Law Firm Re-Defines the Future of Docketing with Aderant Milana
Timing and efficiency are the keys to success at a law firm, especially when it comes to docketing. With ever-increasing attorney-to-staff ratios, docketers must remain laser-focused on time management and accuracy because the dates and details they handle are crucial to firm success. To this end, a firm’s technology must provide the optimal level of productivity and reliability.
At many law firms, the docketing team is somewhat isolated from the rest of the firm— as if operating on an island. At one mid-sized law firm, the docketing team was decentralized, with each office shouldering its docketing workload independently. When new members of the docketing team came on board, they had to learn to docket immediately. The sooner these recruits got up to speed, the better the firm’s overall operation would run.
Acknowledging the Need to Modernize Docketing
Historically, the firm was using several on-premise docketing solutions selected by the various offices and docketing teams, some regionally focused and others with a more national reach. Though the firm’s docketers had become accustomed to using these products, they could no longer deliver the workflow efficiency required and were slowing down the staff. It quickly became imperative that the docketing team improve beyond what its legacy systems could offer.
To Convert or Not to Convert?
Moving to a new system felt daunting for the firm as technology changes are often very complex, but the docketing team recognized the invaluable opportunity to centralize around an integrated cloud litigation platform that included docketing, e-filing, court forms, and court notification capabilities.
Like any significant technology change, converting from one docketing system to another would not be instantaneous. The technology committee also had to be convinced of the benefits of a cloud-based solution like Milana and educated on the substantial return on investment (ROI). However, the firm’s contract with its primary solution provider was expiring, so Aderant Milana appeared at the perfect time when the firm was already considering a conversion.
The Benefits of Docketing in the Cloud
Milana, a next-generation cloud-based docketing platform, enabled the firm to share and leverage data and content. Milana included various out-of-the-box dashboards and analytics to help the firm’s partners and leadership view the data they needed on-demand. Attorneys could now log in to access content quickly, including frequently updated reporting and intuitive calendar views.
The overall security of Milana and its lower total cost of ownership was also key internal selling points. The cloud-based solutions drove efficiencies across the firm while eliminating the overhead and complexity of managing multiple on-premise systems. Given all the benefits and the fact that the firm’s contract with the incumbent provider was terminating, the firm seized the opportunity to become one of the first law firms to select and “go live” on Aderant Milana.
Taking On the Conversion
Intentionally, the firm took time to convert from its legacy solutions to Aderant Milana. By taking a prescriptive approach, the firm ensured data was clean and standardized and was migrated over incrementally throughout the implementation process. The firm’s IT department worked closely with the Aderant team to help with the heavy lifting and troubleshooting. Replacing a critical system is never easy, and the firm was preparing for an arduous process. However, the docketing leadership team was pleasantly surprised. The move to Milana was the easiest technology conversion they had ever experienced.
Getting Acclimated— A Gradual Process
While the docketing team continues to learn about new features and functionality, the firm is already seeing the benefits of Milana. With Milana guarding against errors and delays, the firm’s staff has become more efficient – focusing more on accuracy and less on software inefficiencies. The docketers have monthly meetings to discuss how to better leverage Milana to serve the firm’s needs, and the IT department loves that cloud-based Milana has freed up a portion of the infrastructure they need to monitor, requiring much less maintenance and intervention.
From an end-user perspective, the firm has customized Milana to fit its various jurisdictional issues and terminology. More tech-savvy users love Milana’s new functionality and interface, which is much more inviting and user-friendly.
Perfect Timing, Positive Impact
Aderant’s acquisition of American Legal Net (ALN) combined the best of CompuLaw, including its industry-leading court rules, with the rich feature set of ALN solutions to create Milana, a best-of-both-worlds cloud product. The firm now has the most secure and industry-leading provider managing our litigation management solution, which gives its users a greater sense of security. Aderant Milana has made docketing much more approachable and simplified at the firm.
