As the need for more detailed reporting grows in firms, so does the need for advanced technology. Hear how firms are using the latest Business Intelligence technology with PerfectLaw®.
00:00:00 Anthony Beasley
So good afternoon everybody.
00:00:01 Anthony Beasley
This is Anthony with Perfect Law software.
00:00:03 Anthony Beasley
This is of course the Lions Den podcast and we thought we do something very interesting.
00:00:08 Anthony Beasley
Today we get a lot of folks who are transitioning when it comes to reporting to business intelligence.
00:00:14 Anthony Beasley
It's a buzzword that a lot of people have used for a lot of years and not understanding what true business.
00:00:20 Anthony Beasley
Intelligence is sometimes people get caught up in spreadsheets and not.
00:00:25 Anthony Beasley
The product is supposed to do for you, so today we have a very special group of people they these are long time users.
00:00:33 Anthony Beasley
For some folks of perfect law who have implemented the perfect law, business intelligence product and and they have some great stories that they would like to share with folks, we also have the team of specialists.
00:00:46 Anthony Beasley
Here at perfect law, who actually work with the firms in setting it up, configuring it, rolling it out, training, getting people moving along to what the product can do for you.
00:00:55 Anthony Beasley
So with that said, what I'd like to do is turn it over to the conversation to Cindy Celebraci.
00:01:01 Anthony Beasley
Cindy is one of our fantastic users out of Cleveland, OH.
00:01:05 Anthony Beasley
Who has used the product her and I've had some personal conversations onto.
00:01:10 Anthony Beasley
What is to?
00:01:11 Anthony Beasley
What the product is meant for her and I think it would.
00:01:13 Anthony Beasley
Be great for her to share that.
00:01:14 Anthony Beasley
With you so with that said.
00:01:17 Cynthia Celebrezze
Thanks D'anthony, so yeah I work in law firm in Cleveland, OH when we first came over to perfect law was in 2018.
00:01:27 Cynthia Celebrezze
And most of our reporting was just very one dimensional and it was all run through just access databases and and that.
00:01:38 Cynthia Celebrezze
Sort of thing.
00:01:40 Cynthia Celebrezze
When we transitioned over to perfect law at that time, the entire firm was going through a transition because our managing partner left and our administrator left and the administrator was the only person who.
00:01:52 Cynthia Celebrezze
Really knew how to.
00:01:53 Cynthia Celebrezze
You know work with the reports that he had created.
00:01:57 Cynthia Celebrezze
And Meryl can tell you it was just so much fun.
00:02:02 Cynthia Celebrezze
Recreating everything under a completely new software system, but over time since then the amount of information and the multiple dimensions of that information that we are able to pull out of our systems.
00:02:21 Cynthia Celebrezze
You know we're able to.
00:02:22 Cynthia Celebrezze
They can make decisions and more clearly see not just who's being productive in our firm, but specific matter classes.
00:02:32 Cynthia Celebrezze
You know how costs per person relate to what that person is producing per matter class and that helps us.
00:02:44 Cynthia Celebrezze
I mean we.
00:02:44 Cynthia Celebrezze
Can even have it down to the client level and the matter class level so we can actually look at the demographics.
00:02:52 Cynthia Celebrezze
Of our clients and what matters were what type of matters were doing for them.
00:02:57 Cynthia Celebrezze
And who's working on it and how much that?
00:02:59 Cynthia Celebrezze
Person costs so you know I.
00:03:01 Cynthia Celebrezze
Refer to it sort of as.
00:03:05 Cynthia Celebrezze
It's like brains.
00:03:06 Cynthia Celebrezze
It's like doing brain surgery on our data.
00:03:08 Cynthia Celebrezze
You know, it's micro precision surgical level data calling, and for me personally it's super fun because that's kind of how my brain works anyways.
00:03:20 Cynthia Celebrezze
So you know, Maryland, I get into these conversations.
00:03:25 Cynthia Celebrezze
We go down this rabbit hole, but somehow we always seem to come up.
00:03:28 Cynthia Celebrezze
With exactly what we're looking for.
00:03:30 Cynthia Celebrezze
And I mean, it's it's been tremendous for the firm as far as decision making and and analyzing what we're doing and how we're spending our time.
00:03:40 Cynthia Celebrezze
And essentially that's what we're all selling, right?
00:03:42 Cynthia Celebrezze
We're all selling time.
00:03:44 Cynthia Celebrezze
And now you need to know what it is that you're.
00:03:46 Cynthia Celebrezze
Getting for that time, oh.
00:03:49 Cynthia Celebrezze
Well, that's pretty much about it.
00:03:52 Cynthia Celebrezze
You know it's a continually evolving project.
00:03:55 Cynthia Celebrezze
I mean, every single time I have a new question, I'm writing a new report and it also it also provides a lot of flexibility in terms of.
00:04:04 Cynthia Celebrezze
Things where you know partner redemptions or.
00:04:08 Cynthia Celebrezze
Uh compensation structures, right?
00:04:12 Cynthia Celebrezze
So we're actually able to offer these personalized compensation structures for attorneys that.
00:04:19 Cynthia Celebrezze
You would not.
00:04:19 Cynthia Celebrezze
Normally be able to sort of.
00:04:21 Cynthia Celebrezze
Get that information and do all these different percentages on different things.
00:04:26 Cynthia Celebrezze
Now I just refreshed today to change.
00:04:28 Cynthia Celebrezze
The date and there you go, right?
00:04:31 Cynthia Celebrezze
So it's really great.
00:04:32 Cynthia Celebrezze
It's it's one of.
00:04:33 Cynthia Celebrezze
My favorite parts.
00:04:34 Cynthia Celebrezze
Of perfect law.
00:04:36 Anthony Beasley
OK, well thank you Cindy for that comment.
00:04:39 Anthony Beasley
We really appreciate.
00:04:40 Anthony Beasley
I'm glad it's been a huge help for you.
00:04:42 Anthony Beasley
'cause I know we've talked about some of the things that you've had to deal with.
00:04:44 Anthony Beasley
As it relates to COVID.
00:04:46 Anthony Beasley
And just how life has changed for us all.
00:04:49 Anthony Beasley
And it's it's great to hear that that was a huge help for you.
00:04:52 Anthony Beasley
Now Charlie Dough has a very interesting and unique view of.
00:04:55 Anthony Beasley
Business intelligence, since their firm is a patent firm, and.
00:05:00 Anthony Beasley
You know the patent practice from a process standpoint of all the products that we produce is probably some of the more intensive products out there, just in how they work in the way they look at things.
00:05:12 Anthony Beasley
And some of the types of things that Charlie needs to report on.
00:05:15 Anthony Beasley
So Charlie.
00:05:16 Anthony Beasley
With that said, I would love for you to tell us, you know, give us your view of what.
00:05:21 Anthony Beasley
Has been a great thing or something about the PERF log business intelligence that's been a change for you.
00:05:27 Charlie Doe
Uhm, OK, well the biggest change for me as Meryl has drugged me kicking and screaming through some of this transition.
00:05:37 Charlie Doe
Uhm, has has been a report that I was doing manually that would take me about 40 to 50 hours to compile.
00:05:48 Charlie Doe
Uhm, that we can now run in about, you know, a minute, assuming everything's been posted.
00:05:55 Charlie Doe
Which of course is always the big catch.
00:05:58 Charlie Doe
You know making sure that.
00:06:02 Charlie Doe
We all think that only what we do matters.
00:06:05 Charlie Doe
In our firms, but that's.
00:06:06 Charlie Doe
Not true, you know we have to cut.
00:06:08 Charlie Doe
Yeah, you know that's been a A.
00:06:10 Charlie Doe
Good reminder that you know you have to make sure that you know all your.
00:06:16 Charlie Doe
Batch files actually got posted and things like that, so for.
00:06:20 Charlie Doe
Me, it's just.
00:06:21 Charlie Doe
Freed up some of my time, it's allowed us to look at profitability a little more realistically. You know, we all have all of us who have been in law firms for any length of time, and we've been in perfect law for, you know, since I think 2000 and.
00:06:42 Charlie Doe
14 if I remember right, we have our own definition of profitability in our firms.
00:06:51 Charlie Doe
Everybody created their profitability model and what they're going to cost and who they're going to charge, what and all of those decisions, which constantly change as you move through.
00:07:02 Charlie Doe
You have new owners.
00:07:03 Charlie Doe
You have, you know, new players in the game, so having to sit down and actually come.
00:07:09 Charlie Doe
Commit to this is what we're going.
00:07:12 Charlie Doe
To do, I don't.
00:07:13 Charlie Doe
Care if you're the special snowflake of this week we're still using.
00:07:17 Charlie Doe
What we all agreed.
00:07:19 Charlie Doe
Upon and having that be a concrete, dependable foundation, I think is the best piece of this.
00:07:30 Charlie Doe
UM module and I had the old by.
00:07:33 Dorrie Farlee
Or, you know.
00:07:34 Charlie Doe
The former version, whatever you want to call it.
00:07:36 Charlie Doe
So we have quite a bit of of profitability capabilities.
00:07:41 Charlie Doe
But we didn't have the UM.
00:07:45 Charlie Doe
You know, once you make these decisions.
00:07:48 Charlie Doe
They follow and and they.
00:07:50 Charlie Doe
Track through all of your.
00:07:51 Charlie Doe
Reports so you know I.
00:07:53 Charlie Doe
Don't have to run or.
00:07:55 Charlie Doe
Actually, I don't have to refresh a different from a different place each time I want to run a report, you know, so I mean I.
00:08:04 Charlie Doe
Think just the the.
00:08:07 Charlie Doe
The dependability of the data.
00:08:10 Charlie Doe
Once you get through that process and.
00:08:13 Charlie Doe
That's the hardest part in a law.
00:08:15 Charlie Doe
Firm to get people to talk about.
00:08:16 Charlie Doe
Profitability is who gets charged for what.
00:08:20 Charlie Doe
You know?
00:08:20 Charlie Doe
So is that person.
00:08:22 Charlie Doe
A full time.
00:08:23 Charlie Doe
Equivalent, or half you know, at what point in a person's tenure do they become a full time equivalent?
00:08:30 Charlie Doe
I mean, we had to have.
00:08:31 Charlie Doe
Those discussions all over again because once.
00:08:34 Charlie Doe
You have that.
00:08:36 Charlie Doe
In the system, as Mel can attest to, it's like wait a minute.
00:08:41 Charlie Doe
This doesn't balance well.
00:08:42 Charlie Doe
That's 'cause we have.
00:08:42 Charlie Doe
People in the wrong place.
00:08:44 Charlie Doe
Yes, so I think just the stable.
00:08:48 Charlie Doe
Formulas and getting the understanding and telling people no, you can't modify it.
00:08:54 Charlie Doe
This quarter is not going to be.
00:08:55 Charlie Doe
A different formula.
00:08:56 Charlie Doe
Than last quarter.
00:08:57 Charlie Doe
You know we're going to stick with it.
00:08:59 Charlie Doe
I also really, really like the new report writer.
00:09:04 Charlie Doe
I don't know how many of you have had a chance to get in there and play around with some of those.
00:09:09 Charlie Doe
New reports, but the new report writer gives you.
00:09:13 Charlie Doe
Uh, a much broader range of.
00:09:19 Charlie Doe
You know templates or whatever you want.
00:09:21 Charlie Doe
To call them, you know the.
00:09:22 Charlie Doe
Out of the box kind of stuff and they're really easy to modify.
00:09:28 Dorrie Farlee
Which the old report writer wasn't.
00:09:30 Lisa Kelly
So there's a lot of.
00:09:31 Charlie Doe
Stuff you can do for yourself and.
00:09:33 Charlie Doe
I you know I.
00:09:34 Charlie Doe
Think that's a real important?
00:09:36 Charlie Doe
Improvement for perf.
00:09:40 Charlie Doe
But overall, I think it's.
00:09:41 Charlie Doe
A whole lot of work.
00:09:42 Charlie Doe
Getting started, you know everybody needs to be realistic and say you know you're going to commit.
00:09:48 Charlie Doe
It's a lot of work to.
00:09:49 Charlie Doe
Get started, but once it's in place.
00:09:52 Charlie Doe
It works really slick and dumb.
00:09:56 Charlie Doe
Well, you know, we just haven't had.
00:09:57 Charlie Doe
Any performance issues or any?
00:10:01 Charlie Doe
You know issues other than our setup, which that's on us.
00:10:04 Charlie Doe
That's not really on perfect law.
00:10:06 Charlie Doe
But it's, uh, a way more.
00:10:08 Charlie Doe
Complicated process than I think most people realize, and you know, when you make the commitment.
00:10:14 Charlie Doe
As everybody on this call has made that commitment.
00:10:17 Charlie Doe
You know you've gone through most of it, if not all of it.
00:10:20 Charlie Doe
I think all of us look back and say we had no idea how complicated.
00:10:24 Charlie Doe
It was going.
00:10:25
To be, you know.
00:10:27 Anthony Beasley
OK, now Jerry, you know he's always a very interesting person to hear from.
00:10:33 Anthony Beasley
Because Jerry, you know some people.
00:10:35 Anthony Beasley
It's like a a marriage in the divorce.
00:10:38 Anthony Beasley
To say you did something twice.
00:10:39 Anthony Beasley
As always a hard thing you know and for Jerry to have implemented perfect law at 2 firms.
00:10:46 Anthony Beasley
And to have seen the range of products over has to be close to 15 to 16 years.
00:10:52 Anthony Beasley
Now Jerry, that you've been one of our users.
00:10:55 Anthony Beasley
I mean to to have that experience is always a great thing, so for him to take on something like this is it's a plus for us I feel.
00:11:03 Anthony Beasley
But it's also a testament to him seeing.
00:11:06 Anthony Beasley
How we have changed and how we've grown over the years.
00:11:09 Anthony Beasley
From a product standpoint, so Jerry, we would love for you to tell us a little bit about you know your experience and you know how you see things and how you're using the product for yourself.
00:11:19 Gerald DeMaria II
First of all, thank you for referring to.
00:11:21 Gerald DeMaria II
Me as interesting.
00:11:22 Gerald DeMaria II
I'm gonna give you my wife phone number so you can get the ball later and and.
00:11:27 Gerald DeMaria II
Let her know that.
00:11:28 Gerald DeMaria II
So, ah, thank you for that. But yes, I've been with perfect law since 2006. We converted midway through that year.
00:11:40 Gerald DeMaria II
Uhm, at my prior fun and now at my newer firm where I've been for the past four years, we converted to perfect law here.
00:11:49 Gerald DeMaria II
Uh, back in 2018, so I've certainly seen a few renditions and and upgrades over the years and that has been one of I would say.
00:12:04 Gerald DeMaria II
One of the reasons most important reasons when I came to the this new fund that I I really wanted to go with perfect one because.
00:12:12 Gerald DeMaria II
They are constantly innovating and they're constantly moving forward and they have the term was used earlier, I believe by Cynthia flexibility in their product.
00:12:27 Gerald DeMaria II
Uhm, not just in.
00:12:29 Gerald DeMaria II
Reporting, but in many different.
00:12:31 Gerald DeMaria II
Areas, but reporting especially.
00:12:34 Gerald DeMaria II
I mean, I think we all take, you know, we've been on PERF log for quite a while now and I think we take for granted that the types of reports you can you can do coming here from another firm.
00:12:46 Gerald DeMaria II
We obviously.
00:12:47 Gerald DeMaria II
But when I got here that we were using another prod.
00:12:51 Gerald DeMaria II
And just simple little tasks.
00:12:52 Gerald DeMaria II
With that reporting you couldn't do.
00:12:54 Gerald DeMaria II
You couldn't include or exclude certain criteria on a on a you know ad hoc report.
00:13:01 Gerald DeMaria II
Uhm, which I found appalling because I I I think I use that that just that long feature on a daily basis.
00:13:10 Gerald DeMaria II
So there are certainly just simple things like that.
00:13:13 Gerald DeMaria II
But that perfect law has built into the software to make reporting flexibility and ease for me as an administrator and someone who's in charge of finance to be able to quickly run all sorts of different level reports on.
00:13:34 Gerald DeMaria II
Since we have embarked on the Buy Path, Maryland, I worked very closely, probably to.
00:13:44 Gerald DeMaria II
Both of our.
00:13:44 Gerald DeMaria II
Chagrins on an extremely I would say complex report for you know, fee crediting for compensation purposes.
00:13:55 Gerald DeMaria II
Where you know we just kind of had all these criteria that we wanted to to hit and take into consideration on receipts, not just when the receipt was received, but, you know, give that receipt.
00:14:10 Gerald DeMaria II
Pay off the entire.
00:14:11 Gerald DeMaria II
Bill, where they're write offs.
00:14:13 Gerald DeMaria II
Where they're write downs, we wanted to be able to tell percentage thresholds on all that stuff before we would agree to pay out money, because obviously you get a receipt.
00:14:24 Gerald DeMaria II
In that doesn't tell the whole.
00:14:25 Gerald DeMaria II
Story you have to look.
00:14:26 Gerald DeMaria II
You have to.
00:14:27 Gerald DeMaria II
Look back and see how that was.
00:14:29 Gerald DeMaria II
Affected were there.
00:14:30 Gerald DeMaria II
Breakdowns on the pre bill.
00:14:32 Gerald DeMaria II
Was there any time rate?
00:14:34 Gerald DeMaria II
Walk up after the receipt was received.
00:14:38 Gerald DeMaria II
Uhm or not so.
00:14:40 Gerald DeMaria II
You know just the.
00:14:41 Gerald DeMaria II
Complexity of the reports that you can run up we feel is invaluable to how we run our business here.
00:14:50 Gerald DeMaria II
And looking at profitability numbers.
00:14:53 Gerald DeMaria II
Uh, of course, across the fund, but in different practice areas across people and things like that, just.
00:15:00 Gerald DeMaria II
Being able to have.
00:15:01 Gerald DeMaria II
That drilldown ability.
00:15:04 Gerald DeMaria II
At your fingertips.
00:15:07 Gerald DeMaria II
Is you know invaluable to me and I and I really see it in other.
00:15:12 Gerald DeMaria II
Products I mean.
00:15:13 Gerald DeMaria II
We, I'm sure we all get these calls from different.
00:15:16 Gerald DeMaria II
Software vendors and things like that.
00:15:18 Gerald DeMaria II
And you know most of them.
00:15:20 Gerald DeMaria II
Now all these fancy browser web based things that look nice.
00:15:25 Gerald DeMaria II
But when you start to drill down on the.
00:15:27 Gerald DeMaria II
Reports and and things like that they.
00:15:29 Gerald DeMaria II
They just don't have.
00:15:31 Gerald DeMaria II
The the horsepower behind them to be able to give what you really need.
00:15:37 Gerald DeMaria II
Sure for a small firm, they'll probably be more than adequate, but if you're running any type of complexity, you're going to find out really quickly that they don't have those reports available.
00:15:51 Gerald DeMaria II
Nor do they really always have the ability to give you customer courts, which is another huge thing I've always found over the years with perfect law.
00:16:02 Gerald DeMaria II
Being able to customize so many different pieces of reports and pieces of the software and our needs has been just fabulous.
00:16:11 Gerald DeMaria II
And so I, I just don't think you you can get that anywhere else.
00:16:17 Gerald DeMaria II
Certainly you won't get it with the.
00:16:18 Gerald DeMaria II
Large players in.
00:16:19 Gerald DeMaria II
The market because and.
00:16:22 Gerald DeMaria II
They they don't tend to do those type of customizations and now you're gonna get it on the smaller players because they just don't have the bandwidth to do that.
00:16:32 Gerald DeMaria II
So we've been very fortunate, and you know, it's been a long journey with perfect law and we continue to go down the road.
00:16:41 Gerald DeMaria II
But we're always seeing new things.
00:16:43 Gerald DeMaria II
Which is important.
00:16:45 Anthony Beasley
OK, thanks Jerry, you know you're definitely one of those clients that we've appreciated for a very long time.
00:16:51 Anthony Beasley
Like I said that the fun thing about Jerry is, you know, after coming to perfect law and some of the things that he's been able to help us with to improve the product for some folks, but also his willingness to talk to people about it and to take on.
00:17:05 Anthony Beasley
Sometimes the newer stuff that some people kind of take a step back from so I don't know about that.
00:17:10 Anthony Beasley
But Jerry is always giving us a fair chance in a fair shot, and it's always been a great thing, and he's always found success, which is one of the things that I really I really enjoy about working.
00:17:19 Anthony Beasley
With him now the next.
00:17:22 Anthony Beasley
Two people that we're going to talk to.
00:17:24 Anthony Beasley
Won't necessarily talk to us from the standpoint of using the product, but they are in the process of implementing the product and doing those.
00:17:32 Anthony Beasley
Those things that Charlie and Cynthia have talked about and getting going, and some of the the complex stuff that they're going to learn.
00:17:41 Anthony Beasley
So I thought it would be great to have them on and talk about.
00:17:44 Anthony Beasley
What they've experienced so far and kind of after hearing.
00:17:48 Anthony Beasley
From three put people who are actually using it day-to-day and giving testimony to what it can do for them.
00:17:55 Anthony Beasley
Kind of giving us a little insight into what they can look forward to.
00:17:58 Anthony Beasley
So with that said, Dori Farley is at one of our firms in in Georgia, and you know, we have a very interesting relationship.
00:18:05 Anthony Beasley
We don't have a lot of Georgia firms, but when they bought us.
00:18:08 Anthony Beasley
You know?
00:18:10 Anthony Beasley
They bought us wanting to move forward when it comes to insurance defense products and technology and some of the things that a lot of the firms around her wish they had and now they have it and they are probably hands down our biggest cheerleaders in the Southeast and we love working with them.
00:18:27 Anthony Beasley
So Dory, after hearing what everyone has to say.
00:18:30 Anthony Beasley
What are some of your comments and thoughts?
00:18:33 Dorrie Farlee
Well, we came from.
00:18:36 Dorrie Farlee
From the caseload software, I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with it, but it's like a uh 1988.
00:18:45 Dorrie Farlee
DOS based version of software?
00:18:47 Dorrie Farlee
I mean just really old, very antiquated, very little in the way of importing even less in the way of write offs.
00:18:57 Dorrie Farlee
And if you.
00:18:58 Dorrie Farlee
Attempt to get us a, uh, paralegals time entered.
00:19:04 Dorrie Farlee
That was not going to happen.
00:19:06 Dorrie Farlee
So it really was very unhelpful when we were trying to gauge productivity of our paralegals and our associates and partners.
00:19:17 Dorrie Farlee
So we were very glad to get rid of this. We've been on this software since mid 2019.
00:19:26 Dorrie Farlee
And and we've really liked it.
00:19:29 Dorrie Farlee
I mean, it's.
00:19:30 Dorrie Farlee
That a lot.
00:19:30 Dorrie Farlee
We've learned a.
00:19:31 Dorrie Farlee
Lot and as several of you have pointed out.
00:19:35 Dorrie Farlee
I mean there's features with this.
00:19:37 Dorrie Farlee
Stuff all over the place.
00:19:39 Dorrie Farlee
Uhm, but right now we come, but we're primarily looking at the the BI reporting and Meryl and Lisa had been wonderful and trying to help us figure it out.
00:19:53 Dorrie Farlee
I am not a programmer and some of the stuffs brings me back to college years ago.
00:20:00 Dorrie Farlee
Which I'm not really enthused about.
00:20:03 Dorrie Farlee
But we we have gotten two or three reports that are working well now, and once they they start to work then it's really interesting to get the partners reactions on how much data they can actually see in a form that's.
00:20:23 Dorrie Farlee
Easy for them to understand before you know.
00:20:27 Dorrie Farlee
If you know.
00:20:28 Dorrie Farlee
You spout a bunch of Excel numbers at them, and they're like I don't know what you're talking about.
00:20:33 Dorrie Farlee
But you know, show them that you know attorney A and attorney B comparing them side to side.
00:20:42 Dorrie Farlee
You know you may really love going out to the local bar with this one, but it's the other one that's getting all your billing so that they're it's we're learning a lot.
00:20:56 Dorrie Farlee
We've got a lot left to learn, but but like I said, Maryland Lisa are helping us with that and I'm trying to not go to college every time we get on a call.
00:21:09 Dorrie Farlee
But but it is nice.
00:21:10 Dorrie Farlee
We do like the product.
00:21:13 Anthony Beasley
That's great now.
00:21:16 Anthony Beasley
Last but not least, from the client side of things is Chris Vickers.
00:21:19 Anthony Beasley
I call her miss Perfect Law Midwest and beyond because of all the people who have used perfect law for a very long time.
00:21:27 Anthony Beasley
She was a client when I came here.
00:21:29 Anthony Beasley
Years ago, and we've had the the pleasure working together, she's helped me out at some shows in Chicago.
00:21:36 Anthony Beasley
She started user group in Chicago that now is the kind of the foundation basis for what we do nationally.
00:21:41 Anthony Beasley
But if there is.
00:21:42 Anthony Beasley
A business partner who definitely you know you want to give her an.
00:21:45 Anthony Beasley
Award for, you know, being a great.
00:21:49 Anthony Beasley
Partner is definitely Chris and I know that this is something Chris you guys are.
00:21:53 Anthony Beasley
You know you're working towards.
00:21:54 Anthony Beasley
It's not something that's in place yet.
00:21:56 Anthony Beasley
But there's some things happening and you guys are going to be moving forward.
00:22:00 Anthony Beasley
So if you can tell us a little bit about, you know what's driving you to.
00:22:02 Anthony Beasley
Where where the other firms are already at.
00:22:06 Anthony Beasley
And some of the things you can look.
00:22:07 Anthony Beasley
Forward to that would be great.
00:22:09 Chris Vickers
Sure hi everybody.
00:22:11 Chris Vickers
Uhm, I think.
00:22:12 Chris Vickers
Anthony said my name is Chris Vickers. I worked at. We did McAuliffe in Chicago for 35 years. When I started we had 10 lawyers. We now have 68 lawyers and four locations.
00:22:25 Chris Vickers
In Kansas, Missouri, and Indiana and of course Illinois.
00:22:30 Chris Vickers
We cover all this that those States and workers comp.
00:22:33 Chris Vickers
Defense and civil defense.
00:22:35 Chris Vickers
Uhm, perfect law has my heart.
00:22:38 Chris Vickers
They've always been there for me.
00:22:40 Chris Vickers
I don't even know where I'd be today.
00:22:42 Chris Vickers
Wouldn't be my permit, but not perfectly.
00:22:44 Chris Vickers
I won't go anywhere without it.
00:22:46 Chris Vickers
I I love working in the system.
00:22:48 Chris Vickers
It was a great upgrade for us.
00:22:51 Chris Vickers
We two like eudore.
00:22:53 Chris Vickers
We came from a lot of DOS programs back in the day.
00:22:56 Chris Vickers
PC Law was a failed.
00:22:59 Chris Vickers
Building a docket program when I started.
00:23:03 Chris Vickers
And, uhm, we had a couple fails.
00:23:07 Chris Vickers
Uhm purchases and installs.
00:23:09 Chris Vickers
Before I was blasted by imperfect law at at a VA show.
00:23:13 Cynthia Celebrezze
Of course, by.
00:23:14 Chris Vickers
Then we're all skeptical about all the can do can do answers, but I put him through the wringer and and they they came through with bells and whistles, and I've never looked back up.
00:23:27 Chris Vickers
The program just continues to improve every time I turn around.
00:23:33 Chris Vickers
When I need something new, it's already there either because of the likes of all of you and your input and wish list or our own, and I think it's a wonderful tool for law firms.
00:23:46 Chris Vickers
I think every platform should have this.
00:23:48 Chris Vickers
Program we have front and back office. We have every module I can have I believe, except by I've been pushing by since 2013.
00:23:59 Chris Vickers
And I know you all know lawyers like I do and they it's not that they don't want to listen to you, they just have a hard time letting go of a lot.
00:24:07 Chris Vickers
Of money at once.
00:24:09 Chris Vickers
So we're here now and I'm excited about it.
00:24:13 Chris Vickers
I do a lot of the reports, the special custom reports myself.
00:24:19 Cynthia Celebrezze
Umm they don't take me.
00:24:23 Chris Vickers
A week, but they take me long enough and I know the system could make.
00:24:26 Chris Vickers
It better for.
00:24:27 Chris Vickers
Me, you know we're getting into areas now.
00:24:30 Chris Vickers
Even new managing partner and he's a little more business thinking than the one before they had one before.
00:24:36 Chris Vickers
It was great, but I I they have a really hard.
00:24:39 Chris Vickers
Time with numbers lawyers.
00:24:42 Chris Vickers
You know boys didn't go to school for accounting, so it's our job to help them try to understand their own business from a financial perspective.
00:24:51 Chris Vickers
And that's not easy.
00:24:53 Chris Vickers
I mean, start throwing numbers, item and report sentiment there their eyes googly.
00:24:58 Chris Vickers
So, uhm.
00:24:59 Chris Vickers
We're getting better I'm getting, but at least I have a managing partner now that like I said, he's a little more business minded as far as numbers go, so.
00:25:10 Chris Vickers
We are.
00:25:13 Chris Vickers
Wanting to do more.
00:25:16 Chris Vickers
Detail on our profit and loss by lawyer by client.
00:25:21 Chris Vickers
By matter I mean I have the basic information.
00:25:24 Chris Vickers
But sometimes we we need to get into areas.
00:25:27 Chris Vickers
Where Jerry alluded to.
00:25:28 Chris Vickers
Do such as you.
00:25:32 Chris Vickers
You know profit by like class by matter by client how?
00:25:37 Chris Vickers
Much is that.
00:25:37 Chris Vickers
How much?
00:25:38 Chris Vickers
How much did that cost?
00:25:39 Chris Vickers
How much of that 1 meter cost the firm if that Lori was?
00:25:42 Chris Vickers
Only working on that case for a whole quarter.
00:25:45 Chris Vickers
So I'm excited and I worked with Meryl for year.
00:25:48 Chris Vickers
She's amazing and the whole team is amazing.
00:25:50 Chris Vickers
But I always know I'm in.
00:25:52 Chris Vickers
Good hands and I'm going to.
00:25:53 Chris Vickers
Learn a whole lot more.
00:25:54 Chris Vickers
And it just makes me.
00:25:55 Chris Vickers
All the wiser and dumb.
00:25:59 Chris Vickers
We are in the process of preparing for the install.
00:26:03 Chris Vickers
I'm ready for the next phase and I I know, I know.
00:26:07 Chris Vickers
Now of course, now that we have this in the in the queue, my friends like.
00:26:10 Chris Vickers
Once again, to start lending.
00:26:12 Chris Vickers
Like hold on, it's going to be a process.
00:26:14 Chris Vickers
It's gonna take a lot of time.
00:26:15 Chris Vickers
I just prepare him.
00:26:16 Chris Vickers
It's not going to be snapping.
00:26:18 Chris Vickers
Like the other programs, but.
00:26:20 Chris Vickers
I just can't say enough kudos.
00:26:22 Chris Vickers
A perfect law for what they do for law firms, and I'm glad to be a partner.
00:26:25 Chris Vickers
And I'm glad for my support team there.
00:26:29 Anthony Beasley
K thanks Chris.
00:26:30 Anthony Beasley
We really appreciate it and again, you know I hate that this year we didn't get a chance to do the ABA show and hopefully soon 'cause you know, I kind of miss my one year.
00:26:40 Anthony Beasley
My trip to Chicago once a year to go and hang out downtown and enjoy.
00:26:45 Anthony Beasley
You know, hanging out with firms like yours and I and I at least once.
00:26:49 Anthony Beasley
A year dinner with clients so.
00:26:50 Chris Vickers
Company if there's anything open anymore I think happens is close, sadly.
00:26:54
Yeah no.
00:26:56 Anthony Beasley
I know.
00:26:57 Anthony Beasley
Not least.
00:26:57 Chris Vickers
Chicago is not the same as it was.
00:27:00 Anthony Beasley
Well, we'll see, we'll see.
00:27:01 Anthony Beasley
Trust me, it's probably still better than than what a lot of people deal with day to day.
00:27:04 Anthony Beasley
'cause it's a little bit of a change compared to.
00:27:06 Anthony Beasley
Seeing the same old thing every day all the time.
00:27:09 Chris Vickers
Yeah, it's just the COVID has really had a kind of a negative impact on the city, the the commuter traffic is not there the the commuters have not come back to the city.
00:27:09 Cynthia Celebrezze
Look at.
00:27:18 Chris Vickers
OK, well like for instance if Union Station has 40,000 commuters every day on a on a Goodyear, the COVID has dramatically impacted the commute. Going into this I can.
00:27:29 Chris Vickers
Tell you that.
00:27:29 Chris Vickers
The trains my my stop is like the highest traveled.
00:27:33 Chris Vickers
Stop in the in all these systems around here and my parking lot holds 3000 cars and there's probably not even 200 cars in the parking lot.
00:27:43 Anthony Beasley
And that is a huge change.
00:27:45 Anthony Beasley
Yeah, you sync.
00:27:46 Anthony Beasley
But I'm looking forward.
00:27:46 Chris Vickers
There's no one on the streets, I mean.
00:27:47 Chris Vickers
It's just bizarre, bizarre oh.
00:27:50 Chris Vickers
Cloud cloud world?
00:27:52 Anthony Beasley
Yeah, all right well.
00:27:55 Anthony Beasley
Lisa is a very interesting person as well.
00:27:58 Anthony Beasley
At at the end of the day, it's always nice when you have somebody who comes to the company.
00:28:06 Anthony Beasley
Has law firm experience and you know they bring a little bit of that experience with them and that's how we grow internally as a company.
00:28:13 Anthony Beasley
But when she has perfect law experience, it's always another huge plus and then to take on some of the projects that she works with, which are typically some of those add ONS that people hate to look on their proposal and see is optional.
00:28:26 Anthony Beasley
And then when they're talking to me and I remind them.
00:28:28 Anthony Beasley
This isn't something you tackle day one.
00:28:30 Anthony Beasley
This is a phase two or a phase.
00:28:32 Anthony Beasley
It's three and for Lisa to be working with Meryl on the back end of all that, it's always, you know, that's a a great thing.
00:28:39 Anthony Beasley
So, Lisa, we'd love to hear from your perspective, and not, you know, you you have some law firm experience, but you also have.
00:28:46 Anthony Beasley
Obviously you have a great background in working with projects like these, because that's.
00:28:52 Anthony Beasley
You know?
00:28:52 Anthony Beasley
That's what you're here to.
00:28:52 Anthony Beasley
Do and so if you you know can give us a little bit of insight from your point of view.
00:28:58 Anthony Beasley
That would be great.
00:29:04 Anthony Beasley
You're you're muted, Lisa.
00:29:10 Lisa Kelly
Hey, thanks for 34 years. I was a comp troller for a law firm and I remember the days when.
00:29:11
OK.
00:29:23 Lisa Kelly
Reporting and designing reports was painstaking.
00:29:27 Lisa Kelly
It was really difficult and dumb.
00:29:31 Lisa Kelly
But when we transitioned.
00:29:33 Lisa Kelly
To perfect law in 2012 and I started using the the business intelligence product.
00:29:41 Lisa Kelly
Come there.
00:29:44 Lisa Kelly
It was amazing because.
00:29:45 Lisa Kelly
What was so very valuable, valuable to me was.
00:29:52 Charlie Doe
That we could take.
00:29:54 Lisa Kelly
Tables from a.
00:29:57 Lisa Kelly
We could take tables from, you know, the different aspects like your work table, your bills tabled, your receipts table and you could make one report which we never used to be able to do that before.
00:30:10 Lisa Kelly
I mean, it was very difficult to report on all of those aspects of the company and the beautiful thing about.
00:30:16 Lisa Kelly
Business intelligence is.
00:30:18 Lisa Kelly
That, and it's been well said already, but.
00:30:21 Lisa Kelly
The beautiful thing of business intelligence intelligence is that.
00:30:26 Lisa Kelly
You really get to know your business better and you can.
00:30:31 Lisa Kelly
You can you know you can understand the figures and it's taking all that detail and putting it into meaningful pieces of data and and you know so it's pretty exciting to be working with Meryl and.
00:30:48 Lisa Kelly
Learning even deeper aspects of business intelligence and so you know, I'll keep mine simple and short because really Meryl is the pro.
00:31:02 Anthony Beasley
Go ahead girl.
00:31:04 Anthony Beasley
Yeah Meryl, now Meryl.
00:31:05 Anthony Beasley
Meryl here Meryl is a you know when I came here I'm I won't get to how many years ago it's well, I'll just say I've been here for it is the longest tenured employment I've had since I've been working, and that's that speaks volumes to the company, but the the neat thing is, is.
00:31:24 Anthony Beasley
And you know, all the years we work, you know, as I remind people when when you sign with us, one of the first emails you always get from me, I talk about.
00:31:31 Anthony Beasley
Welcome to the.
00:31:32 Anthony Beasley
Perfect law family and it truly has become as much a part of your own personal family for a lot of us.
00:31:40 Anthony Beasley
Mel and I.
00:31:41 Anthony Beasley
I'm originally from Georgia.
00:31:42 Anthony Beasley
She she lives there so she knows, you know.
00:31:45 Anthony Beasley
Waffle House were coming when I when I come to town meeting Mel going to sit down and have a late morning breakfast and talk because you know we just enjoy it and it's it's just great but she's one of the smartest people I've ever met.
00:31:58 Anthony Beasley
Somebody that I I can guarantee you when you give her a project and things that you want to get done, she's going to get it done.
00:32:04 Anthony Beasley
And I've watched her work with a lot of different things from early years and workers comp in a couple of other areas that she's done a lot of work for us and to say that she is kind of the the the real strength behind the by product.
00:32:18 Anthony Beasley
You know you can design A product all day long, but it's the people that make it work and she makes it work.
00:32:23 Anthony Beasley
I I have had nothing.
00:32:24 Anthony Beasley
But great comments from a lot of different clients.
00:32:27 Anthony Beasley
Clients that I knew in the beginning were going to be some really hard pressing clients to please.
00:32:32 Anthony Beasley
And in the end they end up being pleased.
00:32:34 Anthony Beasley
So now you know we'll end up the call by giving you an opportunity to talk to people about, you, know the experience of what it takes to make this work form some of the things that you have, you know, seen in rolling it out with the different people, but some of the things you know from your knowledge.
00:32:52 Anthony Beasley
About what it can do for him.
00:32:56 Christine Vickers
But I'm not really.
00:32:56 Christine Vickers
Sure how to follow up all of that.
00:32:59 Christine Vickers
Uhm, but you know, listen, this is very much a mutual admiration society from all standpoints, because those of you that have talked and sung by praises.
00:33:10 Christine Vickers
Uhm, you know?
00:33:11 Christine Vickers
It's it's because.
00:33:12 Christine Vickers
You've gotten out of it.
00:33:13 Christine Vickers
What you've put in, and it's a really important thing for for people to wrap their heads around when it comes to when it comes to the by product.
00:33:23 Christine Vickers
You know some of you maybe learned that a little bit the hard way, you know?
00:33:27 Christine Vickers
But but by is.
00:33:28 Christine Vickers
It it's never.
00:33:29 Christine Vickers
It's never a quick.
00:33:30 Christine Vickers
Thing uhm?
00:33:32 Christine Vickers
It's you know in.
00:33:33 Christine Vickers
A, in the simplest of circumstances.
00:33:36 Christine Vickers
You know where you're still probably.
00:33:38 Christine Vickers
Looking at six months and then what?
00:33:40 Christine Vickers
You know 6 maybe nine months, and then when we start getting into situations, I'm just going to use you guys as an example.
00:33:45 Christine Vickers
Charlie and Cindy where your you know your performance metrics and your cost.
00:33:52 Christine Vickers
Calculations are so intricate and so specific and so detailed.
00:33:58 Christine Vickers
I'm so detailed I.
00:34:00 Christine Vickers
Know Charlie, we're getting to the tail end of 1 project that we've been at for probably close to a year.
00:34:06 Christine Vickers
Uhm, you know, and Cindy well in Sydney special in her own right?
00:34:10 Christine Vickers
Because she really has just taken it, learned, learned it upside down and run with it.
00:34:16 Christine Vickers
So when Cindy calls for help, it's because.
00:34:19 Charlie Doe
She knows what.
00:34:20 Christine Vickers
It is she wants to do.
00:34:21 Christine Vickers
She knows where.
00:34:21 Christine Vickers
The data is but.
00:34:22 Christine Vickers
There's just that last.
00:34:23 Christine Vickers
Little link that she hasn't found.
00:34:27 Christine Vickers
And to you.
00:34:27 Christine Vickers
Chris, I say uhm.
00:34:29 Christine Vickers
You know, yes, we are.
00:34:30 Christine Vickers
We're going to be getting started momentarily and.
00:34:34 Christine Vickers
And yes, you know you know you and I like you, said, have worked together for many, many.
00:34:38 Christine Vickers
Years as I have.
00:34:39 Christine Vickers
With just about everybody here and and.
00:34:43 Christine Vickers
And we're going to.
00:34:44 Christine Vickers
Take our time and we're going to do.
00:34:45 Christine Vickers
It right, and then it's going to.
00:34:48 Christine Vickers
It's going to clean up.
00:34:50 Christine Vickers
Your you know your your productivity and profitability.
00:34:55 Christine Vickers
Calculation and really hopefully save you a ton of time.
00:35:00 Christine Vickers
Uhm, so it's a it's a.
00:35:03 Christine Vickers
It's a big project.
00:35:04 Christine Vickers
It's a lot of work for everybody for us and for you, but it's really, really, really worth.
00:35:10 Christine Vickers
It in the end.
00:35:11 Christine Vickers
And that's all I can say.
00:35:13 Christine Vickers
So it's all yours, Anthony.
00:35:15 Anthony Beasley
OK well guys I really appreciate the time that you've given us today.
00:35:19 Anthony Beasley
I mean I I don't.
00:35:20 Anthony Beasley
From from my point of view.
00:35:24 Anthony Beasley
I I am the person, you know I I make no bones about it.
00:35:27 Anthony Beasley
I love what I do here perfectly.
00:35:28 Anthony Beasley
I'm the first person that a lot of people, if not, I'd say 95 to 99% of the people who are buying perfect law.
00:35:35 Anthony Beasley
I'm the first voice.
00:35:36 Anthony Beasley
You hear I'm the guy that's nagging you about what you want, what you need, setting up demonstrations, you know.
00:35:43 Anthony Beasley
We're talking about proposals and all the other stuff, and then I hand you off to either sales.
00:35:49 Anthony Beasley
One of the sales people here that works with me or to the team.
00:35:51 Anthony Beasley
If you sign with me and you get started and you know what makes this work is.
00:36:00 Anthony Beasley
Everybody is willing to put forth the effort for their own personal reasons at their own firm.
00:36:06 Anthony Beasley
But the people who gain from it are the people who have no idea that it even exists.
00:36:14 Anthony Beasley
Uhm, the experiences from every one of you somebody else has gained from it.
00:36:20 Anthony Beasley
I'd literally, in Full disclosure was talking to a firm on that had a chance to look at.
00:36:27 Anthony Beasley
But Dorris firm does, and they were literally blown away.
00:36:30 Anthony Beasley
Literally added.
00:36:32 Anthony Beasley
We're talking directly with the managing partner and no one else who actually worked one on one with one of doors, partners to kind of understand what they have versus what perfect law has to offer.
00:36:42 Anthony Beasley
And he just flat out said there is no equal for that.
00:36:46 Anthony Beasley
You know the things just the most.
00:36:48 Anthony Beasley
Basic things they do day to day that he saw shambles doing like nothing you know and for him he couldn't believe that that even.
00:36:56 Anthony Beasley
This, but when you go to the you know business intelligence and you start looking at what it does and I've known you know, being here and and hearing all the different back and forth that go on when you have to bring on a product like this from day one.
00:37:10 Anthony Beasley
And in the beginning it's a dream.
00:37:13 Anthony Beasley
You know it's just a dream, you just have to have a belief that this this exists and that it's possible and it's people like Meryl there in the early days that says this is possible, we can make this happen and it's people like Cindy and Charlie and Jerry who say, you know what?
00:37:27 Anthony Beasley
Let's let's step out there and go out on this.
00:37:29 Anthony Beasley
Edge and see what we can do and they found out that it can do not just what the advertisement is, but a lot more and that's.
00:37:39 Anthony Beasley
The that's the best.
00:37:39 Anthony Beasley
Feeling is when you guys are saying hey, you.
00:37:41 Anthony Beasley
Know it's working.
00:37:42 Anthony Beasley
It's it's giving me one of the most pleasurable conversations I had throughout COVID was with Cindy when she just literally told me.
00:37:50 Anthony Beasley
Anthony, this is what this product has meant for.
00:37:52 Anthony Beasley
US, and that's that's what this is all about.
00:37:56 Anthony Beasley
So the people who hear this as much as folks like Dorian and Chris who are moving into the product and who are taking the next step as much as they all gain immediately once they get started.
00:38:08 Anthony Beasley
The fun part is the people who have no idea what's possible.
00:38:13 Anthony Beasley
You know they're still living in their dream and you're living there.
00:38:17 Anthony Beasley
And that's the best part, because when they're sitting at home, I'm sorry.
00:38:21 Anthony Beasley
Sitting at the office late at night trying to get spreadsheets done and I remember, you know I worked with Cindy through her her entire cell cycle and I'll never forget when Cindy says, yeah, I got these spreadsheets and it's taken me weeks to get them done.
00:38:32 Anthony Beasley
And by the time I get them done, gonna have to maybe start all over again.
00:38:35 Anthony Beasley
'cause something changed so I never get it done.
00:38:38 Anthony Beasley
You know, and knowing that, that was one of those things that she wanted to change at the firm and to see that.
00:38:43 Anthony Beasley
That has worked for her.
00:38:44 Anthony Beasley
That's what this is all about, and you know, I really appreciate you guys taking the time out of your day to share with so many other people who will hear this.
00:38:53 Anthony Beasley
To let them know that not only does it work, but to the level of how it works, folks like Jerry who have their story, Charlie who has her story.
00:39:03 Anthony Beasley
You know a lot of IP firms.
00:39:05 Anthony Beasley
They they don't have that.
00:39:07 Anthony Beasley
That mindset that Charlie has.
00:39:10 Anthony Beasley
You know, they're still living in a dream world that now you know.
00:39:13 Anthony Beasley
Long as my docketing system works, that's all that really.
00:39:15 Anthony Beasley
Matters to me.
00:39:18 Anthony Beasley
Even though they still have a business to run and for Charlie, you know, to be able to say I can, you know we're improving the way we run our business and our profitability because we can see things that you can't see.
00:39:27 Anthony Beasley
You know a client to a client that matters.
00:39:31 Anthony Beasley
And it matters across the board for us.
00:39:33 Anthony Beasley
Also, I really appreciate everyone taking the time out of their day to.
00:39:36 Anthony Beasley
Here this of course we're going to produce this.
00:39:39 Anthony Beasley
This is going to go in with our podcasts, and we're going.
00:39:41 Anthony Beasley
To make sure that people hear about it and the next events will be in touch.
00:39:47 Anthony Beasley
With some of the things going on here we have any pre bill event that we're going to have to reschedule and then we're going to get back to what we started a few weeks ago with some of the training for the folks that participated in the outlook training that I did.
00:40:00 Anthony Beasley
I really appreciate your time there as well.
00:40:03 Anthony Beasley
But for anyone listening to this, you know we're going to be doing even more training as time goes on.
00:40:08 Anthony Beasley
I know we're going to circle back.
00:40:10 Anthony Beasley
We have some some SSRS of the month events to do, but this event was one of the ones I felt was very important to have as much as you can sit down and show people on a screen.
00:40:22 Anthony Beasley
Hey check out this this great report.
00:40:25 Anthony Beasley
I think that sometimes when people are looking at software you know nice pictures and diagrams.
00:40:31 Anthony Beasley
Don't tell the story but the people who are actually putting the work in and.
00:40:37 Anthony Beasley
Saying I can do a B&C, and here's why. That's what tells the story, and being able to have that story told was a.
00:40:44 Anthony Beasley
It was a a great plus four song, so thank you.
00:40:47 Anthony Beasley
I look forward to the next event.
00:40:49 Anthony Beasley
You guys.
00:40:50 Anthony Beasley
For the folks that can look forward to snow, please look forward to it.
00:40:53 Anthony Beasley
Forced as we can.
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