Case study

Modrall Sperling capitalizes on ProLaw's comprehensive calendaring solution

Powerful rules-based docketing and case management tools

Over the last 80 years, Modrall Sperling has carved out a reputation for expert handling of complex business, litigation, and natural resources challenges in the American Southwest. From its offices in New Mexico, it offers expertise across a range of practice areas.

Much of its work involves defending corporate entities and government agencies, so it relies on ProLaw® — the market-leading law firm management software from Thomson Reuters — for powerful docketing and case management capabilities. Used in conjunction with Westlaw legal calendaring rules from Thomson Reuters, ProLaw delivers a comprehensive legal calendaring solution.

  • 60 attorneys
    and 58 staff
  • 2 offices
    in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico
  • 10 states
    and jurisdictions where attorneys are licensed

Accurate, automated calendaring

Easy to use and value for money

Q&A with Stanley Fried, Director of Training and Kat Allen, Legal Assistant at Modrall Sperling

What issues was the firm facing before implementing ProLaw?

Stanley Fried: “We had very poor compliance with our previous electronic calendaring solution — people were avoiding using it. And it was very difficult to make edits and customize the rule sets.”

How is ProLaw making a positive difference at Modrall Sperling?

Stanley Fried: “We don’t want to miss a court date, a filing date, or a deadline when the opposition should be responding. ProLaw automatically puts dates on the Microsoft® Outlook® calendar for all involved in a matter, and if something changes, it’s easy to change it, and those edits feed into everyone’s schedules. If a legal assistant is out, their backup can go in and change it, which is not possible in some other programs. We can even put deadlines on external contacts’ calendars, for example, outside counsel, co-counsels, or clients, which makes it a very flexible program. Our legal assistants appreciate not having to send out individual calendar notices to everyone — ProLaw makes it very easy for them.

What do you like most about ProLaw?

Stanley Fried: “Simplicity of setup is crucial: setting up a matter in ProLaw only takes a minute and then legal assistants can start calendaring straight away. Editing is similarly straightforward: instead of having to take several steps to make changes, users can simply drag and drop to move things around, or just click on dates to make changes or mark activities completed. Accuracy is important: because users can be confident ProLaw is calculating correctly, they don’t need to try to work out dates for themselves. It’s easy to create custom rule sets in addition to the Westlaw rules. The automation piece also makes a major difference when it comes to reporting: we set up a four week-ahead projected calendar that is sent out automatically to staff that is invaluable. Another selling point was the price: ProLaw is a tenth of the price of the previous product we had.”

Risk management with ProLaw

Advanced calendaring, docketing, Westlaw legal calendaring, and other features help you stay ahead of court deadlines and reduce risk

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