Luton secured a second successive Championship play-off campaign with a 1-1 draw at Reading on last night. Here is what we took from the night.
Mighty Marvelous continues to inspire
If you heard the bonus edition of the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust podcast last week, you will have recognised how inspirational a figure Marvelous Nakamba is, but for those who haven’t there was another reminder of it at the Madejski Stadium.
In the opening period he broke up play at will, contributing five more tackles to an overall total which is growing rapidly by the week, and then in the second half when the Town were a man up after Andy Carroll earned himself a daft sending off, the Zimbabwean would drop deep and launch attacks with pinpoint passes to the wide players, or through the lines to the increasing number of attacking players that were sent onto the pitch in an orange shirt.
With Marvelous shielding the back four, the Town have a wonderful safety net to rely on.
Doughty delights on return to the side
Alfie Doughty missed the 2-0 win in Rotherham on Saturday after a head injury he picked up against Blackpool on Easter Monday, but the wing-back was back in the side at Reading doing what he does best.
His delivery is becoming a real weapon for the Hatters at present, both from dead balls and in open play, and the former Stoke man almost opened the scoring with a replica of the free-kick which got him on the scoresheet at Sunderland last month. Then, his effort from 25 yards went through the keeper and in. This time it cannoned the post and came back into play.
That wasn’t the end of the impact for the left-sided star. He sent 14 crosses into the Reading box over the course of the 90+ minutes, two more than the Royals mustered in the entire match and, although no goals came from them, it wasn’t for the want of trying.
Woodrow continues to impress in a starting role
For the second match in succession, Hatters boss Rob Edwards named Cauley Woodrow alongside top scorer Carlton Morris at the business end of the pitch, although he did have Elijah Adebayo to call upon from the bench after he also missed the win at Rotherham.
Woodrow is a completely different type of striker to Morris and Adebayo and his skill and eye for finding space caused all sorts of problems for the Reading defence, particularly in the first half, which after an opening 10-minute storm was dominated by the visiting side.
Woodrow almost opened the scoring in the first half when another sumptuous cross was put over by Cody Drameh, which Morris flicked into the path of his strike partner, who must have thought he was about to score for the second game running, only for a brilliant block from a home defender.
You sense Woodrow is going to be a big player for the Town in the huge games to come, particularly with fears of the injury that forced him off in the second period downplayed by Edwards.
Berry comes off the bench for big impact
Luke Berry probably doesn’t want to be labelled as a ‘super sub’ but it is a role he continues to play very well in this Luton team and he made another huge contribution when called upon to replace Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu on 69 minutes, with Edwards sending on a raft of attacking talent to swamp the 10 men.
The key moment from Berry came 12 minutes later when he sent in a brilliant cross which fellow sub Adebayo challenged keeper Joe Lumley for. While the stopper got a punch on the ball, the pressure Adebayo created meant it could only fly straight up in the air and there was the deadly Morris to nod home from a yard out to extend the ongoing unbeaten run to 11 matches.
Morris comes up trumps when needed again
They say the sign of a good striker is he pops up with a goal when his team need it the most and the importance of the goals Carlton Morris has scored this term can barely be put into words. He earned his team another point by being in the right place at the right time at the Madejski Stadium when he notched his 19th of a fruitful campaign.
It could be argued that until the 81st minute, Morris wasn’t having the most impactful showing he has had in his first campaign in a Luton shirt, but there he was when he needed to get up highest to convert a golden chance to level the scores.
Luton are a much better team this season than last term and the 27-year-old is a huge reason why. His 19 second-tier goals are now a Luton record in this century and, hopefully, there is yet more to come.
Squad depth continues to come to the fore
We now know that there will be two, and hopefully three, matches added onto the season so squad depth is going to gather in importance from here on in. It was only that which denied the Hatters a spot at Wembley last term but there appears little sign of that being an issue if the 18 men on show at Reading was anything to go by.
Elijah Adebayo, Luke Freeman, Luke Berry and Jordan Clark all came off the bench in Berkshire, while Henri Lansbury and Joe Taylor were there to be used had they been needed.
Gabe Osho and Reece Burke will hopefully be back before a play-off semi-final too, so in terms of personnel, Luton certainly have the firepower to achieve their dream.
Celebration time as play-off position secured
Many thought Luton would ‘do a Barnsley’ this season but throughout the campaign that accusation has been made to look stupid and now, for the second campaign in succession, the Hatters will be a part of the end-of-season lottery, to attempt to claim the final spot in the Premier League next term.
Technically, Luton can still catch Sheffield United for second spot, but two points dropped at Reading mean that race has realistically been run and now the Hatters can focus all of their efforts into the play-offs, and securing the promotion that has been dreamed about for the past two years.
To reach the play-offs is a fantastic achievement. To do it with three matches to spare and most likely finishing in the top four to guarantee a home second leg of a semi-final is even more special, and as Edwards alluded to after the effort at Reading, is something that should be celebrated.
It might yet be a while until Luton know who they will face in the semi-finals of the play-offs, but unlike a year ago when a result was still needed on the final day of the regular season to guarantee a top-six finish, the Hatters can manage their way through the final three games of the campaign and ensure they peak when the truly important games come along.
Hopefully, that can be the difference and the thing which assists the Town to finally come through the play-offs successfully.
The 9 Best Case Management Software For Law Firms in 2022
AUG 23, 2022
Law firms can sometimes be endlessly chaotic. Lawyers, paralegals, and staff members must organize, analyze, and manage every aspect of multiple cases. They must track and monitor:
Deadlines,
Statutes of limitations,
Filing requirements,
Client records,
Billing,
Expert witnesses,
Evidence,
and much more.
Even a smaller case can require a great deal of time organizing documents and tracking details.
Effective case management is crucial in every law office.
Regardless of the size of the case or the size of the law firm, failing to have an efficient case management system makes your job much more difficult, at the very least.
Even worse, failing to manage your cases could result in a costly error or a mistake with irreversible consequences.
Your law practice doesn’t have to be ruled by chaos. The best case management software available today allows you to incorporate all aspects of managing a case into one platform.
Table of Contents
What Should You Look for When Choosing Case Management Software?
There are many options for case management software. You need to choose software that meets your specific needs.
Each law firm is unique, and lawyers may have different preferences.
Fortunately, there are options that allow you to customize a case management program to fit your needs.
Things you may want to consider include:
The ease of transferring, storing, and retrieving information
The ability of the software to work with other programs to gather information and data
Make minor adjustments and modifications to the system without going through the provider
The provider offers ongoing, quality support
Ability to configure the system to adapt it to your needs and current systems
Ease of retrieving data and create reports, forms, and other documents
The ability to track time, expenses, and generate invoices and billing documents
Accept online and credit card payments
Prepare documents for trial and monitor litigation deadlines
Many software companies offer free demos or free trial periods. You might need to try several case management software systems before finding the best system for you.
What Are Some Popular Case Management Software Systems for Law Firms?
Some of the popular case management software systems available today include:
CASEpeer,
FileVine,
SmartAdvocate,
Litify,
MyCase,
Clio,
Thomson Reuter’s Legal Tracker,
Trialworks, and
LawRuler.
Here’s a brief overview of each of these top-rated attorney case management systems:
CASEPeer Logo
CASEPeer is designed specifically for personal injury law firms. This cloud-based system offers time-saving and organizational features such as:
Settlement tools to track demands, offers, liens, fees, and costs
Dedicated tracking of discovery requests and responses
Integrated calendar
Automated notifications for statute of limitations
From the company: “CASEpeer’s powerful built-in tools allow you to constantly evaluate your organization’s workflow, identify opportunities to further develop employees, more effectively communicate on client’s cases, and maximize productivity and results.” -Lucero Smith, COO, CASEPeer
Demo: Interested in seeing how CASEPeer can help to transform your law firm into a well-oiled machine? Contact CASEPeer today to get started with a free demo.
Filevine Logo
FileVine is highly customizable and allows you to keep notes, documents, client communication, and calendar in one place.
Additional features include:
Allows multiple users
Ability to text and email clients
Task and deadline management
Integrates with more than 2,000 programs
Good choice for document management
Demo: Want to see how FileVine can help you transform your law firm operations? Book a free demo that’s customized to your firm’s particular needs.
Smart Advocate Logo
SmartAdvocate is a fully integrated legal case management system. Initially designed for personal injury and mass tort litigation practices, it is now used by a large range of litigation firms.
Features include:
Specific tool for tracking insurance information
Automated workflows
Medical records tracker
Fee calculator lets you enter the settlement amount and break out your firm’s fee, any referral fees or other costs for each client
From the company: “We take pride with each annual release,” Igor Selizhuk, CTO at SmartAdvocate states, “because with each release, we fulfill our promise to our clients to continually provide them with a system that matches their evolving needs.”
Demo: Interested in learning more about Smart Advocate? Check out their story and discover how this top-rated case management system can be a catalyst for success.
Litify Logo
Litify is an integrated solution designed for mid-size and large law firms. It is built on the popular Salesforce platform used by many businesses for automation and analytics.
It features:
Robust security
Automated tasks
Customizable dashboard to track key performance indicators
Testimonial: “Working with Litify is like having the best developers in the world as my software guys,” said Johnson. “They understand the legal industry, know what works for the big firms, and bake the best practices right into the platform.
As the owner of a younger firm, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” Anthony Johnson Owner, Attorney at Law Johnson Firm
Visit www litify com to learn more about how you, your team, and your clients could all benefit from a partnership with Litify.
Mycase Logo
MyCase offers an all-in-one case management software solution to document management, time tracking, invoicing, payment collection, and calendaring.
Some of its key features are:
Simple user-friendly interface
Simple pricing structure includes all features instead of having to add options
Unlimited e-signatures included
MyCase offers a free 10-day trial, so you can test the software and see if it’s a good fit for your practice.
Clio Manage Logo
Clio Manage offers a variety of features, including billing, contact management, document management, calendaring, accounting, task management, online payments, and time tracking.
A few highlights of Clio include:
Secure client portal for document sharing
Matter timelines display who made changes and when updates were made
Separate module available for client intake/client relationship management
Clio is versatile and has customizable solutions for everything from solo to large firms.
Thomson Reuters >ogo
Legal Tracker has features such as eBilling, matter management, reporting, analytics, cloud integrations, data services, and legal operations.
It offers such features as:
Legal analytics to track budgets and compare performance of outside legal counsel
Robust reporting system
Excellent collaboration tools
This Thomson Reuters system is geared towards helping corporate in-house legal departments track and organize their legal teams.
Trialworks Logo
Trialworks is a cloud-based solution created by trial lawyers with options for mobile case intake, document management, calendaring, and trial management.
Some distinct features include:
Litigation-centered tools
Based on familiar Microsoft Office platform
Available as software to be used on local network or cloud-based
Offers database conversion (as a separate service)
Check out their website to learn more and schedule a free demo.
Law Ruler Logo
Law Ruler has customized solutions for litigation firms and is integrated with Office 365 for convenient workflow. Its detailed dashboard analytics help you keep track of case status, leads, and marketing performance.
Other features include:
Built-in settlement calculators
Automated text and email reminders
Integrated click-to-call dialer powered by artificial intelligence
Managing your cases effectively improves customer service, as well as your legal services. You have more time to devote to your clients and work on their cases when you do not need to worry about the day-to-day logistics of case management.
FAQs About Law Firm Case Management Software
If you are not familiar with case management software, these frequently asked questions may help you understand why your law firm needs to invest in high-quality case management software.
WHAT IS CASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?
Managing legal cases requires a system for keeping up with detailed information about each case. Case management begins before your client hires your law firm. You need an effective way to perform conflict checks before your client signs a retainer agreement.
Throughout the case, there could be hundreds or thousands of documents to organize, deadlines to monitor, statements to process, and other details that must be analyzed and organized into categories that are easy to search.
You also have billing, client communications, contact information, appointment scheduling, court information, and case notes to organize and manage.
After closing the case, you need a system for storing and archiving the case that allows for continued conflict checks. You may also need to access information in one case to assist with a matter in a related case or similar case.
Today, digital files must be stored, organized, and cataloged. The days of managing legal cases by hand are over.
WHAT CAN CASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE DO FOR MY PRACTICE?
Gathering, analyzing, and organizing large amounts of information, data, and documents is a significant element of case management. Many lawyers, paralegals, and case managers have multiple cases they handle. As a result, the volume of data can be overwhelming.
Case management software provides an efficient way to collect and organize data.
Many software programs link to email, telephone, and other systems to create calls and message logs. The information is stored in the client’s file immediately.
Tracking contacts with clients, including calls and emails, through the software help to ensure that you do not miss anything.
Having all the information in one place makes it easy to:
create reports,
visualize evidence, and
collaborate with other staff members.
In addition, everyone within the law firm can access the case files and all information stored in the files from their desktop or tablet.
WHAT ARE OTHER BENEFITS OF CASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?
In addition to managing the data, documents, and other information associated with a client’s case, there are other benefits of using case management software.
REDUCE THE RISK OF MISTAKES
Case management software can reduce the risk of human error. Mistakes happen when you are handling multiple cases and thousands of documents. Case management software completes many of the tasks automatically, which reduces the risk of errors and mistakes.
For example, errors in transferring data to forms could be costly and time-consuming.
When the data is contained in case management software, the software transfers the data ensuring there are no errors.
ENHANCE SECURITY
Lawyers have a fiduciary duty to protect confidential information. A data breach could result in the theft or exposure of sensitive information. Case management software can add another layer of security for data.
The software also automatically backs up entire files to ensure that nothing is lost in case of a data breach or natural disaster.
FACILITATE REMOTE WORK
Lawyers and staff members can access client files and data from work, home, and other locations. In addition, case management software that is cloud-based allows employees to access data even when telecommuting.
TRACK LEADS
In addition to managing your current cases, case management software can help you track leads. An efficient, easy-to-use system to track and follow up with leads increases retention rates for the law firm.
A lead can be entered into the system, forwarded to the correct person to respond, and scheduled for a follow-up. All information about the lead is in one location that is accessible to everyone.
IMPROVE EFFICIENCY
Case management software increases efficiency. Everyone working on a case can access and update information. Having data in a system that permits easy retrieval reduces the time it takes to locate information.
Get More Insight Into Case Management For Your Law Firm
At LawRank, we specialize in SEO for lawyers: getting law firms like yours to rank for competitive, high-volume keywords in competitive markets.
We know that your business operations have to be set up for success when you begin to see an influx of calls and clients.
That’s why we’re ready to help you discuss your case management needs and provide some insight into popular systems. We can even connect with you with leading case management software providers.
Get in touch with our law firm SEO specialists to learn more today.
Updated 2022
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