How Ledger Square Law Said “No” to $50,000 in Offsite Document Storage

Creating the time and space to get more done

To say that Jason Whalen is “busy” would be an understatement. Aside from being a busy lawyer with Ledger Square Law, a reputable, highly referred law firm in Tacoma, he’s also a respected mediator, and the Mayor of the City of Lakewood, President of the local Rotary Club, a member of 5 additional boards and commissions, and a father to three daughters.

Jason and the three other founding attorneys started Ledger Square Law with a lofty vision to create better experiences for both their clients and those working at the firm. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy—but they also knew they wanted to start off without the clutter and inefficiencies they had grown tired of at their previous law firm.

How Ledger Square Law implemented better systems to increase their impact and give back to the community

In an effort to get away from the out-dated software the team had used at previous law firms, Ledger Square Law was an early adopter of Clio and has since become a change agent in helping other firms in their local community make the switch to cloud-based platforms.

1. The freedom and flexibility of a paperless office

Ledger Square Law’s office—occupying a lofty, urban downtown space—is a source of pride for Jason. The office operates with a minimal amount of paper—free from clutter and highly efficient, which allows the firm to host regular community art shows.

For comparison, Jason’s previous firm spent $45,000 to $50,000 each year on offsite storage for paper files—in addition to the paper files that crowded the firm’s large office.

2. Reducing billing from a week-long process to mere hours

Jason and his team were familiar with the paper-based approach to billing at previous law firms. It required several back and forths with secretaries, who would type and retype hand-written entries and revisions, before mailing clients their bills—a process that easily took a week or more.

“It would take forever to get client matters paid.”

Now, with Clio, Jason can review and send out 55 to 60 bills within hours, including delivery. Clio also handles all of the client details, creating a foolproof system that ensures each bill gets sent to the right person associated with a matter.

“A lot of times, clients are very specific about who should be the primary contact for billing purposes, especially larger companies. They want a designated account to which all bills go, so you have to make sure that you understand the process that the client wants.”

3. Clio Payments saves times and improves collections

While Clio has helped Ledger Square Law reduce the time it spends on billing, Clio has also helped increase the amount of collections coming into the firm.

“The enhancements created on the billing side—the automatic reminders to clients, and opportunities for them to pay electronically—they’ve been huge for us.”

4. Connecting firm data to cloud-based accounting solutions

Clio integrates with essential accounting solutions like Xero and QuickBooks Online, which allows law firms to sync their financial data automatically to their bookkeeping software—which means that no one needs to reenter the data manually into a separate software.

5. Enabling remote work with clients

Over the years, client needs have shifted with innovations in technology—and more want to meet online.

“The interesting thing is that after 30 years of law practice and being involved in this business for that long, the majority of my work now is with clients I have never met. We rarely meet in the office that much anymore.”

“I’ll be at home or at a City Hall meeting, and I can check in on my phone. And even better, I can work from Hawaii or Europe. I don’t have to worry about being wedded to a VPN or a heavy desktop computer. With my laptop and phone, I can do everything I need to.”

6. Keeping the firm focused on results

With all of the firm’s systems and processes handled within Clio, it’s really easy for Jason and his team to monitor their progress, as individuals and as a team.

Ledger Square Law has grown with new innovations in Clio. As a long-time Clio customer, members at Ledger Square Law have adopted new features and functionalities as they’ve been released. “We are growing with Clio as it continues to add features and streamlines the experience for practitioners.”

“I want to continue practicing for the people with whom I enjoy practicing, and for the clients with whom I think I can create a difference in their lives, and that allows me the flexibility to do the community stuff that I enjoy doing as well.”

“I do think Clio shares the value of innovation. In fact, they were the innovative leaders that got us to think about it right. They really were a change agent in the industry. Of course Clio spread across the country and now across the world. I applaud Clio’s ability to start with an idea that stuck and grew, and with some venture capital was well-watered and blossomed.”