The Switch from Outdated Technology to MyCase
Anderson, South Carolina
A Bit of Backstory
As a managing partner at White Davis & White Law Firm, PA, Joy Davis’ unusual path from prosecuting attorney to defense attorney is a testament to her pursuit of justice. Her firm acts as a voice for those who have none, serving the community for well over a decade, with a combined experience totalling over 50 years.
A Partnership with MyCase
Having lost countless billable hours to outdated software, Joy Davis was in the market for a new solution to meet her firm’s growing administrative demands. She initially heard about MyCase at a local CLE event, and before long she had passed the discovery onto her staff. After using MyCase for over a year now, Attorney Joy Davis shares how the cloud has increased her flexibility as a managing partner, made client communication seamless, and provided actionable insights into the growth and financials of the firm.
What was your experience with your previous case management platform?
It was the biggest nightmare. There was an upgrade a few years back; every time I’d go to open the program it would lag and shut down. It got to the point where I’d avoid recording my billable time and not get paid because it took so long to create a time entry. If it’s going to take you 20 minutes to put time in for a six minute event, it’s not worth it, but not recording that billable time adds up.
In addition to the performance issues we saw, [our previous software] was not cloud based or user friendly, so we clearly needed an upgrade.– Joy Davis, Managing Partner, White Davis & White
We lost substantial revenue because of [our previous software] and gave them over a year to correct the issue, but it never got any better. In addition to the performance issues we saw, it was not cloud-based or user friendly, so we clearly needed an upgrade. At the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, we were fed up and decided to switch to something better: MyCase.
Tell us about the flexibility that MyCase offers.
My house is an hour from my office – and that’s on a good day with no traffic. I can access MyCase from anywhere, so the way I look at it, MyCase saves me a two hour commute on the days I work from home. Of course, some of our work has to be done at the office because of client meetings, court, and so forth, but when I have no obligation to be there, I can get way more done at home.
I also like that we can upload documents and grant secure access to clients and experts working with us. If we have an expert working a case, rather than send them a box of information in the mail, we can upload exactly what we want them to see and grant them access to it instantly.
How has communication with your clients changed?
MyCase makes us available. We have a rule that we return calls within 24 hours. If I can’t return a call, I typically have a paralegal return the call for me. But, with MyCase, I can quickly send clients a message directly–even from court.
It also lends flexibility for clients to be able to access their case information anytime. We authorize what we want them to see, and they get instant access. It makes it easy to get critical documents to our clients quickly.
We can run the Case Revenue report firmwide to determine how much we’ve brought in as an office and individually, as well as how much is moved into our operating account on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.– Joy Davis, Managing Partner, White Davis & White
What is a crucial way MyCase is helping you with oversight of your firm?
We keep track of everyone’s work in MyCase. It allows us to have a high level of oversight and a clear record of exactly what happened during a case. For example, in MyCase if someone were to delete or record time erroneously, I can see when the update was made and correct it if needed. When we used [our previous software], if someone made changes or deleted anything accidentally, there was no record of it.
Case Revenue Reports are immensely helpful to our staff as well. I can see which cases they’ve worked and all the time billed. We can run the report firmwide to determine how much we’ve brought in as an office and individually, as well as how much is moved into our operating account on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. I love that you can do that.
It’s clear that MyCase’s goal is to make MyCase as user friendly as possible and make our lives as attorneys easier.– Joy Davis, Managing Partner, White Davis & White
Tell us about your experience with submitting feedback to MyCase.
One thing I love about MyCase is that they give us an opportunity to make suggestions. We made a request early on that would allow us to move quicker—and they heard us and made the change. That taught me early on that MyCase listens to their customers. Every time there’s an upgrade, we’re impressed. The MyCase team is constantly looking at ways to improve and expand; it’s awesome.
Why would you recommend MyCase to other attorneys or firms?
Because I believe in it. When I believe in something, I’d like other people to have the good fortune of using the same thing.
If you want your life to be easier, use MyCase. It has saved me so much time. There may be other programs that are similar, but MyCase is really focused on their customers, with a strong emphasis on making the platform as user-friendly as possible and making our lives as attorneys easier.
