Overview of Legal Case Management Software
Legal case management software is a cloud-based tool designed to manage the entire life-cycle of a legal case, as well as all of the information associated with that case from start to finish. It provides a host of tools for the capture, organization and access of information. The data stored within the software includes profiles of all contacts and partners to a case, all documents and files, as well as notes and related communications. Case metadata is also maintained as a key component of the case record. In the case of government agencies, this information may be related to any number of legal matters that fall within the jurisdiction of a department. For example, Medicaid fraud, involvement in criminal actions, personal liability, etc.
There may be multiple case records maintained by the agency for each case; one for the open investigation, one for active surveillance, one for diversion into a related program like drug rehab , plus additional case records for any additional investigations into related matters involving the same party. Each new case will generally be a separate record, linked to prior cases as appropriate, along with their associated records. This information may be useful inside the department as well as to be made available to staff participating in joint investigations. The software also maintains associated metadata identifying when changes were made, by whom and the type of modification.
Case management software is often complemented with legal billing software, providing a platform for invoicing and collection tracking of agency billable activity. These billing records can then be integrated into the case records to provide supporting documentation to billing efforts.
Key components of legal case management software include:
We have helped our public sector clients identify the best solution for their needs. For us, it was NetDocuments Matter Management, which is now known as GoFile Room.
Why Governmental Legal Case Management Software is Vital
For government legal departments, the use of case management software is important for a variety of reasons. The reason that most organizations cite first is the gain in efficiency… but there are many other reasons why government legal departments must integrate legal case management software in to their daily operations. By helping legal departments to achieve increased levels of transparency and accountability, case management software empowers government legal departments to track, assess, and report on all operations in a manner that improves service levels and optimizes workflow. Legal case management software promotes both collaboration and cost-effectiveness. There are many steps and layers involved in many government legal cases. Forms must be completed, evidence collected, attorneys must confer with clients, etc. For executives and heads of government agencies in charge of overseeing legal activity, it is ever important that legal work, staffing levels, expenses, etc. be kept in check. The ability to do this with more powerful, advanced tools that exist in the marketplace – at a lower cost – makes sense. With access to all case and matter information, through a dynamic interface that provides actionable data and analytics, a clear picture of current activity is available for analysis. With this, governments now have the ability to make better resource allocation decisions and take targeted action before issues arise or worse, become systemic.
Case Management Features in Governmental Context
The features that are incredibly beneficial to law firms are not necessarily those that are also appropriate for government use cases. For example, on-site deployment often poses serious security issues, often involving encryption keys getting lost. With government work, you absolutely need secure deployment options, with encryption support, and encrypted backups. Robust reporting and compliance features are also important: reporting and compliance features are a must for public safety sectors, and for local, state and federal agencies. It is also important to be able to manage multiple compliance requirements from the same software, as one agency may have a city charter that mandates a particular requirement, or state or federal agencies might have different regulations that apply to you.
The ability to integrate with other systems is also critical. For example, if you are an attorney for a state department, you are probably going to want to electronically file cases with the state court system. These systems will often need to be integrated with your case management software. Getting information in and out quickly and securely is paramount, and the faster you can get information into the system, generally, the more visibility you have to act quickly.
With government systems, you are also going to need the ability to integrate with case management systems that are already in use at your agency or municipality. This might include integrations with bar association systems, or state systems. For example, an attorney on a state team might need to cross file with the case management systems for the treasurer, state police, or even the Secretary of State. A small filing might have huge implications to other departments.
Opacity is often a huge pain point that creates massive bottlenecks—so being able to easily share data among departments is vital. Just as in every other profession, attorneys are going to want to make the case as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible, without wasting resources. So being able to track cases and find patterns helps lawyers streamline their efforts, and being able to share this information with other departments is a major boon to inter-departmental efficiency.
Encryption also applies to the backup of your case management database and documents attached to your case management database. The backups should not only be encrypted, but they should be integrated with your IT systems so that you also have a streamlined IT process around the backup. For example, some case management systems will already include a backup that the program itself handles. Others will require you to install a third party backup software, and others still will require you to manually back up the software, either with an FTP solution or through some other method. But in all cases the backup should be encrypted, and in all cases the backup should not put the rest of your system at risk. With encryption, you can deploy backup solutions more easily, without concern for loss of data during storing and retrieving backups.
Benefits of Governmental Case Management Software
Government agencies that implement legal case management systems quickly see immediate benefits. Cost savings, streamlined workflows, and improved case outcomes are some of the early improvements. Government agencies frequently have larger case loads and smaller budgets. Case management and records storage costs take up a large portion of many government agencies budgets. In recent years, governmental departments have had to downsize their staffing, meaning less resources to go around. City, County, and State agencies are constantly balancing the cost of providing services with new initiatives in an effort to battle the recession.
Law enforcement agencies that use legal case management software generally require less staff to handle incoming cases. Proving the innocence or guilt of an individual requires time and careful study. In the past, large police departments would have five to eight officers in a given area. These officers would face lone attacks on suspects and therefore have larger budgets and larger departments. With the push for smaller police departments, increased liability insurance costs, and multi-city police cooperatives, the caseworkers at law enforcement agencies are forced to work extra shifts and submit cases more efficiently.
Criminal prosecutors, victim advocates, and public defenders have limited budgets and face increased caseloads from federal mandates. The lack of staff and budget strain is counteracted by the addition of a legal case management system.
Civil litigators have specific needs when it comes to case management. Legal case management software for civil litigators should focus on issues unique to the firm or agency. City, County, and State agencies often will share documents electronically and have the ability to collaborate in web forums without the need for email or fax. Electronic documents can be viewed and worked on from anywhere within the organization. It is easier to implement case management software in a large scale law firm as records are often shared in a similar format.
Cases that rely on documentation must be cataloged quickly. Many civil actions relate to patents, trademarks, and public records. With the public often viewing the information on the Internet, each filings must be organized for instant retrieval.
When a government agency automates its workflow, the human resources used for accepting and delivering information will require less time. Employees will also spend less time searching for information, and by digitally organizing the case files, everyone involved in the matter will be able to search for the information which they need to work with.
Implementation Hurdles and Solutions
Investing in case management software comes with a set of challenges. For those government entities who are considering implementation, the considerations can be daunting. Even when faced with the argument that a good software solution will not only help with efficiency but save money in the long run, the question of if and how it will actually change the way things are done is of huge importance. In some cases, what a system can do translates to a move away from long-held business practices that have always worked. The question should be whether they are still going to work moving forward? On the other hand, the chemical company that has always sold products through a manual order entry process may never be entirely automated and that’s okay. For the government entity looking for a better way to track cases, the lawyers involved and manage all of the forms and information that comes with each individual, legal matter , then case management software is being looked at as a way to do this efficiently so that time can be spent where it is really needed and information is easier to track and find.
The question is does your business process work? If it does, then "off the shelf" case management software may be all you need. If it doesn’t, the possibilities for customization are amazing. With on premises programs, there will be some flexibility in customization. But with the cloud, there is unlimited flexibility! An experienced case management software company can add fields and change everything so that it is exactly what you need. If you look at a program that has hundreds of features you don’t need and will never use, that is a company that has an outdated way of doing business. Technology has come a long way and the newest programs can do anything you need to do with the click of a button. A company that is stuck in the past is just that, stuck!
Case Studies: How Governmental Agencies Benefit from Case Management
The following sections elaborate on real-world examples and case studies of government agencies that have successfully implemented legal case management solutions.
Example 1: Overcoming Complexity and Scale in Public Health
A health department serving two million people in a large U.S. state turned to legal case management to manage the significant volume of litigation that their attorneys faced. Providing public health services to millions involved a complex array of issues—oversight of health care facilities and services, enforcement actions, and the execution of multiple programmatic healthcare initiatives, each with unique rules and procedures.
To handle this breadth efficiently, the state’s attorneys needed to track and manage a wide range of issues. A comprehensive legal case management solution allowed them to centrally capture this information, while still accommodating the flexibility required for the different workflows associated with each type of legal action. Advanced reporting allowed managers to track volume, expenditure, and outcomes across a range of issues to improve decision-making.
Example 2: Streamlining Insurance Claims and Litigation
A provincial government with 80,000 employees across hundreds of departments and locations recruited a private law firm to handle insurance claims litigation on behalf of the Province. The firm, in turn, recorded client matter information in their practice management software. Over time, the firm discovered that their practice management software was not designed for handling large numbers of files; as more and more files rolled in, they quickly ran into inefficient processes for exporting client information and tracking and managing large volumes of files.
A legal case management solution enabled the firm to handle hundreds of thousands of insurance law cases by managing the entire litigation process—from arbitrations to insurance hearings—all in one unified system. Having access to a single source of truth for client data helped the firm mitigate risk of misfiled cases, increased collaboration with the Province, and offered the visibility and control needed to meet the needs of the business.
Example 3: Making the Case for Complex Litigation
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requires that tens of thousands of civil litigation files be handled or managed by insurance carriers. With an average of 100,000 civil cases filed each year and an average cost of $2.9 million per case, any increase in efficiency can drive a big return on investment. Unfortunately, keeping track of client matters for thousands of insurance carriers across multiple agencies requires significant resources.
To improve processes, the Department adopted a legal case management solution designed to handle complex legal matters with high volumes of files. Using advanced case management tools, work was routed to specific attorneys and support staff based on their workload and expertise. Improvements were seen in both the quality of service and ability to deliver high quality, cost effective services.
Future Direction of Governmental Legal Case Management
The future of legal case management software in government agencies is one that promises to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, even as budgets continue to tighten. Soon after courts from all over the world convened at the World Congress on Justice for Children and Youth in Toronto, Canada last April, the future trends of legal case management software came under scrutiny. The software we discussed there and the future trends of legal case management software for government are relevant to the United States and beyond. Recent legislation has focused on increased standardization of legal records and forms across numerous jurisdictions. The Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act (UELMA) is a notable example. UELMA is a model act that promotes standardization and preservation of legal documents. This means that adoption of open standards by more legal case management software vendors will allow government agencies, particular courts, to provide greater access to these electronic documents, often through portals on their websites. Frequently these portals are open to the public at large, fostering better communication and collaboration between the court and citizens and ensuring more accountability in the court process. At the same time the future of legal case management software will see more private sector collaboration with government. Collaborative court calendars , for example, that will allow attorneys to find time on the calendar for trial or discovery and even issue notices to the clerk, will be increasingly common. Other innovations designed to make the job of the attorney easier will fall into this category, allowing for simplified virtual case management that includes access to case files and dockets and even other documents such as scanned images. Mobile technology will play a role in enhancing the future of legal case management software in government agencies. Lawyers will not be the only beneficiaries of this technology but lawyers certainly will be using their smart devices to manage their cases from wherever they happen to be. As these technologies evolve, other areas of legal practice will likely benefit from their implementation in government. The juvenile court is previously cited as an example. As families making use of the juvenile court system face increasing mobility, workforce issues and economic hardships related to the turbulent economy, they will expect to be able to access information about their cases, check in with their attorneys and make appointments anywhere from a smart device.