Organizations across industries use matter management software in a number of ways, from managing cases, legal files, documents, and email to increasing team efficiency and scaling up to meet newly mandated responsibilities. Each jurisdiction (and every organization within it) has its own needs, which showcases the beauty of matter management technology: with a comprehensive platform of robust features, you can pick and choose which functionality means most to your team, tailoring the software to solve the specific challenges of your office.
Does your team have distinct needs? Or are you not sure what to look for? In this post, we highlight three organizations in the public/government sector who rely on best matter management software to solve three separate challenges.
Matter Management Software for Government Agencies
Matter management software is an absolute game changer for agencies in the government and public sectors. In a highly regulated industry that requires efficiency and scale, matter management technology allows for greater oversight, superior workflow, and productivity to handle an increased volume of work with the same number (or fewer) staff.
Matter management software is an absolute game changer for agencies in the government and public sectors. In a highly regulated industry that requires efficiency and scale, matter management technology allows for greater oversight, superior workflow, and productivity to handle an increased volume of work with the same number (or fewer) staff.
This means:
- One central location for all related information, including email and scanned documents/images for any type of matter
- Office-wide contact management and alerts
- Document assembly and management
- Contract management
- Automatic time capture
- Multiple location management
- Task delegation and assignment tracking
- Microsoft Office integration, including Outlook email
- Mobile accessibility
- File security
- Calendaring, scheduling and deadline calculator
- To-do’s, reminders and alerts with automatic notification
- Team management
When you spend your entire day managing a legal matter, it’s important to have a system that will help you get exactly what you need when you need it. No matter what level of government you work in — federal, tribal, provincial, state, regional, county, or municipal — a legal case management platform gives you the flexibility you need to work more effectively and efficiently.
Take it from these three government agencies of different sizes and areas of expertise:
For Customization
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is tasked with protecting air, land and water and regulating oil and gas throughout the state. Its Office of Legal Services (OLS) represents the agency in permitting and enforcing actions before administrative boards, circuit courts, and appellate courts, providing counsel to DEP offices on regulatory and legislative matters.
But the agency’s outdated case management system didn’t allow for centralized tracking of documents, emails, time entries or notes, and updating it would be costly. Plus, its attorneys needed to bill back time to each DEP division, section or sub-section, which each had different reporting requirements. This called for new city government software that would not only meet the agency’s changing needs but allow its team members to customize views and reports for specific needs.
“People don’t like change. We thought it would be tough and scary to learn a new system, but it’s so user friendly and such a breeze.”
Lynn Dunlap Office of Legal Services, West Virginia DEP
With a government case management system, the office is now able to quickly generate monthly reports for each division of the agency, while meeting the requirements of each. And with in-depth reporting, OLS can see the type, number and related costs of each case DEP is handling. Team members can also reuse work product and even access the system from home when needed.
Beyond reporting, OLS has increased collaboration across the team by making everything available in one place. Because the entity manages its own litigation in-house, a case management system helps manage workload, including administrative appeals, circuit and district court cases, collections of penalty, enforcement cases and research projects.
Since implementing a more robust case management system, the agency has:
- Improved reporting ability, providing a “big picture” view
- Worked more collaboratively
- Operated more effectively as a team
For Document Management
City of Pasadena
The Office of the City Attorney/Prosecutor in Pasadena manages all litigation and transactional matters for the city’s civil, prosecution and claims and insurance divisions, in addition to advising the city council, city advisory bodies, the Rose Bowl Operating Company and other city departments.
The office began searching for a new legal database product after its IT department announced the existing solution would be phased out. More than just storage, the office sought a qualified and experienced software vendor to provide:
- Case management
- Document management
- System implementation services
- Data conversion and integration services
- End-user and technical support training
- Ongoing system maintenance and support services
The city’s documents and HP3000 hierarchical data files were migrated to a relational database management system with ease. Now with a web-based government case management solution, the Office of the City Attorney/Prosecutor can offer a consistent, high-quality product in a timely fashion.
“It makes it easy to locate and edit documents quickly. The software has so many functions that are beneficial to our office, and three years later, we are still discovering more ways to apply those functions.”
Janet Darnall Office of the City Attorney/Prosecutor, City of Pasadena
Plus, the office can do its part to be environmentally conscious by scanning paper materials to live on as e-files within the system unless a hard copy is absolutely necessary. Through a convenient “Drag & Drop Zone” on each user’s desktop, these files can quickly be added to the database and categorized within the appropriate case or file. With an organized document management system, navigating the city’s database is not only easy, but the office can keep paper files to a minimum.
Since implementing a government case management solution, the Office of the City Attorney/Prosecutor has saved time by automating the manual tasks of the case and document management and achieved greater efficiency and accuracy in tracking, among even more benefits.
For Working Remotely
James City County, Virginia
The effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic have upended our work habits, especially in the legal industry, which relies heavily on in-person interactions. Judges are hearing cases virtually, Bar exams have been moved online and firms and corporations are planning what reopening their doors will look like. But legal matters don’t rest, and operations have stayed constant thanks to remote case management software.
James City County in Virginia is one such organization that has benefited from virtual operations, especially over the past several months of shelter-in-place orders, implementing the civil litigation software well before the pandemic was even on the radar.
“Who would have known that when we added Legal Files a few years ago that it would be the reason I can allow my two assistant attorneys to seamlessly work from home? Definitely glad that we took that leap!”
Adam Kinsman County Attorney, James City County, Virginia
Whether working remotely because of quarantining or simply because your offices are split across multiple locations, the best legal case management software allows you to:
- Access documents through a centralized platform
- Access the software through a web browser versus installed software
- Maintain security
- Communicate and collaborate in a unified system
- Enhance productivity by streamlining functions
Learn More About Remote Case Management >>
How Could Your Organization Benefit?
The government and the public sectors are incredibly diverse in their roles and needs. But the great thing about case management software for government is its versatility, providing a central platform that’s easily accessible, customizable, organized and collaborative. Yet, not every system is created equal.
Legal Files gives government entities at every level the opportunity to succeed, from managing contracts and documents to scaling business functions and making it easier to work as a team. Is your government agency thriving or merely surviving with the influx of data and information you manage? With case management technology, you can get the time and efficiency that you need to not only maintain operational efficiency, but continue serving citizens to your greatest ability.
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Legal Files is more than a software vendor. We offer case and matter management tools that solve your deepest pain points, giving you back time, money and peace of mind. With extensive customization capabilities, robust features and access to expert support staff, Legal Files is the preferred choice of top corporations, law firms, government entities and more organizations around the globe. Contact us today to start the conversation!