Workflow for Lawyers - Burgess matters

8/7/2019 Workflow for Lawyers - Burgess matters

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Workflow for Lawyers

An Insight into how

a lawfirm uses workflow,

with examples


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Hi, my name is Mike Jones and this is howmy firm Jones, Jones, Smith & Jones

uses Workflow in our practice.


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It is early one afternoon when I get a callfrom Kate - a friend has recommendedshe talk to us about issues to do with herfamily, relationship and property.


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She sounds agitated and distressed and so I agree tosee her at 4.30pm

I request that she come by at 4:15pm, and bring with heras much information and related documents as shepossibly can.

I instruct my assistant Bethto meet with Kate at 4.15pm,review the documentationand load up all of the contactinformation that we can getabout her and members of

her family.


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It takes Beth all of the 15 minutes to loadin the relevant information about Kate, herhusband and their children.


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The information is comprehensive


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At interview the following facts emerge:

Click to advance


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Accordingly we discussed the following courseof action based on Kates instructions:

We will immediately lodge a Claim of Interest Noticeagainst the Title of the property which has been sold.

We will notify the solicitors for the husband of the claimand direct that 50% of the net proceeds are to be paidto our trust account.

We are to prepare a Family Court Application on apreliminary basis so that it can be immediately filed ifrequired.

This will also enable us to be ready to prepare and filedocuments to prevent the removal of the children from

New Zealand. We are also to prepare a single settlor trust, with Kate

and her sister Emily as the trustees, and settle theinherited property into that Trust.


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We agree to meet at 9.30am thefollowing morning to sign up all of the

documentation.I instruct my assistant Beth to open threeworkflow files

Family Application Family Property

Trust

She is to work using the appropriate steps and producingall of the necessary documents.

As is normal practice, all documentation is to beproduced and saved within the relevant workflow file.


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This indicates aSmartHelp link for

the Step


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The workflow means that Beth gets standard tasksand prompts for each stage we can untick those

which do not apply:


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The Documents are produced from standardtemplates within the Workflow file


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and the finished product can be stored inthe workflow file

along with metadata usefulfor future searches


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At 9:15 I review all of the following documents prepared byBeth.I am familiar with them all of the templates are the firms

own, and I and my partners use them at all appropriatetimes:

LCA letter for Kate Notice of claim under RPA Letter to husbands solicitors

Application for Parenting order Info Sheet to accompany Draft Interim bill for Family Application work to date

Trust Deed Sale Agreement to Trust

A & I from Kate A & I to Trustees Gift Deed for initial gift Gift Statement for initial gift Letter to IRD Draft Memo of Wishes Draft bill forTrust


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At 9.30am sharp the following morning,Kate arrives and she signs all of thedocumentation. This takes about 20minutes.

Her sister will call later in the day to sign

the Trust documentation. I suggest to Kate that she deposit say

$4,000.00 on account of our costs she

gives me a credit card which is processedon the spot.


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Kate is more than delighted with progress on hermatters, and she is most grateful that my staff

and I have been burning the midnight oil.to resolve the issues she is facing.

We discuss our draft interim bills, and she ishappy with both of them. I am to send the final

version of the bills, and take payment from thefunds provided on the credit card.

My assistant emails Kate the Invoices, and our

accountant arranges payment from theT

rustAccount.


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I prepare to register the Notice of Claim,ask my Assistant to scan and upload theexecuted Family Court application and Infosheet into the Workflow file.

I phone the Court to confirm that we may

wish to file this urgently by email and notethe file accordingly.

I send the letter to the husbands solicitor

by email and indicate that I will ring him in30 minutes time (and set myself areminder to do that).


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The results of putting in the time and effort to develop theseworkflow processes, and the document templates, speak

for themselves

There has been a 415%recovery of the time spent atPartner rate of $350 andLegal Assistant rate of $125


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There are, however, other equally goodreasons for lawyers to use workflows

Clients needs are often pressing, with a requirement to act quickly. Lawyers are often busy with existing work dropping that for urgent

new work creates a double load and more scope for errors andoversights.

A standardised workflowremoves pressure from the lawyer, and

also allows new work to be done quickly utilising staff appropriate tothe level of work. It also gives the lawyer and their insurers! comfort that the work

is being done according to a prescribed process, and using thestandard documents that the firm has created.

Automatic SmartHelp links can give direct access to rules,

research and cases relevant to any step of a workflow


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And what happened after all ofthis...

The purchaser of the family home WAS in trouble, butdid get their mortgage finance and settled 11 days late.

Kates husband was not having an affair, but hadgambling issues. His money worries were part of the

reason he was keen to sell the home and why hebecame jittery when settlement was delayed.

Kates share was duly paid out, and each partycontributed equally to the equity in their next home. Sheused the spare funds from her 50% share to accompanyKel to the USA with their children.

Kate might never have learned of Kels gamblingproblem if she had not taken the steps she did.


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If we did not use workflow

Most firms could do this work, producingthe same documents as we just did.

It would however go through severalstages, and authors, use several softwareprograms, and take considerably longer.

The paper file could only be used by one

person at a time. Doing this job at urgency would also add

stress and disruption.


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so we use Workflow because

Several people can work on the file at once, withaccess to all of the information.

Our standard documents are immediatelypopulated with all the personal and matterinformation.

no more cutting and pasting No task gets overlooked Every task is tracked and billed We know what is going on with all our clients,

and their files, all of the time the information isalways complete.


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WE WILL NEVER GO

BACK TO WORKINGTHE WAY WE USED TO

Date post:	08-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
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