University of Florida Levin College of Law

Mission & FAQs | Articles & Worksheets | Vendors

ARTICLES

• Practice Management: No Holy Grail
  (Law Technology News, March 2008) by Andrew Z. Adkins III
  
• Management Software for Local Government Legal Offices: What’s Out There, How it Works,
  and How to Find the Right Software for Your Office
  (Presented at the International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Conference, October 2007) by Barbara Drake, Altman Weil
  
• Having the Genie on Your Side: All you have to do is rub that lamp...
  (Law Practice TODAY, July 2005) by David J. Bilinsky
  
• Case Management Systems: Practical Tips for Implementation Success
  (GP|Solo, May 2005) by Ross Kodner
  
• Did You Buy the Wrong Case Management System Software?
  (Law Practice TODAY, January 2005) by Andrew Z. Adkins, III
  
• FYI: Corporate Counsel Practice Management
  ABA/Legal Technology Resource Center
  
• Case Management Comparison Chart
  ABA/Legal Technology Resource Center

WORKSHEETS

• STEP 1: Sample Technology Inventory List
  Typically, before you request information from a CMS developer, you need to know your firm's current technology environment. The simple "technology inventory" provides your firm, as well as the CMS developer, vital information about your firm's technology.
  
  
• STEP 2: Sample CMS Requirements Checklist
  Once your firm has determined the current technology environment, you'll need to describe your practice, including the practice areas and general workflow in your firm. This information is used to help determine what type of CMS system you'll need, whether it is a general CMS system for all departments or it is more of a specific CMS system, such as for Personal Injury, Bankruptcy & Foreclosure, or Intellectual Property, to name a few.
  
  
• STEP 3: Sample CMS Request for Proposal (RFP)
  When your firm or law department has decided to pursue a case or matter management system, an RFP is a formal method for requesting information, pricing, implementation and references of a CMS developer. This RFP can help guide you in detailing your firm's CMS needs.
  
  
  • Case Management System RFP - Law Firm
  • Matter Management System RFP - Law Department
  • Matter Management System RFP - Government/Municipality Law Department
  • Practice Management System RFP
    
    
• STEP 4: Sample CMS Evaluation Comparison Checklist
  When you've requested proposals from CMS developers, you'll be faced with an array of confusing information and claims. To help do the "apples to apples" comparison, this worksheet and checklist will help you sort out the various function within case management systems.
  
  
• STEP 5: Sample CMS References Questions & Checklist
  Always check CMS references. There are three things you'll need to know:

  
  

  1. Does the software work for the firm? Be careful and objective, because there will always be differing opinions in every law firm. Just because one attorney, who doesn't use the computer at all, indicates a dislike for the system, others in the firm may find it extremely useful.

  2. Did the firm receive adequate training? Not everyone makes every training class. Here you'll want to know the "quality" of training.

  3. Does the firm receive adequate support? After the system is installed and training complete, how does the CMS developer respond to support questions?
  

• STEP 6: Sample CMS Implementation & Training Schedule
  Use this implementation and training schedule to help understand what steps are taken during the installation, customization and training