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Do You Need A Consultant?
By Andrew
Z. Adkins III, Director
Legal Technology Institute
University of Florida Levin College of Law
Do you need a lawyer? How many times have you asked your clients that same question? Of course, your client needs you. That's why your clients come to your firm – they need legal advice. Of course, they could go to the law library, pull the statutes, research the issues, and come up with their "opinion" on the legal course of action, but then, they don't. At least your clients don't. Many times, however, your clients don't really need a lawyer, but instead may have a legal question or two to ask and it's much simpler for them to pick up the phone and ask someone they have trusted for years.
The same can be said of consultants. Not every law firm and lawyer needs a legal technology consultant. Instead, they may only have a question or two to ask to get a direction on which type of computer to purchase. But, like attorneys, consultants often are not willing to answer every question posed. Many times, the client doesn't know what questions to ask, or even who to ask.
The consultants at the Legal Technology Institute, University of Florida Levin College of Law have years of experience working with legal professional from all walks of life. Our experience tells us we need to understand more about the law firm's current technology environment before we can provide assistance.
We often ask detailed questions about computer hardware, computer software and the type of networking installed. If the firm is considering a Wide Area Network or a communications link to the Internet, we'll not only ask about the technology, but also the potential use for such applications.
Not all law firms and lawyers need a legal technology consultant. And, like most consultants should, we will be the first to tell you if we don't think you need a consultant. But, many legal professionals go at it alone with little or no advice, except with recommendations of the sales personnel. While the advice may be good, it may not be complete – we offer advice on what your firm needs, not what the vendors sell.
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Richard A. Calhoun, a retired senior consultant with the Legal Technology Institute also offers this advice:
Ten Reasons Why You Should Retain a Technology Consultant
- You Save Money. It is noteworthy that in most consulting engagements,
you are able to offset consulting fees through the many
time and dollar savings achieved on your behalf. In addition,
consulting fees are fair and reasonable.
The Legal Technology Institute is not a general consulting organization and does not participate in law firm management retreats, mergers or office design. We specialize in advanced legal technology and we're the best in the business. We've worked with over 300 individual law firms, law departments, courts, and law schools.
Peace of mind results. You save the frustration, time, and confusion of dealing with competing vendors, all of whom will claim "their company or their products are best." They usually claim that other law firms are using them, so why shouldn't you. Vendors simply cannot give you the best of most objective advice.
Your consulting service will be provided by professionals who consult exclusively with law firms and law departments. As specialists in the legal profession, their knowledge of in-house work flow, in conjunction with legal specific software, is much greater than consultants who deal with a variety of businesses. In fact, your consultant can complement any in-house technician and make his/her services even more valuable. This becomes important in special areas such as time and billing/general ledger, corporate, tax, real estate, document assembly, document management, storage and retrieval, case management, case tracking and any litigation support software. Regardless of your size or type of practice, legal software choices will always influence your hardware configuration. You've heard it over and over again - software comes first. It's true!
Years of legal automation experience mean more long term benefits and savings for your firm. The consultants with the Legal Technology Institute have years of experience with law firms and legal professionals. We are knowledgeable about legal specific software and law firm workflow and procedures. We provide you with an unequaled awareness of solutions and support for any legal automation need.
Your consultant provides totally conflict of interest free consulting. His/her consulting firm sells no product, has no affiliations with any seller and receives no referral fees.
Your consultant and his/her associates all have degrees and years of technical/business experience. Their accounting and technical orientation allows them to recommend optimum business solutions. Their consulting services will help you use your computer systems as profit making tools. They are aware of all the debiting, crediting and integration of general ledger accounts, audit trails, and trust accounting requirements. In addition, they are knowledgeable concerning business oriented personal computers, mini-computers, and the complexities of properly configuring your local or wide-area network.
Before the Legal Technology Institute, Andrew Z. Adkins III was founder and president of Adkins Consulting Group, Inc. Richard A. Calhoun was founder and president of Professional Management Support, Inc. Both were founding members of The Legal Consulting Group and are intimately familiar with what's involved in a legal/business oriented computer system. Their experience in business will provide further insights into problems probably similar to yours.
Your consultant has been guest speakers at various legal conferences and has authored many legal technology articles. Both Mr. Adkins and Mr. Calhoun have spoken at the annual ABA TECHSHOW conferences, the PriceWaterhouseCoopers LegalTech conferences, the ABA and ALA Annual and Regional conferences, and various state and local bar association conferences. Both have written books in legal technology:
"Computerized Case Management Systems," by Andrew Z. Adkins, III
"Time and Billing Reference Guide," by Richard A. Calhoun
- References and previous client engagements will indicate a total dedication to professional, legal consulting services.