The Connected Lawyer - Basecamp

One of my goals for 2007 was to start using Basecamp in my practice to work with clients in the management of their cases. Well, I did not wait until 2007. I started using it last night. So far the response from clients has been nothing but positive.

The Greatest American Lawyer has been using Basecamp for a while now in his own practice.

Through the technology we communicate with our virtual workers, assign tasks to specific cases and do most of what make us high-tech; however, Basecamp is a technology not meant to revolutionize the way that lawyers do their work, but to revolutionize the way in which any project of any kind is managed.

In my practice, Basecamp will be used to manage cases. Each client will have access to their own case. By using Basecamp, each client will have access to all the documents in their case. They will know when court dates and other important dates are. They can leave comments or questions about their case and they can keep up on the progress of their case. I see Basecamp as a way to keep the client more involved in the process of the case. In addition, it allows them to track their case.

I see no downside at all with using Basecamp in my practice. As I discover how to use Basecamp more, I will post updates regularly about my own experience with Basecamp. I know I have only touched the surface of what it can do. And if any of you are using it now, please post comments here as to how you are using it.

Comments

[Kurt Schulte Herbrüggen]

There is a cheaper (open source) alternative to basecamp: active collab, http://www.activecollab.com/.
I gave it a try this morning and it installed easy enough.

[Christopher McKinney]

I've been using Basecamp for a little over a year and half and, in general, I like it very much. Being able to log in and see all the active scheduling, messaging and files for their case allows most clients to keep up with there cases on their own and eliminates alot of "So, what's happening next?" phone calls that can eat up alot of time needlessly. It also has an exellent time-tracking feature that we use to track all the time on each file. (The time tracking is even better if you use the Sundial time entry widget too --> http://www.clearwired.com)

The only feature that really is not up to speed yet, in my opinion, is the To-Do list section. It is somewhat cumbersome when you get 20+ cases in the system each containing multiple active To-Do lists. This is especially true if you are a GTD nerd such as myself. (See http://www.43folders.com) It even lacks simple due dates assignments for To-Dos or To-Do lists. This is no good.

The Milestones section (this is the calendar section for those that have never seen it). Is also limited in that you can't enter a time for an appointment other than simply putting it in the title. This means you either have to keep a completely seperate calendar for appointments (me no likely duplication) or simply put the time entry in the Milestone calendar and know that the entries on a particluar day are not necessarily in chronological order.

This post probably sounds negative but actually we have really enjoyed using the product and I think most of our clients really like it too. You just have to be aware of the minimalist approach taken by the creators. If you can live with that and supplement with some add-ons and seperate programs then you are in good shape. If you are looking for a project management package that has a back-breaking feature set (with a learning curve to match), Basecamp won't be for you.

BTW, a previous poster indicated security to be an issue and I can say that this has NOT been a problem. You are given the choice of using Basecamp's servers or redirecting all your files and data to your own servers (which we already had for our websites). The data is encrypted while in transit and each client can only gain access to his or her own data with a username and password. There is no way for clients to see other clients' files unless you specifically assign them access to the project.

[Erik]

I've been using Basecamp since this summer when we started Tech LawForum at Santa Clara Law. We use it to manage article flow, post meeting times, exchange files, and so on. The way we segregate content, there are three categories of access. The editorial staff can see everything, students in the class that supports the project can see some things, and some visitors who may be collaborating on something with us have their own area. We haven't had any problems keeping content segregated. Actually, I'm curious how Greg thinks clients might be able to see each other's documents, given that they can be set up in completely different projects. I may be missing something, so that's an honest question.

Overall I love Basecamp. The best way to introduce new people to it is to give them a ten minute tutorial in front of a computer screen. After they get their first Basecamp email, they usually make the adjustment quickly. The great thing about Basecamp is that it doesn't force you to use email or some other methodology. It combines the familiarity of email with the strengths of database systems. It also is a great way of reducing all of those attachments that clog email servers. When important files are in Basecamp, they still receive the message, but they grab the actual attachment from Basecamp. Very handy.

[Greg Broiles]

I experimented with using Basecamp for a few clients; their reaction was that it was too confusing. That may mean that I didn't do a good job of setting things up for them in a transparent fashion.

Also, I was not totally comfortable with the Basecamp model for document storage - it was not clear to me that Client A would not be able to see Client B's documents, if they were tricky, unless I set up my own FTP server with client ID's on it, which seemed like a lot of trouble.

I use Backpack - the baby version of Basecamp - a lot for keeping myself organized, and sharing lists/tasks/etc with staff.

[Rob Hyndman]

I've been using it for about a year. A great service.