A MyCase Practice:
Leslie Sarji, Charleston Family Law Attorney

For Leslie Sarji, a Charleston, South Carolina lawyer, there are many benefits to practicing law, not the least of which is making a difference in her clients’ lives.

“Of course I enjoy all aspects of trying a case, including cross examination. But the thing that motivates me the most every day is helping my clients.  I represent clients on criminal law, family law, and SSI/disability matters, which means they are all going through a crisis in their lives. It’s great to be able to assist them and let them know that they have someone on their side,” she explains. “Many of my clients have never been treated with respect and kindness by a professional person. I make sure to do that so they understand that they deserve that kind of respect.”

A solo practice improved by technology

Leslie relies on technology to help her run her solo law practice on her terms. Rather than being constrained by antiquated concepts of how a law office should be run, she instead uses cloud computing and other technologies to provide her with flexibility and mobility. “I am a sole practitioner and work mainly from home. I do a lot of my work in the cloud and I use contract employees, who also work from home, to help get things done.”

Working from home and using cloud computing keeps her more competitive and allows her to provide a high level of client service: “Because I have a non-traditional practice and use web-based software, I’m able to keep my costs down. I offer my clients better prices because I don’t have $40,000 in overhead. This allows me to take on a smaller caseload and still be profitable. As a result, I tend to have more personal involvement in their cases and spend a lot of one-on-one time with my clients.”

According to Leslie, cloud computing is the future of law practice. She predicts that as lawyers learn more about the benefits of using cloud computing in law firms, they’ll increasingly make the switch.”I can’t imagine that eventually everybody won’t have moved to the cloud. It doesn’t make sense to try to resist it because it’s where the future is going. Our world is becoming increasingly virtual in terms of being able to work remotely and in the cloud. Maybe I made the decision earlier than others but I think it’s an inevitability for everyone. For me it’s a no brainer.”

MyCase–the best law practice management software

Leslie considered all of her options when choosing the right law practice management software for her law firm. When all was said and done, MyCase was the right choice for her law firm.

“I was just telling someone yesterday how wonderful MyCase is and that they needed to try it,” she says. “Earlier in my career, I was in a partnership very briefly and we were using Rocket Matter and then we switched to Clio. Both were cumbersome and didn’t offer nearly as much as MyCase. So when I left the partnership, I carefully researched my options and when I discovered MyCase, I knew I’d found the right software for my law firm.”

Leslie immediately preferred MyCase because it was both intuitive and full-featured, making it ideal for her firm. “I love the feel of the program – it’s very user-friendly, simple and clean, and easy to use. I use MyCase for every aspect of managing my practice.” She continues, “My clients love it, too since they have access to their documents and case data. And, because I have a virtual office, it’s wonderful that they have the ability to upload their documents right into MyCase.”

Leslie raves about MyCase’s customer service, too. “Customer service is so responsive! Being able to ask a question or send in an email and get a response as quickly as I do is great. Every time I’ve needed help, customer service has sent me a detailed email that includes instructions and all the steps I need to take to accomplish whatever it is I’m trying to do.”

MyCase, the center of her practice

Whether it’s time-tracking, billing, document sharing, or online payments, MyCase helps Leslie stay on top of her busy law practice.”I do everything in MyCase. Because I use contract employees to help get things done, they’re able to work remotely and help me using MyCase. MyCase helps me manage the things I wouldn’t have time to keep up with. It makes things easier and more streamlined,” she explains.

“One of my favorite features is that I can track my time using MyCase and then quickly and easily invoice my clients and then send my accountant the trust account withdrawals.  I especially like the new eCheck Payments MyCase just started. If I didn’t have the ability to do online payments I wouldn’t get paid immediately. When you’re billing by the hour that’s a big deal. I can’t live without MyCase!”

Parting advice

When I asked Leslie if she had any advice for lawyers just starting their law practices, she replied: “I wish I’d worried less about where my next case was going to come from. The ultimate piece of advice people can take when they’re starting out on their own is that if you do the best that you can for your client, know the law, and work hard, the business will come. When you provide your clients with quality service your business will grow. I know mine did.”