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Practically Applying Business Intelligence
With more than 38,000 open matters at any given time, summarizing and analyzing practice, client and attorney information was nearly impossible to do efficiently using manual process and flat reporting. We did our best to create reports (eg, work in process (WIP), realization (amount collected as compared against amount worked/billed) and performance) using available technologies, including our time and billing system (Elite), Excel, Access and custom reports. However, we were eager to find a way to conduct more sophisticated analysis. We knew the questions that we wanted answered, but had been unable to get at the information in a usable format. For example, we could get general reports about aging accounts receivable (A/R), but we weren't able to assess real performance as it related to each client's historic payment pattern. If our firm averages a 75-day turn around on receivables and Client A has invoices 60 days old and Client B's are 90-days out, is that good or bad? We needed more detail than we could get from our transaction-based systems in order to answer these types of questions.
We decided it was time to implement reporting-based business intelligence (BI) software. Essentially, BI software sorts through vast amounts of firm data (from disparate sources such as time and billing, general ledger, payroll, etc.), automating the number crunching and analysis to provide us with actionable information and a more focused approach to following up on that information. Over a 1-year period, we reviewed software and services from four vendors, including our accounting system vendor and third party providers.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls
With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.