MyCase Customer Spotlight: MyCase Increases Efficiency for Hamp Law

At MyCase we like to learn as much as we can about our customers because they’re at the center of everything that we do. That’s why we spend a lot of time talking to them – so that we can understand their law practices and how MyCase helps them grow their firms and allows them to provide the best possible service to their clients. We also really enjoy sharing their stories and secrets of success with you whether in webinars, customer testimonials, or on this blog.

Most recently we talked to Shawn Hamp to learn about his law practice and in today’s post you’ll learn how his Arizona criminal defense and DUI law firm, Hamp Law, uses MyCase to increase efficiency and centralize all of their firm’s data.

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Let’s get started by learning about you, your firm, and how you use MyCase. First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Sure, I’m a criminal defense attorney who practices law in Northern Arizona, and have been practicing law for 21 years. I was a former prosecutor and I started my firm back in 2007.

Now let’s talk a little bit about your law firm. Can you tell me approximately how large it is?

My firm currently has employees. We have five attorneys and we have eight support staff as well.

And what would you say sets your firm from apart from the rest?

What sets apart our firm is that we handle cases in courts that not a lot of other attorneys are very familiar with. Attorneys in our firm have been practicing law for a long time and we’re very familiar with the different courts as opposed to some attorneys from the larger Phoenix area.

Also we handle only criminal defense. We have a philosophy where we believe if you want to be a good criminal attorney, you have to be a good trial attorney, and I think that all the attorneys in my firm are very good trial lawyers.

Good to hear. Now let’s talk a little bit about MyCase. Can you let me know how you ended up choosing MyCase for your firm?

Back in the day, I used to have a giant physical server to run my case management software and we had a server so that the support staff and the attorney could use the database to share our documents and our client contacts. We actually had to have a third computer essentially to keep all the information stored for our client database. About six years ago, I planned on moving out of Arizona and I needed to set up my IT infrastructure so that I didn’t have to be on site all the time to maintain it. So I had a strategic plan where I purchased Apple computers, ditched the server, and went with MyCase because it was software-as-a-service and cloud-based computing. I decided to adopt that technology to run the firm so that I could work remotely

Having that arrangement certainly must’ve helped during COVID since you’re used to working remotely.

We didn’t skip a beat because we were already cloud-based and we use MyCase for case management software. I sent my staff home the next day and said take your phone with you and your computer.

So how has MyCase help you run your practice more efficiently?

It’s helped us run more efficiently in a lot of different ways. One of the biggest advantages with MyCase is that it has a traditional case management software aspect to it, and it also allows you to share notes and collaborate. You can also have documents and files all in one place. And what really turned out to be great is that it really keeps the clients in the loop about their case and facilitates client communication. The client portal shows the client that you’re actually doing work on their case because they can see the files that are being added. They can also communicate with us easily through the secure client portal. So I think the biggest benefit of using cloud-based case management software is having that client collaboration.

Next I want to focus on how much time it saves you each week. I’m wondering if, since you were just talking about the client portal, it may save a lot of time? Can you quantify how much time the portal might save your practice and also how other features might be a time-saver?

It definitely helps us save a lot of time with the back and forth with clients. Another thing I also like about MyCase that is a time-saver is the timekeeping features and invoices. I love using MyCase to keep track of time. We’re a flat fee firm so we do most of our cases with flat fees. So we don’t have to keep a whole lot of strict time records, but when we do – like when we have a client that is being charged on an hourly basis or we have to submit our hours to the court to get reimbursed for appointed cases – we can easily create our time in MyCase with its billing features.

And when I generate an invoice that I submit to get paid I can see the savings right there. It’s very clear to me how MyCase is a generator of income because you can capture that time. So I feel like it pays for itself, and every time I send out an itemized bill with time I see the savings and the benefit of the program.

That’s great to hear! Are there any other features you haven’t mentioned that are standout features?

Another thing that I would say is nice about case management software is that MyCase gives you a system to manage your firm and it’s built in. So it gives you the template for how to, for example, create a client file. It has a good database with all the labels and the templates you need. And MyCase even has workflow features. So it’s basically a built-in system to run your firm. And you’re not just relying on email and file folders and maybe share drives. It’s much more robust and organized than that.

So have you recommended my case to other attorneys?

I have. I’m a member of a lot of attorney networking groups, and new members will ask for recommendations about case management software. And without hesitation I always recommend MyCase. MyCase has always been competitively priced and you always try to innovate by adding new features to the program.

For example, one feature that is fairly new is the ability to text clients through the portal. And that’s been very convenient. MyCase also has billing options where you can run credit card payments through it, and there is a Dropbox integration that’s useful. So MyCase always adds features and I’ve been pleased with it.

I really appreciate your sharing. Ok – last question: Where do you see your firm over the next five years? And what do you hope to accomplish or do differently?

Well we’re evaluating our goals and we want to continue to expand the geographic area that we handle cases in. We want to go more statewide. We also want to grow as a firm. We basically have become more corporate and more business-like in how we approach our growth and our operations because the competition is fierce. So we plan to keep growing as a firm to keep up.

Well, I have no doubt that your firm will be successful. And I hope that MyCase can help you on that journey!