Implementing a New Legal Calendar/Docket Application

Transcription

1 Implementing a New Legal Calendar/Docket Application BEC Legal Systems 175 Tri County Parkway, Suite 120 Cincinnati, Ohio USA T: F: support@beclegal.com

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Docketing System Implementation Steps... 1 Preparation... 1 In Depth Planning... 2 Installation... 3 Completion... 3 About BEC Legal Systems i

3 DOCKETING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION STEPS Stepping up to a new Legal Calendar/Docket system in your firm? Selecting the most comprehensive and best enterprise-level docketing system to meet your needs is a long and important process. This guide is a resource to get you started use it as a checklist, a way to generate discussion, or a trigger for other thoughts. In this guide, the process of selecting a legal calendar/docket system is divided into four main steps: Preparation, In Depth Planning, Installation, and Completion. PREPARATION 1. Establish a Planning Committee/Pilot Group who can work together to accomplish the remaining items on this planning list. When selecting the group, consider the following: A variety of types of people is needed. You will need administrators, IT professionals, attorneys, paralegals and secretaries. It is imperative to have representatives from all practice groups. It is not necessary to have an entire panel of computer-savvy experts. For example, having some users who use the Outlook calendar and task list extensively and other users who are still using paper calendars will be representative of the real world. During the pilot or testing phase of your project, plan on sending docket/calendar data to individuals who are NOT part of your pilot group. Their reactions and feedback are important; after all, you are trying to find a good collaboration and information sharing tool! 2. Establish a timeline for the entire project, with expectations of when the milestones on this list will be met. (Milestones to be met along the way are highlighted.) 3. Do some research.become familiar with legal calendar/docket products available on the market and narrow down the options. This is Milestone #1. Look for these BASIC functions in a legal calendar/docket product: Automatic date calculation, especially after schedule changes Scheduling templates and automated court rules Reliable distribution to concerned individuals Outlook integration/pda accommodation Reporting tools and Auditing tools Import and/or Migration utilities Vendor services such as documentation, training, installation assistance Pre-requisite system requirements for server and workstations And, of course, pricing ILTA 2011 rev-elation Page 1 of 4

4 IN DEPTH PLANNING After covering the basics, you must be sure your new docketing system accommodates an extensive list of more specific requirements! Discuss and plan for these issues: 1. Meeting the needs of the work groups that exist in your firm. Consider the following: Determine the logical groupings of people who should share a schedule. Do they also have similar reporting requirements and calendar formatting requirements? In other words, are work group-specific customizations needed within the calendar/docket system? Take into account the organization of your document management and billing systems. Should those systems dictate the way the calendar/docket system will be organized? Or, does the calendaring workflow in your firm suggest another way to organize the calendar/docket system? Integration to Active Directory contributes to a smooth implementation. 2. Handling the roles and responsibilities of individuals in your firm. Consider the following: Outlook calendar integration and accommodating PDA users! Current docketing workflow (and how it might be improved.) Who will be responsible for calendar/docket entry? And who will be authorized to make changes, especially to critical dates? Does the calendar/docket system have reliable and granular permissions features? What risk management policies should be implemented with the new calendar system (for example, should reminders be pre-determined or mandatory?) Will the new system allow you to maintain private matter security and ethical walls when appropriate? 3. Optimizing firm-wide configuration of your docketing system. Consider the following: Connections to firm-wide contacts. Firm wide availability of look-up lists for courts, judges and holidays. Integration with other systems, especially billing and document management (for attaching documents to calendar items.) The Client/Matter intake process that currently exists in your firm. 4. Data migration from your current docketing system (and other Case Management or Contact Management databases.) Does the vendor of the calendar/docket system provide utilities or services to assist with this process? That s a good start! The discussion begun with this document may lead to other considerations in your firm, but.making a final Legal Calendar/Docket system selection is Milestone #2. ILTA 2011 rev-elation Page 2 of 4

5 INSTALLATION Narrowing down your choices (milestone #1) in the Preparation phase and making a final selection (milestone #2) in the In Depth Planning phase brings you to this point: 1. Install legal calendar/docket software. Milestone #3 2. Configure the software and/or its database! Milestone #4 a. Hopefully, you laid the groundwork for this in the In Depth Planning stage above; now the configuration decisions must be implemented. 3. Train your users. Milestone #5 a. Sometimes it is efficient to combine the configuration with a hands-on train the trainer session with the Pilot Group. This depends on your situation. 4. Migrate or import data from the docketing system that has been replaced. Milestone #6 COMPLETION 1. Create firm-specific work flow and procedural guidelines for your new legal calendar/docket system. 2. Roll out to the first Work Group. Milestone #7 3. Continue to improve and standardize firm processes as you roll out to the entire firm. Milestone #8 4. Establish on-going practice group meetings to be sure users are compliant with firm requirements and that firm requirements are congruent with users needs. 5. Rely on your legal calendar/docket system vendor for on-going support and answers to your questions. ILTA 2011 rev-elation Page 3 of 4

6 ABOUT BEC LEGAL SYSTEMS Implementing a New Legal Calendar/Docket Application Publication Date: 8/1/2011 Last Reviewed Date: 8/1/2011 Reference Number: Copyright 2011 BEC Legal Systems. All rights reserved. The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment by BEC Legal Systems. MatterLink, CoreRelate, LegalBar, Docket Enterprise, Docket Administrator and MetaReveal are products and trademarks of BEC Legal Systems. All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies. BEC Legal Systems is a professional services and legal software development company offering technology solutions, software, consultation and training services to national and international law firms. Our products and services are focused on improving the use of Microsoft Office 2010 for lawyers and firm staff. For more information on Docket Enterprise, our legal calendar/docket application, please contact us: BEC Legal Systems 175 Tri County Parkway Suite 120 Cincinnati, Ohio Phone: Fax: Web: support@beclegal.com ILTA 2011 rev-elation Page 4 of 4