Aderant: Stop with the Sticky Notes
Believe it or not, two firms prove that iTimekeep and OCG Live got their timekeepers entering their own time and adhering to client-defined billing guidelines, without the Post-Its.
Timekeepers are routinely referred to as “timekeepers”, but at many firms they are still relying on support staff to enter their time for them. This no longer needs to be the norm. Two Aderant firms – Traub Lieberman and Gordon & Rees – have successfully leveraged Aderant iTimekeep and OCG Live to help them “rip off the band-aid” and empower (or compel) timekeepers to enter their own time and narratives in compliance with outside counsel guidelines (OCGs).
At Aderant’s 2022 Momentum conference in Austin, Kerri Lawrence, CFO at Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP, and Samantha Chopus, Client Services Manager at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, shared how they have gotten close to 100% of their timekeepers to enter their own time while enforcing OCGs at the point of time entry. In both cases, the switch has brought greater quality, compliance, efficiency, and effectiveness to their firms’ billing process.
Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP
A pioneer in “ripping off the band-aid”, Traub Lieberman has been requiring timekeepers to enter their own time for years. About 95% of the firm’s timekeepers now enter their own time via Aderant iTimekeep, and they are not offered the opportunity to delegate this task to secretaries. The firm is also using OCG Live to enforce quality and billing compliance at the point of time entry. Lawrence notes, “We realize that a few attorneys – particularly those less technologically savvy and big rainmakers – won’t use iTimekeep and OCG Live, but we are more focused on the majority of timekeepers who are using Aderant’s products to great benefit.”
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Gordon & Rees adopted iTimekeep and OCG Live more recently and they train all their new timekeepers on how to use the software, including both associates and laterals. The firm makes it clear to all newcomers that they must enter their own time, and this mandate is built into the onboarding process. In fact, Chopus notes, “Our firm doesn’t even train secretaries on how to use iTimekeep and OCG Live – only the timekeepers receive this training. We are moving into a new generation of timekeepers who like technology and training. One of our partners even uses talk-to-text to do her time entries during her commute home.”
Make It Easy and Convenient
Both Lawrence and Chopus noted that the easier you make independent time entry for the timekeepers, the more apt they are to do it and ultimately get used to the convenience that technology provides. At Momentum Austin, both firms mentioned that iTimekeep and OCG Live allows their timekeepers to enter their own time from their phones, laptops, or Apple watches at any hour of the day or night. Also, OCG Live flags potential non-compliant words and sections in the time entry and clearly highlights the problem so timekeepers can correct it on the spot. The best way to ensure quality and compliance is to make it immediate and concise – OCG Live does both.
Getting Started Right with iTimekeep and OCG Live
Firms need to determine how to get started with iTimekeep and OCG Live at a pace that works for them. In true ‘rip the band aid’ fashion, Traub Lieberman decided to cut over to timekeepers entering their time into iTimekeep all at once, not in phases. However, when they added OCG Live into the mix, they chose to turn on the system gradually, activating it for just one client at a time. Incidentally, the firm is also in the process of moving from Juris to Aderant’s Expert Sierra SaaS practice management solution. Lawrence advocates “encouraging good habits versus discouraging bad habits. When considering a ‘carrot or stick’ approach, we choose a light stick to help people do it the right way the first time. That way, no one has to go fix the mistakes later.”
Consider Starting with a Pilot Group First
Gordon & Rees opted to first conduct a pilot installation of iTimekeep and OCG Live before rolling out the technology firm-wide. They had been using Intapp Time and Intapp Terms before converting over to iTimekeep and OCG Live. Chopus notes that Gordon & Rees “started with a strategically chosen pilot group of 32 people spread out across different roles, offices, and practice groups. We selected people who would be eager to give us feedback about the software so we could determine what issues we would be encountering.” By ferreting out any bugs or problems at the pilot stage, the firm could hone the system, create a positive buzz that would increase anticipation, and quell anxiety among naysayers. Once iTimekeep and OCG Live had been tweaked based on feedback from the pilot group, the solutions were deployed for the rest of the firm’s users.
Increasing Chances for Success
For firms wishing to require timekeepers to enter their own time independently while simultaneously complying with client billing guidelines, it’s important to create a path full of positive reinforcement. It’s also vital to remember that you are taking away a crutch many timekeepers have been using for years. If they are trained sufficiently, given access to quality tools, and shown how to fix errors quickly and easily (like iTimekeep and OCG Live do) then the timekeepers will be more likely to continue the desired behavior.
Lawrence notes, “When you decide to make timekeepers enter their own time in a system like iTimekeep, give them a deadline and don’t let them linger or hold on to their manual ways. Timekeepers are deadline-oriented anyway, so they’re used to this.” Chopus echoes this, adding, “We gave people more leniency to stay with Intapp for a while, but, looking back, I wish we had cut off their access to Intapp and told them that iTimekeep was the only solution available to them.”
On the quality and billing compliance end, make sure timekeepers are well-versed in their client’s OCGs. If they have a thorough understanding of what their clients want and realize that bills will be rejected or diminished if they are not compliant, timekeepers will have a vested interest in making sure their time entries and narratives dovetail with client priorities. OGC Live will continue to enforce clients’ guidelines for time entry, but of course it’s less frustrating for timekeepers if they don’t make errors in the first place.
Soothing the Pain
Why don’t people rip off band-aids? Because it usually hurts and they don’t like pain. However, Lawrence and Chopus say that the pain resulting from requiring timekeepers to keep their own time was minimal, and the advantages outweighed any temporary discomfort. By requiring timekeepers to enter their own time, you are bringing responsibility back to the timekeeper, which is where it should be. Timekeepers may not like doing it, but they can and will do it if they are not given an alternative. Chopus said, “Once we addressed the root problem, enforcing compliant time entry by the timekeeper via iTimekeep and OCG Live, we were impressed with how quickly conditions improved.”
Lawrence remarked, “Due to implementing iTimekeep and OGC Live, our firm saw an increase in the speed of cash flow coming into the firm because we didn’t have to appeal as many invoices and got paid sooner.”
Will there be a learning curve once you require timekeepers to enter their own time? Yes, but that can easily be counteracted with proper training. Will some attorneys resist? Most likely, but that can be overcome with a firm-wide policy that is backed by top leadership. More tech-savvy timekeepers will probably prefer entering their time, or are already doing it, and those who are a bit more tech averse will ultimately submit if it’s required.
Aderant – A Secret Weapon for Helping Firms Get Timekeepers to Enter Their Own Time
Aderant can be your firm’s “secret weapon” when you are ready to rip off the proverbial band-aid. iTimekeep, OCG Live and Expert Sierra are just three of many solutions we have developed to make law firms more compliant, efficient, and effective.
