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How Clio Grow helped this attorney cut the time he spends on intake from 3 hours to 20 minutes

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Customer Case Study - J.W. McClure and Associates

J.W. McClure & Associates LLC

  • 2020

    Year Founded

  • Solo

    Number of Staff

  • 2020

    Started Using Clio

  • Sycamore, Illinois, USA

    Location

  • Flat Fee

    Hourly

    Fee Types

  • Wills and Estates

    Practice Areas

How Clio Grow helped this attorney cut the time he spends on intake from 3 hours to 20 minutes

If someone told you about Jed’s journey to becoming a lawyer, you’d swear they were repeating the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster. A former multimillion dollar business owner, Jed McClure was the victim of an embezzlement scheme perpetrated by his business partner and the target of a hitman. In the end, he lost everything.

After surviving this ordeal, Jed was driven to help small businesses develop emergency plans and protect themselves from fraud. He set his sights on law school, where he came across Clio while working in a law school clinic. Jed “saw the potential” in Clio and, when he opened his own firm, officially became a customer.

“I had some experience with Clio Grow before starting my firm. When I was in law school, I worked at a clinic that used Clio Grow, and it was just a fantastic system. While the clinic only used maybe 5% of Clio Grow’s capabilities, I saw the potential.”

Now a solo practicing business planning, asset protection and estate planning (with some other exciting projects on the go), Jed has set his sights on scaling his business. Read on to learn how Clio supports Jed with his goals.

How Clio is helping Jed build his business

1. Starting client relations off right

As a solo practitioner, Jed is an army of one. He has only so much time and energy to devote to his business, which is why he loves Clio Grow’s Email Campaign feature. The Email Campaign feature allows users to send emails out to clients at predetermined intervals and use or create email templates for campaigns.

“Clio has saved me countless hours on the intake and client nurturing process. When a potential client comes to my website seeking information, I then have an email nurturing system that’s basically automatic. Once they’re in the system, there are reminders that allow me to follow up with that potential client and eventually convert them into becoming a client.”

2. Streamlining the client intake process

Client intake is an essential but often time-consuming step for any file. Prior to using Clio, Jed experienced a lot of back-and-forth with clients. For example, Jed would take an initial 10-minute phone call with a prospective client to see whether he could help them at all. That phone call would be followed by an initial consultation that took anywhere from one to three hours to gather information and determine next steps. Jed would have to then send an engagement letter (which the client may or may not sign promptly) and, depending on the circumstances, follow up for more information and request documents.

Since adopting Clio, Jed has cut down the amount of time he spends on intake by “at least 70%”.

“With Clio [Grow], I’ve completely changed my process. Now, when somebody calls, it’s a 10 minute conversation, tops. In that 10 minute conversation, we talk about what they want. I send them my engagement letter, often while they’re on the phone with me. It takes me 30 seconds to go in and type in their name and their email address into the system and then I send my intake form. When they answer that form, I have everything that I need to know to make the entire plan. So now we’ve just cut out that two to three hour meeting. I have a very strong idea of what they’re trying to do, I have a good grasp on their goals, and I’m able to create their documents and get them drafts. I’ve cut down on the amount of time I work with a client on intake by at least 70%.”

3. Providing a personalized touch

Whether you’re fully invested in a client-centered experience or simply want to provide a more personal touch for your client relationships, Clio can help. Jed works in a small community and likes to nurture relationships by keeping track of important client events like birthdays and file anniversaries (if he notices that his client has something to celebrate, say, because of a news article, he’ll also follow up), which he manages with Clio.

Maintaining a personal connection with clients is not only a great customer service strategy, but in Jed’s case, it often brings in business he may have otherwise missed out on.

“Usually, when a client’s work finishes, I send a closing letter. I wait a couple of weeks, and then I send a thank you letter and include a gift certificate to Starbucks, just as a thank you. Just sending that thank you card, that little $5.00 gift certificate really helps. And then what I do is make note of special dates like anniversaries or when they have to renew documents or renew things, special events that are going on in their life. I pay attention to the news because we’re in a small community. If something pops up that I see that their kids are doing or something, I will send a card to follow up.I find that often, clients I’ve worked with in the past have things that they need fixed or resolved or work done, but they forget to contact the attorney because it’s low on the priority list. But when I send that card, they say, “oh yeah, I have that thing that needs to be taken care of”. And then I get a phone call. So, it helps to keep me and my firm top of mind for my clients, and having Clio [Grow] ’s email system where I can put things in the calendar to be reminded on this person’s birthday or on an anniversary, I am reminded and I can react to the event. That’s been fantastic.”

4. Focusing on the bigger picture

Jed has a vision and ambitious plans for his law firm, so he needs to take advantage of every minute to achieve his goals. With programs like Clio Grow, he is able to automate many routine administrative tasks, save money on staffing, and focus on the bigger picture. He estimates that, without Clio, he’d need to hire two staff members.

“If I didn’t have Clio, I would probably need at least two staff members to do just the administrative work that Clio is able to do very efficiently. It cuts a tremendous amount of cost for me.”

So, what plan does Jed have up his sleeve?

Jed’s vision for the future

Jed’s long-term vision for his law firm is intrinsically tied to his lived experience. He wants to ensure that others don’t have to go through what he and his family endured. As a result, Jed plans to launch two products: a children’s protection program for parents and a small business emergency plan. While Jed plans to offer these products as a “DIY” project, buyers will have the option to hire Jed to work with them and prepare the documents they need. According to Jed, Clio is “going to be very instrumental in helping nurture that process”. Rest assured that Clio will be there for you every step of the way, Jed.

“If you’re considering Clio, go for it. It’s fantastic. Running a law firm is running a small business, and time is money when you run a business. I’ve cut out 70 to 80% of administrative time that I was spending prior to Clio. Having Clio set up with the systems that I want keeps me consistent, keeps me on a schedule, and it cuts out all that wasted time.”

Interested in learning more about what Clio Grow can do for your firm?

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