Jen Lee, a highly experienced bankruptcy attorney and founder of Jen Lee Law, routinely handles a substantial volume of documents and maintains frequent client communication within her practice — but it wasn’t always that way. With her initial reliance on email for client interaction, Jen encountered communication inefficiencies that hindered case progress. In response, Jen transitioned to PracticePanther, a move that not only enabled seamless client communication through the Client Portal but also resulted in a significant reduction of over 10 non-billable hours per month.
Overcoming Communication Bottlenecks with PracticePanther’s Client Portal
Jen was no stranger to the challenges of managing an overwhelming workload, particularly when it came to exchanging emails with clients to collect vital documents for bankruptcy cases. Despite her initial reliance on Clio’s client portal, its complexities overwhelmed many of her bankruptcy clients, leading her to use email communication to handle their bankruptcy documents. Her heavy reliance on emails and paper-based processes had created bottlenecks that hindered time management within her law firm, prompting her to search for a more efficient and user-friendly solution.
Jen found PracticePanther, where the client portal feature stood out to her as a step towards streamlined communications. PracticePanther’s Client Portal provided Jen with a centralized platform to efficiently process and securely store a high volume of confidential documents. The Client Portal also opened up a streamlined way to communicate with clients for Jen which significantly reduced the time she spent, compared to directly emailing clients.
“The back-and-forth paperwork exchange could consume anywhere from 2 to 6 months with a client. After using PracticePanther’s Client Portal, the process only takes between 2 to 3 weeks."
Jen Lee
Founder of Jen Lee Law & Lawyer Success Network
Additionally with PracticePanther, Jen is able to monitor client submissions and track document statuses directly within the Client Portal. This simplified case management enabled Jen to easily communicate with clients about any overdue or incomplete tasks.
“Previously, we needed our business managers to go through and figure out where every client was in terms of their status and document submissions, but we no longer needed to with PracticePanther’s Client Portal.”
PracticePanther’s Client Portal Helped Jen Lee Streamline Case Progress and Enhanced Client Communication
On top of streamlined client communication, Jen also improved the client experience within her law firm by utilizing the client portal effectively. With task assignment and client tagging capabilities in the Client Portal, Jen was able to enable instant notifications to her clients — transforming back-and-forth email exchange into rapid responsiveness.
“The client portal really helped improve my client communication and management. I used to be completely overwhelmed by communication in email, but I can simply just go in to the client portal and answer their questions directly.”
Many of Jen’s bankruptcy clients have expressed concerns about embarking on the bankruptcy process, primarily because of the extensive paperwork involved — leading them to their hesitation to begin. PracticePanther’s automation empowers clients to take the crucial first step, with each stage determined by specific case milestones, such as “submit paystubs,” or “submit bank statements,” etc. Jen’s clients now simply follow an automated step-by-step process, which assigns tasks only for their current stage in the case. By breaking the case down into milestones, reduces the overall stress on clients as it prevents them from feeling overwhelmed with any unnecessary future tasks.
Through PracticePanther’s workflow automation, Jen’s clients are able to gain more clarity in their matters and receive timely updates on their case statuses with minimal oversight from Jen and her team. This improvement resulted in reduced stress for both client and firm, while also reducing overall case time. These automation have enabled Jen to provide an enhanced experience for their bankruptcy clients while reducing back-office tasks.
“Setting up automated workflows in PracticePanther allowed my clients to immediately see their case progress and reduces a lot of stress on their end.”
Transform Client Communication in Your Practice with PracticePanther’s Client Portal
After adopting PracticePanther to her practice, Jen was able to leverage the client portal’s capabilities to easily collect documents, streamline case progress, and enhance client communication in one centralized place. This success within her law firm made Jen recognize that numerous law firms faced challenges similar to those she once confronted.
In response, Jen expanded her legal practice and leveraged her experience to assist other firms in selecting the most suitable technology solutions as a Consultant. In 2017, she founded Lawyer Success Network®, dedicated to helping fellow lawyers navigate law practice design and offering personalized strategic consulting and educational courses. Jen’s journey exemplifies how effective technology adoption and streamlined processes can lead to not only personal success but also opportunities to support others in the legal profession.
“I think a lot of attorneys jump into their practice feeling so overwhelmed by all the moving elements. Years later, they often wish they had started on the right foot, by incorporating automation and a client portal. I wanted to help them achieve the success I’ve enjoyed with PracticePanther and share that valuable knowledge with them.”
