelling, making it difficult for them to receive the latest documents and other case information. Nevertheless, the firm could face serious consequences—even be sued for malpractice—if a lawyer lacks the right documents during a hearing. “In the past, if we found that we needed a document in court, which is a terrifying surprise, we had to request a break, find a fax machine, or even have the document read to us,” Hermelee says.

The mobile attorneys at Hermelee & Geffin needed a fast and cost-effective way to receive information while out of the office, as well as a better way to manage unwieldy documents. “We would be pulling heavy briefcases full of files along with a laptop. My back would be killing me by the end of the day,” says Hermelee. “I wanted to be able to just take my cell phone out of my pocket and have everything I needed in court.”

The firm also faced changing client expectations. “More and more, our clients are demanding instantaneous communication,” says Hermelee. “Our response time is compressed now, because everyone sends e-mail messages and attaches documents.” The attorneys needed to be more available, even when they were mobile.

Solution

The firm considered a BlackBerry-based solution, but felt that Microsoft® products would be more convenient. “The idea of having the same familiar programs that we’ve been using [on our desktops] for the last 10 years available on our phones was tremendously appealing,” Hermelee says. Plus, a BlackBerry-based solution would have required the purchase of a costly proprietary server that the firm would have needed to manage.

At the suggestion of Microsoft consultants, the firm purchased five Motorola Q and Motorola Q 9m Smartphones powered by Windows Mobile® 6 for its mobile attorneys. Because Windows Mobile works seamlessly with the firm’s existing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 e-mail messaging and collaboration software, the attorneys now have instantaneous access to documents, e-mail, and other relevant information, wherever they are, and their contacts and calendars are synchronized with those at the office.
 
“To be able to download a document and read it on our smartphone is something we couldn't do economically with a BlackBerry, but it was very easy to do with Windows Mobile and our Microsoft Exchange Server,” says Hermelee.

In addition, the firm deployed a new line-of-business solution: the Case Management software system, created by Client Profiles, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner based in Atlanta, Georgia. When integrated with Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 messaging and collaboration client, this solution can sort and save e-mail messages, documents, and calendar items into client files. The client files can then be encapsulated and sent to an attorney as e-mail attachments. “Now that we have Client Profiles software and Windows Mobile, Mr. Hermelee can actually read an entire case file on his phone,” says Brenda Kelly, Office Manager at Hermelee & Geffin.

Benefits

The Windows Mobile and Client Profiles Case Management solution arms Hermelee & Geffin attorneys with the latest case information. The attorneys are now able to work more efficiently when mobile, which helps them better serve their clients and boost their billable hours.

Information Mobility Means Timely Business Knowledge

Now the firm’s attorneys have the latest case information conveniently available right up to the time they step into a courtroom. “I can take only the documents I need with me on my Windows Mobile phone,” says  Hermelee. “If anything new happens, I can be advised of that on the phone, and the documents can be attached. The avoidance of surprise helps us a great deal.”

Mobility Improves Efficiency, Quality of Service

No longer chained to their heavy files, or to fax and copy machines, the firm’s lawyers are better able to serve their clients. For example, while visiting a client who was homebound, one attorney was able to receive a letter from his office using his Windows Mobile phone, and then go over it at his client’s bedside.

While Hermelee was recently travelling in Seattle, Washington, his office needed to send out an urgent letter for the firm’s largest client. But first, Hermelee had to make critical revisions. “He was able to do that easily on his Windows Mobile phone using [Microsoft Office] Word Mobile, and then send it to the clients redlined so that they could see the changes,” says Kelly.

Increased Efficiency Boosts Billable Hours

The solution helps Hermelee’s staff work more efficiently. “When a judge suddenly adjourns a hearing for two hours, I can do billable work for another client and bill less to the current client,” he says. “They really appreciate that.”

Increased efficiency while away from the office translates into more revenue for the firm. “With Windows Mobile, our attorneys are billing 15 to 20 percent more hours because less time is wasted,” Hermelee says.