Amicus Cloud Training Videos:          

• How to create an invoice
• How to link an email
• How to add a new file
• Hot to add time and expenses
• How to add a task
• How to add a call
• How to navigate the calendar

How to create an invoice in Amicus Cloud

How to link an email in Amicus Cloud

How to add a new file in Amicus Cloud

To view the rest of our Amicus Cloud training videos, please visit our website here!

Attendees of the OSBA Convention can select from a wide variety of CLE seminars developed by peers serving on the OSBA committees and section. They can also partake in numerous networking opportunities and get a first-hand look at the cutting-edge legal products and services. OSBA members will also be voting for the president-elect.

On Thursday, May 9^th, Accellis will also be hosting an invitation-only event at the House of Blues for selected clients and attendees. While space is filling up fast, we still have space available so make sure to swing by our booth for more details if you’re interested in joining us!

For more updates, follow Accellis on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Calendaring is clearly one of the primary fundamentals of making any law office operate successfully. Firms moving from a paper calendar system to a shared calendar system like Amicus Cloud are going to find a great increase in communication firm-wide, greater control over their daily operations by mapping out their schedule and a confidence that appointments such as court events or client meetings are not being missed. Users will be able to add events to one another’s calendars, view upcoming events with ease and be able to block off time for private or personal time. When shopping around for Cloud products, one of Amicus Cloud’s strongest characteristics is the ease of use and adaptability. Unlike some practice management platforms, Amicus Cloud allows users to set-up personal preferences when it comes to calendaring.

Calendar Reminders

This Preference options was recently released and allows firm members to continue scheduling events the way they always have-you will not be forced to make firm-wide decisions as each person has their own calendar options. The first section on Reminders gives users the ability to set a reminder time and a reminder tone. When adding new events, a reminder check box gives the event Author the option to remind all attendees minutes, hours or days in advance. You can also request a secondary or follow-up reminder to appear.

While reminders are helpful tools, keep in mind if they prevent anyone at your office from running late or forgetting client related work you’re essentially building client confidence in your work, gaining control of the firm’s scheduling and avoiding penalties for missing court events.

Private Calendar Events

The next section in My Calendar Settings is in regards to availability. As I mentioned before, users can always block off private appointments where other firm members will see they are ‘Unavailable’ without being able to view the actual event details. This availability menu takes that idea one step further by allowing events to be seen by others only when they are assigned to the file. Users can be specific if they would only like the support staff they work with to see their calendar details.

Scheduling & Appointments

Scheduling new appointments is the last setting in the My Calendar menu and one that continues to give users control over their calendars. You can begin by selecting which firm members can schedule appointments for you which could be necessary at a larger firm where attorneys and support staff work on a one to one basis. Users can also select default attendees for new appointments created. This is a huge perk if you schedule for the same person (even yourself) or the same team of firm members whereby instead of selecting their names each time you add an event, Amicus Cloud will know who the default attendees are moving forward.

Streamlined Billing

Billing and accounting, much like calendaring, are one of the primary and essential aspects of any law office. Firms looking to move to a Cloud platform will truly be blown away when looking at Amicus Cloud in regard of its ease of use when adding time, payments, expenses or creating invoices right from a web browser. Not only are firms moving towards the electronic-based style with email communication over letter correspondence or file management systems over paper redwells, but many firms find their clients expect this style with immediate updates on their cases. Amicus Cloud is going to allow you to effortlessly add time, create a bill and email a copy of the invoice in just a couple of clicks.

Amicus Cloud’s developers took the functionality of their desktop Billing platform to the Cloud. Firms could essentially have each firm member adding time, creating bills and updating financials for their cases as they’re working within a file. Firm members creating invoices will rely on the Amicus intuitive nature to verify billing details are accurate. One way Amicus Cloud accomplishes that is by handling fixed fee files accurately so users can create invoices that will include the fixed fee amount along with anything else applied. When working on fixed fee cases or contingency amounts, firms will want to continue to apply expenses or send out invoices to increase regular communication with their clients. Here’s an example file where during the client intake process a fixed fee amount is decided and added to the file’s details tab.

Next, I can add any additional expenses that accrued and quickly create an invoice reflecting the original service amount. This is especially helpful if your client is opening a multitude of cases and payments are applied to individual files.

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Outstanding invoices can also quickly be finalized and printed for a client or emailed with ease. This is helpful in keeping a file’s communication open even after the case may have closed; verifying a client is aware of a payment due and since you can customize invoice styles if you have a policy for collecting on a debt or a settlement agreement you can tailor your invoice to meet your office’s needs.

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In this example, we can see the ‘No New Charges’ statement applied along with an updated invoice number is applied, date-stamped and auto-saved to the file allowing all firm members access to the invoice history.

New Invoice Styles

Additional invoice styles were created during this new features release including a new pop-up option so individual descriptions can be applied to a Simple Invoice style. This replaces the itemized billing style and allows firms to simplify their invoices to include statements such as ‘Fees for Services Rendered’ or ‘Settlement Agreement’ in lieu of each billing or expense entry. Users also now have the ability to hide or include the hours column letting billing reflect the amount due or fee totals without specific time amounts spent on an activity included.

Email Shortcuts

Anyone new to Amicus Attorney’s product suite will find any of their programs to go above and beyond expectations by supplying a strong intuitive nature. Amicus Cloud keeps the ease of use we saw in Calendaring and Billing and creates shortcuts for users when working within the program. Instead of constantly funneling through the entire firm’s file list when saving a new email, Amicus knows which files you’re assigned to, which ones are active in the system and which ones the email address is already linked to by the contact record.  You will still have access to their entire contact list if needed, but these shortcuts are where firms see large increases in billable hours when moving to the Amicus Cloud platform. No longer are you hunting through your Outlook contacts list attempting to remember your client’s email address by memory or asking around the office. Working in a system where your client’s contact is linked to their file gives Amicus that intuitive ability to complete tasks for you.

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In this example, I started my outgoing email by linking it to the case so when it’s sent a copy will be saved to the file for all firm members to review and when I begin to include a recipient Amicus knows which to include my contacts assigned to that file.

When looking at my inbox of incoming emails, I can also leave some of the work up to Amicus by having the program auto-save my emails to their respective files. You’ll want to make sure your contact is only associated with one case first. Next, I would take an incoming email and select ‘Add to File.’

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This is a valuable tool that will dramatically increase efficiency in your office when you no longer need to link individual emails or forward them onto firm members so they’ll have access to case details. Much like you did with paper correspondence, you’re going to confirm that emails are saved in a shared location within the file.

Offices considering Amicus Attorney Cloud edition for their practice management system can watch an on-demand demonstration here or visit www.amicus-cloud.com for a free trial account.

______________________________________________________________

Colleen D. Heine assists attorneys and legal professionals in improving workflow and creating efficiencies throughout their firm. She is a Certified Independent Consultant for Time Matters and Amicus Attorney at Accellis Technology Group. Prior to becoming a Software Consultant, she worked for a consumer protection agency and for a national deposition and litigation organization. Colleen has a Bachelor’s of Science from Bowling Green State University.

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If anyone in your firm receives an email like this, DO NOT click on the attached .zip file, as it contains a .exe (executable) program which immediately installs the virus on your machine. Note that even if you don’t us ADP Payroll services, you may still receive this email.

This virus is particularly harmful due to the speed at which it infects and spreads throughout a network. Simply put, it creates a .exe on the mapped drives, which cause all files to appear as normal. When users click on the particular file throughout the day, they are unknowingly causing the .exe file to run, spreading the virus further and possibly reintroducing it into the system.

Upon sending out this announcement to our clients, we receive many responses from people who had received the same email – some of which deleted it right away. We are urging everyone to follow these guidelines to help prevent future infection:

• Beware of emails from unknown contacts, social media sites and online stores – This includes shipping confirmations, friend requests, invitations, banking notifications etc. Some emails will ask you to “verify” information such as username, passwords, and credit card numbers. Also, Many emails may appear to come from people or business you know and even follow the regular email template, however all of the links contained within have been replaced with malicious ones. Never accept invitations from people you don’t know and do not click on links contained in these emails.
• Beware of links – Many links contained in bogus emails or pop-ups are ”masked,” meaning that the link you see does not take you to that address but somewhere different, usually a faked website. Do not click on links you are unsure of.
• Beware of attachments – Many fake emails ask you to open attachments, which can then infect your computer with a virus or spyware. If spyware is downloaded to your computer, it can then record the keystrokes you use to log into your personal online accounts and then sends that information back to the criminal. Never open attachments in suspicious emails.
• Ask before you click - If you’re unsure of whether an email is legit, call the sender directly or contact your IT company to review the email. If the email is fraudulent, your IT company should check your system for infection and promptly notify spam prevention companies.

Find out more ways to safeguard your network from an attack >>

If anyone at your firm has received this email, please let us know immediately so that we can check your network for infection. We have alerted ADP and major spam prevention companies about this virus. We are also posting live updates on this situation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns at all, please contact us at 216-662-3200 or solutions@accellis.com.

Timetracker

Just like Timetracker for Amicus Small Firm Edition, Timetracker is now available for Premium 2013. This allows users to effectively enter time on the road. The one caveat is that non-timekeepers in Amicus will not have access to this mobile service. Watch a demo of Amicus Time Tracker here.

Amicus Anywhere 

This is the true development. Just like Amicus Cloud, you get rich access to your calendars, cases, contacts, and more – from anywhere across most modern devices (phones, tablets, PC’s, laptops, etc.). It’s delivered through the web browser. While it’s not 100% of your Premium Edition features it’s a large majority and, moreover, it delivers the ones you really need when you’re on the road. One of the major advantages of Amicus Anywhere versus the Amicus Cloud offering is performance – the demo we sat in on with the President of Amicus was very impressive. Everything you clicked came up almost instantaneously; changes made to the database when using the cloud are reflected in the database in almost real-time as well.

Hosting

One of the advantages of Amicus Cloud is that you don’t need a server. For small firms, this is perfect since most other services can also be outsourced effectively meaning you really can ditch the server. For larger firms, however, it’s much harder to ditch your servers. Since you need servers, the hosting of Amicus services isn’t ideal since you can host them yourselves cheaper. Accordingly, Premium 2013 allows you a perfect middle ground – a hybrid-cloud solution – one that allows you to host Amicus services (as you do today) to achieve the desired economization while also giving you the ability to deliver all of the major tenants of that service to mobile workers across most modern platforms and devices (via Azure). Moreover, since the database is local, on your server, you might even eliminate the traditional cloud concerns about 3^rd-parties, subpoenas, security, retention and so on.

Pricing

What’s the cost of Amicus Anywhere? Free – well, sort of. If you are on the Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP) you will get Timetracker and Amicus Anywhere completely free. The AMP, however, is a bit of a touchy point – for years if you wanted AMP you needed to commit to a three-year annual purchase of the plan. This changes in March where AMP’s will be able to be purchased in one year increments, albeit at a slightly higher price. This, too, was a great move. Who wants to commit to three years of AMP just to try out their Amicus Anywhere mobility solution? Gavel & Gown is offering these discounts on new licenses and upgrades in conjunction with the release of Amicus Premium Edition 2013.

Next Steps

We recommend that you wait a month or two and allow the dust to settle as Amicus works through any initial-launch issues, not that we expect issues, but that these things are inherent in new releases, especially when you’re dealing with a massive development effort like the one that went into making this hybrid-cloud solution. We have an Amicus Consultant conference in Toronto this March so we plan to use that time wisely, learning the product and best practices and getting some much-needed experience under our belts! Look for a follow-up post then, or feel free to contact us with any questions.

Top 10 Mistakes Law Firms Make with their Practice Management System >>

QuickBooks Link & Posting Report

Within Amicus Cloud, firms have the ability to send time entries to an existing billing system through a template designed to work with PCLaw, Timeslips, etc. This way an office can take advantage of the time entry ease in Amicus and easily exchange to a desktop version of their previous billing program. Starting today, firms can easily integrate with QuickBooks offering them an opportunity to post time and expenses along with trust and payment transactions entered in Amicus Cloud. Gavel & Gown also formatted a specially designed report for QuickBooks users to identify transactions that have exchanged called the ‘Posting Report.’ The report details the file and the associated general journal entry that is done in QuickBooks. Run the report by posting and transaction date. This report allows users to be aware of when time entries have been finalized and allows firms to continue with the ease of Amicus Attorney time and billing functions.

Watch an on-demand demonstration of Amicus Cloud here.

Contact Quickfind

Within the contact list, users can now quickly search their firm’s contact repository or people list with the new Contact Quickfind. Next to where we could previously sort a contact list is a new search field where contact names, phone numbers, email addresses and client ids can all be reviewed for your search criteria.

Email Attachments

Another new release is the ability to easily add email attachments to outgoing messages. Amicus Cloud contains your actual Microsoft Exchange mailbox meaning users will find the ease of email generation and linking those emails directly to a file a huge time saver. Simply begin the email from your Amicus email module and when the file upload window appears select each attachment, select upload and repeat. Once your list of attachments begins to grow, a scroll bar will appear for users to review all attachments.

Multiple File Upload

Much like the shared email repository in a file creates efficiencies for firm members; the document management system allows users to upload documents off their machine and into the cloud. The process was previously limited to a ‘one document at a time’ system which has now been replaced whereby we can select multiple documents to upload or with versioning capabilities they can also update existing ones. Begin within your file or case and move to the documents module. Select the Add/Update button which will launch a Windows prompt to select a document to upload. You can now click on individual documents and hold the CTRL or SHIFT key to batch upload a series of documents.

IE 10 Support

A last new feature announced is that Amicus Cloud now fully supports the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer 10.

In summary, we can now find contacts with the Quickfind tool, add handfuls of attachments to an email message, upload a multitude of documents with ease or fully integrate their Amicus office with QuickBooks. Keep in mind, this was just Gavel & Gown’s latest batch of new features released and more is still to come. Users can learn more about these and any new features by accessing the Help menu-What’s New topic. Offices considering Amicus Attorney Cloud edition for their practice management system can watch an on-demand demonstration here or visit www.amicus-cloud.com for a free trial account.

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Colleen D. Heine assists attorneys and legal professionals in improving workflow and creating efficiencies throughout their firm. She is a Certified Independent Consultant for Time Matters and Amicus Attorney at Accellis Technology Group. Prior to becoming a Software Consultant, she worked for a consumer protection agency and for a national deposition and litigation organization. Colleen has a Bachelor’s of Science from Bowling Green State University.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nperlapro/2116511506/

Are you still running Windows XP on your desktops in your organization?  The end of extended support for Windows XP is coming up quick. So what does this mean to you?

On April 8, 2014, security patches and hot fixes for all versions of Windows XP will no longer be available. PC’s running Windows XP will be vulnerable to security threats. Furthermore, many third-party software providers are not planning to extend support to applications running on Windows XP, which translates to even more complexity, security risks, and ultimately, added costs for your IT department if you’re still managing Windows XP environments.

End of support is nothing short of a death sentence for XP. Make no mistake about it, XP is considered obsolete even today, despite the fact that it is still heavily used in both business and home environments. For those users that stick to Windows, the only viable alternative to XP for the time being is Windows 7. Even by the most optimistic estimates, Windows 8, the next major iteration of Windows, is approximately a year away.

If you’re running windows XP, contact your IT provider to learn more about your options for upgrading. Accellis Technology Group can also help guide you through this transitional period to insure that your systems are secure, functional, and up to date.

The irony is that it seems technology (which is supposed to make us more productive, right?), may be largely to blame for our sleepless nights.

“The blue light emitted by [laptops, iPads, and smartphones] devices interferes with melatonin production, and sends your body the message that it’s daytime, perking you up just as you should be winding down.”

Sleep working stats at a glance:

• 74% of workers over 30 who report not getting adequate sleep say that sleepiness affects their work
• People with insomnia reported significantly higher levels of presenteeism (lower productivity while at work)
• Workers with college degrees or more education were least likely to report short sleep duration
• Workers with insomnia lost an average of 7.8 days of work performance per year due to presenteeism related directly to sleep problems

Follow these tips to get a good night’s sleep:

• Turn off or ignore electronic devices at least an hour before you go to bed
• If you find it hard to ignore emails, an organized inbox can help avoid stress. The majority of messages probably do not require an immediate response anyway. And by responding to emails after hours, you’re actually encouraging people to email you more often.
• Remove light distractions in your bedroom, such as television or outside light, when it’s time to sleep
• Get some sunlight – many of us go to work and come home in the dark. Get out of the office during your lunch hour
• Stick to a schedule to encourage to stabilize your circadian rhythm
• Exercise regularly (this should be a no brainer these days!)
• Avoid caffeine, large meals and alcohol before bedtime

If you find it difficult to unplug at night, just remember that there are long-term gains to be had, such as increased productivity and job performance. Force yourself to go to bed early for the first few days and eventually you’ll get used to it.

According to a recent article in the Plain Dealer, Cleveland is quickly becoming an ideal place for young lawyers to live.

The affordability of Northeast Ohio, coupled with a large legal industry, makes Cleveland an attractive place to live for attorneys. When comparing the buying power of Cleveland residents to New York or California, Cleveland wins hands down. Northeast Ohio is also in a better position to catch the demand for legal services because it charges lower fees than Chicago and New York.

“Andrew Renacci said purchasing power was a big reason he returned home to go to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law after getting a bachelor’s degree in public policy at the University of Michigan.

“Cleveland’s on the rise,” said the new associate at Squire Sanders, who is the son of Congressman Jim Renacci. “It provides a big city atmosphere with a not-so-big-city cost of living.”

So prove it you say? Let’s start with this…

According to the National Association for Law Placement, the median starting salary for a Cleveland lawyer is at $104,000. The catch is that these figures typically represent “BigLaw” jobs. A more accurate estimation may be closer to $50,000 to $70,000.

While Cleveland certainly has its share of large firms, finding employment at these larger organizations is getting fairly difficult, nationwide. If you read the comments after the Plain Dealer article, you quickly notice that some graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to find a job, let alone a well-paying one. And that’s no surprise, since overall employment rates for recent graduates across the nation are down 6% since 2007.

But there is hope.

Although law firm employment is down nationwide, there’s a sharp increase in hiring in solo and small firms versus large firms, according to NALP. “Starting with the Class of 2010 there was a sharp reversal, with jobs in small firms outnumbering those in firms of more than 100 lawyers for the first time since 1997.” Data from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law indicates that over 57% of their 2011 law graduates that entered into private practice were employed in a solo or small firm.

The ‘Death of Big Law” represents rebirth in small law. And Cleveland may be the perfect place for lawyers looking to start their own firm.

Opening your own law firm may sound scary, but the barriers to entrance in the legal market are lower than ever. In the past, sophisticated IT systems were reserved for only the large firms that could afford to spend thousands of dollars on servers, computers and practice management systems, however, dramatic changes in accessibility and affordability has changed the game. Armed with the right tools and practices, a solo or small practice can easily thrive in today’s environment with minimal investment.

And for attorneys that think they are unable to generate enough business, Tom Wallerstein, a Partner at a California law firm, has advice for you.

“…necessity is the mother of invention. It is truly amazing how quickly business development skills can be learned when feeding your family depends on it.

“Sometimes it is not until you launch your own practice that you discover that there really is no magic to business development and that anyone can be successful if they invest the time (provided, of course, that they offer a service for which clients are willing to pay).

So if you’re thinking about starting your own law practice or looking for a new job, Cleveland might be the place for you.

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Photo credit: http://searunner.sv-timemachine.net/page/12/

A Practice Management System (PMS) is one of the most important tools in any law firm. But nobody wants to invest time and money into a program that quickly falls short of their expectations  a year down the road. During the selection process, you’ll probably use a number of resources to help you determine which program is right for you. Here are just a few tips for you when shopping for Practice Management Software.

Google it!

Nowadays, the internet is the first place you probably go to learn about a Practice Management System. It’s the most efficient way to find reviews, check pricing and watch a quick demonstration before buying. But for more specific information, such as customization and integration options, you’re going to need to speak to an actual person.

Top 10 Mistakes Law Firms Make with their Practice Management System >>

Call the software vendor

The software vendor can give you a thorough demonstration of the product and answer any questions you have about pricing and technical support. However, the sales person is not obligated or even qualified to analyze your network and determine whether your hardware is sufficient in the context of everything else you run. If you’re going to make a decision based on what the vendor says, make sure you fully understand the technical requirements. Also, remember who’s side of the fence they’re on. Their job is to sell you their software – even if it’s not the best option for your law firm.

Ask a colleague or friend 

Many attorneys prefer to buy the Practice Management System that a buddy from law school uses, or whatever they used in the last firm they were with. The upside is that you get an honest perspective from someone who has used the software in the real world, and you may already know how to use it. Just remember, there are a ton of great Practice Management Systems on the market, all of which have vastly different features. Figure out which features are most important to your firm before purchasing. Do you require mobile access? What kind of reports do you want to run? Is the PMS customizable to the type of law you practice? Click here for more tips on choosing the right PMS.

Talk to an Independent Consultant

There are a growing number of independent legal technology consultants these days. Many of them have worked in a law firm and have years of experience installing PMS in law firms of all practice areas and sizes.  Independent consultants are required to attend annual training by the software manufacturer and pass rigorous exams in order to support their product. A truly independent consultant should not have an allegiance to a specific brand of software – their focus is on finding which one is best for your firm. While consultants often make a margin on the sale of a PMS, they’re usually pretty small. And sometimes they will pass the discounts on to you, making it less expensive than purchasing from the vendor directly. Consultants make their money by performing the labor in installation and customization work, not by selling products. An independent consultant will often give you a decent amount of time (for free) to help you investigate the program they represent. Your best option is to find a consultant with knowledge of multiple programs, so that you can get a side-by-side comparison.

Law firms come in all shapes and sizes, but so do Practice Management Systems. There are a ton of resources you can look to when selecting a PMS, so do your research before purchasing.

Free eBook Download:

Learn the most common mistakes we’ve seen law firms make with practice management software >>

1. 

   Client Profitability Report
   (Click to Zoom In)

   Reports – For starters, the reporting options are truly designed for every facet of law firm practice management. Often at larger firms, an entire team of financial experts is assigned the task of determining how their staff is fairing in timekeeping and revenue accruement. Amicus Cloud is now giving you those reigns so you can examine not only where your time is being spent, but also tallies for you important factors like client profitability, time entries based on a date range or up to the minute client balances including trust and general retainer accounts. Regardless of firm size or accounting experience Amicus Cloud users will be able to review with clients their file’s entire history – anywhere, any time. You’ll have access to conflict checks, electronic client invoices, and add expense entries as they’re accumulated – thus removing the high demand on shared support staff. Amicus Cloud’s reporting tools will fulfill and expand the needs of attorneys, and the guess-work out of accounting and file management.

2. Reminders – When transitioning to a new practice management system, attorneys often explain to me the need for a seamless changeover. I then need to put my trust into a program like Amicus Cloud that encourages easy adaptability and one that meets the legal office’s needs.  Amicus Attorney understands the way attorneys operate and have included on each and every screen a Reminders window alerting users of each and every imperative task from today’s appointments or phone calls to return. Reminders are then refreshed each time a user switches panes or modules making them live and in real-time. If someone adds a firm meeting to your calendar or a new email comes in, you’ll be immediately notified.
3. 

   Time Entry Assistant Module
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   Time Entry Assistant – The Time Entry Assistant also helps remove all of the guesswork from your daily operations. Upon opening the tool, a list will populate explaining which tasks or activities you have not yet billed. You can then vary the date range, check individual files or do the same for collections accounts. If you’re like most people who will momentarily stop what they’re doing to open and then quickly respond to emails or take a work related call even though you’re at home, you need a program that will guarantee these are turned into time entries. The Time Entry and Collections Assistants prevent you from scrambling at the end of the week to get pre-bills completed or from the firm losing out on billable tasks.

4. 24/7 Access – With Amicus Cloud, you truly have full access to your entire office through just an internet browser. Whether you have a brand new shiny tablet or a smartphone, you’ll be able to access Amicus Cloud instantly (without downloading any applications). Imagine a program that you can access from a smart phone or tablet, and in less than two minutes, bill a client for your time during a deposition, add the court report’s cost as an expense entry, email the client a copy of their refreshed invoice including today’s activities and check their retainer balance. With Amicus Cloud, you’ll be able to do that and truly tailor the way you communicate with clients around your workday.

Gavel & Gown, the creators and distributors of Amicus Attorney, have almost 20 years of practice management software development experience. Unlike many other cloud applications, you’ll find Amicus Cloud is designed to improve the way your office practices law by creating efficiencies and improving workflow performance.

To learn more about Amicus Cloud, watch our on-demand demonstration here, or contact me directly at 216-662-3200 x114 or cheine@accellis.com.

______________________________________________________________

Colleen D. Heine assists attorneys and legal professionals in improving workflow and creating efficiencies throughout their firm. She is a certified independent consultant for Time Matters and Amicus Attorney at Accellis Technology Group. Prior to becoming a Software Consultant, she worked for a consumer protection agency and for a national deposition and litigation organization. Colleen has a Bachelor’s of Science from Bowling Green State University.

VARs can add value to both software and hardware acquisitions. For instance, you might know that you need a PC but do you know if you need 32-bit or 64-bit? Do you need a “home” operating system or a “professional” operating system? What about the same-day-onsite warranty versus the next-day-onsite warranty? These questions, and tons more, are easily answered by using VARs. The reason is because VARs specialize, both in technology and, at times, in the legal industry. This specialization allows a VAR to know what will best suite your needs and ambitions, giving you the best bang for your buck.

Here are a few benefits of working with a a VAR:

• VARs offer specialization. In other words, they’ve made the investments in location, infrastructure, systems, training and personnel that allow them to research, test, and implement technology solutions more efficiently than your firm can do independently.
• Some VARs specialize within certain verticals like, for readers of this blog, the legal industry. This allows a VAR to reallocate spending from, say, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, etc., and instead focus those scare resources on just the legal vertical. This specialization allows the VAR to eliminate unnecessary costs (costs that don’t offer you value, such as investments they might have made in the medical vertical) and translate those savings to you.
• VARs have advantages in economies of scale, which drive savings to you. For more about this topic, read our post about economies of scale here.
• VARs transfer the burden of needing tons of IT knowledge from your company to theirs. This means you don’t need to spend your time researching the solutions available, getting trained, attending conferences, and so on. They absorb this burden and cost and you are provided with quick, detailed and accurate knowledge on-demand as a service. Want to know what server is right for you? A thirty minute meeting with your VAR might save you 30 days of research and lost billables.
• VARs have a more thorough understanding of all of the moving pieces in your office, not just the piece you’re buying today. A thorough understanding of the hardware, software and services in place, and how each complements the other, is especially vital for large projects such as practice management or accounting software suites. Here, you don’t lose a couple grand with a poor decision, you lose a couple hundred grand.

Aren’t VARs just “middle men”?

Some people think of VARs as the “middle man”. It is true, in a sense, that VARs are middle men related to the sale of business software products like Amicus or Time Matters or hardware products like Dell servers. That said, however, middle men play an essential role in both the software acquisition process and the economy as a whole.

Think about a writer who enters into contract with an agent of some sort in order to represent his or her interest in a publishing deal; some agents can charge up to 15% of all royalties and yet, despite this, writers still enlist the services of agents. Why? Or take, for instance, the average homeowner who enters into contract with a realtor, at a cost of 7% of the entire gross selling price of a home; here, the homeowner, as in the case of the writer, is utilizing a middle man. Why?

In a market economy, “…goods tend to flow to their most valued uses, and goods are more valuable to those who can handle them more efficiently at a given stage… the end result is a more efficient economy, where goods move to those who value them most. Despite superficially appealing phrases about ‘eliminating the middleman,’ middlemen continue to exist because they can do their phase of the operation more efficiently than others can. It should hardly be surprising that people who specialize in one phase can do that particular phase more efficiently than others.”[1]

In other words, if a writer has the choice between $1.0 million in publishing royalties if securing a publishing deal personally, or $2.0 million in publishing royalties if contracting with an agent at the cost of 15% of total proceeds, the most favorable route is the latter, since 100% of $1.0 million is less than 85% of $2.0 million.

VARs have numerous advantages that firms can leverage to their benefit; these advantages add value to the transaction, meaning that while you pay some money for the advice, you’ll still make more money than you would have pursuing your initiatives independently of that resource. For instance, one of the most direct advantages of a VAR is that working with a local company, who has an onsite presence, versus working directly with some national or international software vendor who does not. This is usually preferred by small to midsized organizations because there is local accountability, faster support, and specialization (in knowledge of local rules, regulations, best-practices, etc.).[2] Here, a law firm can get better value from their software purchase by using a company specialized in their region rather than “eliminating the middle man” and purchasing directly, which does not provide any cost savings anyway!

Conclusion

VARs add value in a number of ways. Ultimately, if a law firm leverages specialized talent (i.e., a VAR), they will spend more effectively and operate more efficiently as a whole. The end result is a more efficient use of scarce resources and a better bottom line.