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Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP (ABHR) is comprised of some of the most experienced and creative attorneys in the state of Texas who are committed to building a new type of law firm devoted solely to the practice of public law. ABHR represents cities, counties, water districts and authorities, municipal utility districts and other public entities with their finance and legal needs. ABHR also acts as underwriters’ counsel, disclosure counsel and tax counsel, and represents developers, contractors and others conducting public business.
The Challenge
A typical “day at the office” for ABHR’s attorneys may not involve going into the office at all. In fact, many of the firm’s lawyers spend a significant amount of their time on the road, meeting with clients and public officials. “Because of this, our attorneys are completely reliant on remote access to e-mail, calendaring and contacts to do their jobs,” said Debbie Cole, ProLaw Administrator and IT Liaison for ABHR.
In the past, attorneys used multiple devices (including the RIM BlackBerry®) for remote e-mail access, calendaring and contacts and mobile phones for voice communications and urgent requests. According to Cole, “Our attorneys and legal assistants wanted one device that could handle all of their communication needs.”
The Solution
As integrated devices such as the Palm Treo and newer versions of the BlackBerry started coming to market, ABHR began looking for a better solution. Most of the attorneys had used the BlackBerry at their previous law firms.
To select the best solution, ABHR did a thorough evaluation of device manufacturers, including Palm and RIM; software, such as Good Mobile Messaging, Seven and the free e-mail products offered by several of the carriers; and service providers, including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile.
“During this process, I maintained a spreadsheet that tracked features, costs, data support, service plans, coverage area, call quality and numerous other criteria,” said Cole. “We basically looked at every angle to come up with the best solution.” One of the obstacles vendors had to overcome was ABHR’s requirement to access more than 11,500 contacts in the firm’s ProLaw database. ABHR also wanted caller ID information to appear on the device for incoming calls. Accomplishing this would require the software running on the device to compare the name and number of the person calling with the ProLaw database and display it on screen — all in a matter of seconds.
Another challenge was that ABHR wanted newly added contacts to be sent automatically to the firm’s public and private folders, giving everyone at the firm nearly real-time access to the updated information. And, because ABHR’s lawyers are in so many meetings, they wanted immediate synchronization of newly added appointments to their calendars.
These hurdles proved to be too much for several of the vendors, including RIM. “They just weren’t able to make it work,” said Cole.
After further evaluations of the remaining vendors, ABHR ultimately selected Good Mobile Messaging running on the Palm Treo with service from Verizon. “This proved to be the best combination in meeting all of our requirements,” said Cole. “With Good Mobile Messaging, we believe we get the best real-time messaging software on the best integrated device with the best coverage and service.”
THE RESULTS
Now that the solution has been in place for several months, ABHR is experiencing the results they have always wanted and expected from an integrated mobile communications system.
“Good Mobile Messaging enables our attorneys to be as productive on the road as they are in the office,” concluded Cole. “By having total control and being able to manage our day-to-day workload, we have been able to exceed client expectations, improve productivity and increase efficiency. Overall, the results have far exceeded our expectations.”
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