Jerry Hoffer, Attorney at Law, P.C.
Cleveland, Tennessee
Jerry has been a practicing attorney for over 20 years, handling hundreds of divorce, custody, child support, and juvenile cases year after year. He has been using MyCase for 4 years, online payments for 6 months, and he built his MyCase Website in 2013. We asked him a little bit about his experience with MyCase: why he chose the software, what has helped him the most, and how he has used MyCase to its fullest potential.
A Bit of Backstory
Jerry has been a practicing attorney for over 20 years, handling hundreds of divorce, custody, child support, and juvenile cases year after year. He has been using MyCase for 4 years, online payments for 6 months, and he built his MyCase Website in 2013. We asked him a little bit about his experience with MyCase: why he chose the software, what has helped him the most, and how he has used MyCase to its fullest potential.
How did you manage your practice before using MyCase?
Very poorly now that you mention it.
I started with Outlook and email. I graduated to Amicus. The problem was that I needed to share things with clients, remind them of court dates, etc. Other solutions require a lot of busy work to get information to clients that MyCase does on its own. It’s so easy to share client-relevant information securely and quickly.
Have you grown your practice since you started using MyCase? If so, are you finding that you’re making more money?
Yes. Most definitely yes. I’m able to handle much more complicated divorces with more assets. Basically, I can spend more time on the practice of law than on administrative things because MyCase does that for me. For example, I’ve eliminated the busy work of making a phone call the day before a court appointment to remind a client to be there. Instead, we put in our retainer agreement- you should log into MyCase every day. They are able to get messages and are up to date without having to call or email us.
This practice has resulted in very few people forgetting about court or forgetting about depositions. I had a case today where I went into court, and another attorney said his client wasn’t there because his office staff gave the client incorrect information. With MyCase, everything is accurate and there’s accountability between me and my clients.
With the time I save, I’m able to market my business. Sometimes MyCase sells the client to hire our office.– Attorney Jerry Hoffer
What percentage of your clients use the client portal?
95%. If they’re not using MyCase, it’s so much more difficult to communicate, we almost don’t want to represent them. With the price of stamps and how slow it all is, we just don’t want to bother. We highly encourage every single client to use the portal.
What advantages have you seen from being able to bill and get paid by clients anytime?
Well, it makes working from home a lot easier. At least one day a week I like to stay at the house and work from home- I don’t have to spend time lugging things around. I can open up my laptop and be up to date with any case I want, work on any case I want, and bill any case I want.
It also makes travel easier. Recently, I was away in Memphis for a 3 day CLE conference. I took my whole staff with me. I made more money in those 3 days away from the office than most other days- I was able to stay in contact with people and have people pay me- even while I wasn’t in the office!
The website was so easy to set up. By having the client portal integrated with my website, the clients feel engaged and are up to date on everything going on with their case.– Attorney Jerry Hoffer
How has modernizing your software and website improved your business? Has it changed your reputation?
MyCase has improved business by keeping us organized and in touch with clients. Plus, if the building burns down I can still practice law! Our reputation has been improved because we are seen as cutting edge and clients feel like we care about communication. As far as the website goes, I used to have a crappy website and rely on word of mouth. But with a MyCase Website, now my site just looks professional. It was so easy to set up. Plus, by having the client portal integrated with my website, the clients feel engaged and are up to date on everything going on with their case.
Would you recommend MyCase to a colleague?
I’ve already gotten 3 or 4 colleagues on MyCase! They all love it!
