Tips for Using Case Lists in your Firm

We are continuing to talk about "tips" on "getting the work done." There are five things that make up every business in the world, and "getting the work done" is the third item. The first item is "clients or customers" and the second part is "administration." The last two items are "billing" and "collecting."

After you get the client and find a way to administer their matter into your firm, you must "get the work done."

This week's tip is the use of "case lists" with every individual in your firm who has any obligation to do any of the substantive work on any clients legal matter. These case lists can be as simple as alphabetical lists that are typed on computers to more formal lists that may be extracted from electronic data bases. In any event, at a bare minimum the list must contain the client's name and the client's matter. These items should be in alphabetical order for easy reference.

Let's talk about the structure of some of these lists and then the way that these can be used for many different purposes to facilitate "getting the work done" in your law firm.

I make it mandatory for everyone in our office to have a case list of the cases they are assigned to, regardless of what their role is, if they have any responsibility for achieving anything of substance in that client's matter.

If their role is just "administrative" I do not ask them to keep a case list. The concept in our office is that we have a primary attorney, a secondary attorney, a paralegal and a law clerk assigned to every file where possible. Your probably groaning if you are a solo practitioner, and wonder where in the devil you are going to get all of the additional people to make up their case lists. Even if you are a solo practitioner, you need a case list, even if it happens to be a computer printout of all the cases and matters in your office, so that you may refer to it on a daily basis.

If you have anyone in your office that does any substantive work on any legal matter with you, they need a case list.

I like case lists that are simple. I like to have the clients last name first, followed by the clients first name. I put this in a column down the left hand side of the page on the computer. The next column down the page contains the matter for the particular client and the third column contains the latest work assignment that needs to be accomplished for that client.

Under some circumstances I put a fourth column down the page that is a due date so that the people I am assigning the work to will know exactly when the matter is expected to be completed. I think you can picture this kind of list in your mind and see how it can be very helpful. If you are a solo practitioner, all you need to do is print out your client list off your computer and it instantaneously is at your fingertips for review.

I recommend that everyone in our office review their case lists every day. Not only does this remind you as to what client's matters have been entrusted to you, but it also reminds of deadlines as well as reminds you to be sure to write up time on a particular matter that you may have overlooked at the time you were performing the task in question.

One of the added advantages of utilizing a computer generated case list is that you can simply add new names alphabetically when they are assigned or strike names off when the matter is completed and you are no longer performing any tasks on that particular client or that particular client's matter. If you are faster with a computer, you can simply add various names and delete various names alphabetically and that information will expand or contract on the computer screen at the touch of the keyboard.

Another advantage of having case lists is it allows you to have case list review meetings in order to be sure that everyone in your office knows exactly what they are supposed to be doing on each clients matter. We will talk more about these meetings next week.

Recently I had an opportunity to discuss a new person's case list while I was out of town and they were in the office. I asked for that person to review with me each of the clients and each of the client's matters that they had been assigned. I heard over the telephone a fumbling of papers, and I realized very quickly that this person had not taken the time to put together a case list. I realized that they really had no earthly idea as to all the various clients and all the various client's matters that they had been assigned.

I stopped this person in mid-conversation, and asked them if they had a case list, and they sheepishly indicated that they did not. I then strongly suggested that this person stop and take the time to put together a case list with regard to each client and each matter and each assignment that they had been given with regard to various client matters. I said, "When you have your case list ready, call me back!"

About an hour later this person called me back, and was amazed at how much more organized they were and how much better they could articulate to me exactly where they stood on each matter. In short, there is absolutely no substitution for organization.

Any mechanism that you can use that will remind you on a daily basis as to what client's matters have been intrusted to you for you to perform legal services for them is an incredibly valuable tool.

You need to develop the self discipline to actually utilize the list and to strongly encourage, if not demand, that those who are working on your client's matters with you also develop these case lists and the self discipline to review them on a daily basis. Like many other things in life, if you start the list and get in the habit of keeping it up, it will become a matter of habit, and will be very easy for you to simply add and delete clients and matters and assignments on a daily basis.

I believe that I started keeping a client list on my first day of in private practice on July the 7th, 1970. I have utilized the client case list concept everyday of my practice since that date. Pretty quickly it will be thirty-four years. It is amazing how comfortable you feel knowing exactly what the matters are that you have been entrusted by your client.

It is a great psychological boost to know where you are, know how far behind you are, and know that you are keeping track of the time on the client's matters that you are handling. As I said in a previous article, often times it's a great boost just knowing exactly how far behind you are.

If you don't have a case list system - get started, get one.

Delegate the list to someone else in your office to help you get started. Have your secretary make up the list for you. Put it on your computer and update it daily. Put it on your palm pilot and update it daily.

Write it down on your legal pad and add items and delete items as you are hired on new matters and finish out old matters. Do something, do anything, but get started! Review this case list on a daily basis and you will be amazed at how much better you feel about everything that you are doing for all the clients who have asked you to be of help to them.

Next week we are going to talk about case list meetings with people who have been asked to help you accomplish the substantive work on your client's matters. I think you will find some of the suggestions that I make with regard to these meetings to be very helpful. Additionally, I think you will be surprised to find a couple of techniques that I use to make these meetings more productive, more enjoyable, and in some cases even down right fun.

Talk to you next week!

Jim Wirken is a civil trial attorney and the Chairman of the Board of The Wirken Law Group in Kansas City.