Wolfe Law Group focuses its law practice on serving those in the construction industry. It has offices in Seattle, WA and New Orleans, LA.
Short answer: Everything.
Of course, we use Daylite for all the essential case management functions: organizing contacts, deadlines, appointments, conflicts, etc. However, the software takes us much further than that. Through Daylite Mail Assistant, we can link relevant emails to a case with a simple click. With the merge functions, we can write properly captioned pleadings and letters in seconds. The software's robust tasks controls makes it easy to record our every minute worked on a case, and to communicate and delegate case tasks to anyone else in the firm. Daylite is literally the heart of our law practice.
Organizing communications. Attorneys spend a lot of time and effort communicating about a file, and the contents of those communications are important. There are three methods of communicating (email, letters, and telephone), and Daylite does a remarkable job with each.
Daylite Mail Assistant integrates email with the system, allowing our staff to painlessly link emails to a case file. The letter merge feature allows our staff to compose perfectly formatted letters in seconds. And plugins like FoneConnector help us manage our telephone calls intelligently, creating a record of each conversation.
The iPad is a constant companion of mine when going to court or to an out-of-office appointment. Having access to Daylite in these instances is a tremendous asset. In addition to the general availability of the software on the device that is always with me, the additional screen space with the iPad has proved useful in two main ways: (i) When viewing our calendar to make appointments or examine our schedule; and (ii) To view notes and emails associated with a case. While Daylite Touch on the iPhone had access to our calendar and notes, the extra screen real estate is a time-saver, and doesn't leave me fumbling around on a tiny smart phone to get access to critical data.
The iPhone is great, but its screen size has its limits. As an attorney, the iPad has displayed its value when in court or an out-of-office meeting or conference. The legal profession is a paper business, and paper would accompany me out of the office wherever I went. The iPhone display was too small to use effectively, and a laptop was too clunky and slow. The iPad puts every case file in the palm of my hand, and displays it (quickly) in a useable format and size. Having access to all of our case files on a tablet has eliminated our reliance on paper when meeting out of the office.
Daylite on the Mac is our home base. We start each day with a review of the calendar and open tasks, and get through the workday by completing tasks that are due or upcoming. We use the software to manage our daily workflows, and are able to delegate work to others in the office with the click of a button. Selecting any project gives us a view of what has been done, what is being done, and what is required to complete the project.
When we are working outside the office, the iPad is our companion. Daylite on the iPad gives us immediate and painless access to all the case data. No clunkly laptop required. When in court, we can check our calendar for availability to select case dates and deadlines. When we're in a meeting, we can check the task or appointment history to confirm case details.
Daylite on the iPhone is perfect because it's always there, as everyone always has their phone available. We take the iPad to court and to out of office meetings...but sometimes, we need access to case information when we least expect it. That's when we can pull out the iPhone and get work done as if we're at our desks.
We rely heavily on the iPad when out of the office for access to our files. Having Daylite available on the platform means we have access to the case's critical information when away from our desks.
There's no question that Daylite helps us in two distinct ways: (i) We can handle a heavier case load because of the organization provided by this case management software; and (ii) We can delegate work and generally work with others in the firm more efficiently. The ability to handle more cases and cleanly delegate work to our staff has undoubtedly helped our business manage its load, and grow to take on more.
One often overlooked feature of Daylite is it's ability to connect with other programs and plugins. This too separates it from other legal software, which is typically closed to developers. Daylite's development program made the plugin possible, which has tremendously helped our firm manage phone calls.
