LexisNexis Firm Manager® was introduced in 2011 with the goal of helping attorneys "get organized, master their business, and connect with clients." After several months, however, it was clear that it had missed the mark.
“Attorneys weren’t engaged, and they were telling us that, while the concept was something they needed, the product just wasn’t working for them,” said LexisNexis Firm Manager Vice President and Product Champion Susan Harman.
Based on her years working for companies like Apple® and Intuit®, Harman knew something had to change. So, the tough decision was made to phase out the current version and rework a new version of the application from the ground up.
“We didn’t want to just make a new product; we wanted to make something that would help lawyers build the practice of their dreams,” Harman said.
This customer-driven approach meant wiping the slate clean and crisscrossing the country, talking to hundreds of solo/duo attorneys at conferences, bar association meetings, and in their offices; listening to their problems, understanding their needs, and watching what they were doing in their practice and on the go.
We put concepts in front of attorneys before a single line of code was written. We showed sketches, and then early versions of the product every few weeks during the development process. If something wasn’t right, we changed it to make it work the way the attorneys expected. We also created a Customer Advisory Board to give us continuous feedback, and an online community where our customers could get, and stay, engaged with us.
The result? A faster, more intuitive, cloud-based practice management solution built for—and more importantly, by—solo and small firm attorneys to work the way they do. And yes, to help them build the practice of their dreams.
“This is the way legal software needs to be built,” said Harman “We’re always going to be listening to what our customers are telling us.”
To see what customer-driven software looks like, try it out at for yourself www.firmmanager.com.