The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services came into being with a tight timeline, tiny staff, and limited IT budget. We quickly realized that only a first rate electronic voucher program would allow the Commission to review and process the thousands of vouchers submitted each year by Maine's 450 private assigned counsel. The Justice Works defenderData web-based voucher system provided the solution we needed. The system allows accurate recording of attorney hours and expenses, access from any platform, and thorough review and prompt payment of vouchers by limited staff. Justice Works tailored the program to our needs on-budget and ahead of schedule. They have continued to refine and improve the system and are always responsive to the needs of the Commission and our attorneys. The Commission made the right choice to go with the Justice Works defenderData voucher system. John D. Pelletier, Esq. Executive Director Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services Augusta, Maine The San Mateo County Private Defender’s Office acts as the de facto public defender in San Mateo County, California. We have 110 attorneys who are private contractors and a small administrative staff. The attorneys handle approximately 20,000 cases per year. Three years ago we began looking for an off-the-shelf system to replace an aging, problematic and very costly case assignment and billing program. We were referred to Justice Works and began working with them to fashion a program more suitable to our needs. Over the course of five months we worked with Justice Works. They asked about our needs and were able to come up with a modified system that we could put online. Two weeks after we “went live” with defenderData, our old system died. Although some of our attorneys were resistant to change, they have embraced this new system wholeheartedly. The system is paperless. The attorneys submit vouchers to us online for their fees. The system allows us to track cases easily, run conflicts checks without difficulty and process the billing in much less time that we ever imagined possible. The Justice Works staff members have been incredibly patient and helpful in training the administrative staff to work with this new system. We had online conversations for several months during the planning stages in which we were able to learn how to use it and to refine the features of the systems to our unique situation. Justice Works continues to be very responsive to our questions and requests. An email or phone call receives a very quick response. Our defenderData system has met our needs and more than met our expectations. It has increased our ability to maintain accurate statistics regarding our cases. We continue to work with Justice Works to expand the system’s utility, regularly updating features and adding new ones. Justice Works recommended we introduce the defenderData system to our attorneys in small groups. We opted instead for large group training. They were right. Small group training was the way to go. I recommend the Justice Works systems unreservedly. The staff is patient, articulate, helpful and creative. They have worked with us all the way to make our office run smoothly and the billing process is seamless. It has been 1 1/2 years since we began using our defenderData system and we LOVE it. Myra A. Weiher Assistant Chief Defender San Mateo County Private Defender’s Office Redwood City, California The Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, Oregon spent two years looking for a replacement for our in-house docketing program. We wanted a solution that would combine docketing and case management, provide quicker conflict checks, automate some of our routine letters and notices, and allow expansion for e-discovery and digital media storage. We defined our needs, talked with public defender offices around the country and visited offices in and out-of-state to find the best program to meet our requirements. The Justice Works program was not only the best in fulfilling our criteria, it was also the least expensive. But its true value and potential still surprises us. Carl Richey has created a powerful, flexible and expandable program that provides us with the best system for central docketing, case management, case archives and group practice. Carl was also able to transfer all of the data we had collected over 15 years (more than 120,000 cases) and make it available in the new system without any problems or loss of data. Carl worked directly with our implementation team to use and expand all of the aspects of Justice Works. His on site training program, which took place for a full week prior to implementation, allowed all staff to be competent in the program from the start. He has also listened to our ongoing needs, especially the group sharing of information, to develop special processes which are now part of the basic program. Because of the power and flexibility of the program, its continuing growth, its cost, and most importantly the character of Carl Richey, I endorse Justice Works without reservation. Jim Hennings Executive Director Metropolitan Public Defender Portland, Oregon The Salt Lake Legal Defender Association began working with Carl Richey in the 1980's to design and implement a custom case management system. The original system was designed to allow us to accurately report on case assignments made to attorneys in each of our divisions. Our office is comprised of approximately 70 attorneys and an additional 30 employees in secretarial, support, and investigative roles. We handle misdemeanor, felony, mental health, and appellate matters for over 15,000 new clients each year. Over the ensuing years, Carl worked closely with us to complete multiple enhancements to our system. By 2003 we recognized the need for several major feature enhancements necessary to help with our ever increasing case loads. We needed to find improved efficiencies in calendaring, communication of critical case events, note management, and several other features that we felt would help us more efficiently represent our clients. Carl suggested that we look into other commercial products that might fit this need rather than take on another custom development project. After a careful and thorough review of several solutions offered by leading vendors in the field of legal case management software, we found those products inferior in the areas of statistical reporting when compared to our existing system. Additionally, the systems reviewed were prohibitively expensive. We, therefore, requested Carl to work with us in building the system that is now known as Justice Works. Armed with knowledge and experience gained from nearly 20 years of addressing the unique needs of those engaged solely in indigent defense, Carl was able to build an extremely robust case management system that still continues to evolve and provide the centralized database that our office depends on today. I have personally recommended the use of the product to several of my colleagues in other states and I am pleased that the system has been adopted by many organizations across the Country. We are proud that Justice Works established its roots here with us and look forward to a bright future as this technology continues to improve upon itself in the years to come. F. John Hill Director Salt Lake Legal Defender Association Salt Lake City, Utah Justice Works has been great to work with. They respond quickly to questions and have helpful ideas. We chose Justice Works because of its flexibility and its reasonable cost. They have worked tirelessly to integrate our previously existing data with our new system, and they produced the initial conversion in a few days, when other providers had been unable to complete a conversion at all. I think Justice Works holds a great deal of promise for our office. Robert C. Boruchowitz Director The Defender Association Seattle, Washington Justice Works, in a word, makes our office more efficient. We are now able to go paperless, saving the headaches involved with lost or missing documents and with the storage of disposed case folders. Justice Works allows the office to scan notes, documents, digital audio recordings, digital video recording and digital photos into individual client files that preserves them indefinitely for future use and reference. User friendly, wireless access from virtually any location and cost make Justice Works an easy choice for any public defender's office. Jim Gonzalez Director Hidalgo County Public Defender Edinburg Since installing and starting our work with the Defender Data program at the beginning of January 2005, we have already begun to see the many benefits of this great resource, including but not limited to: Ability to go wireless in the courtroom and maintain access to all of our files and clients at the touch of a button. Easily manage case files by tracking the status of each from the beginning to the disposition. Ability to produce a variety of reports related to our clients, their charges and dispositions. Justice Works limits the amount of paperwork required by hand and allows us to maintain efficient and accurate records as related to our clients. A breeze to install, easy to maneuver within the program and customer support service that can't be beat! We look forward to growing with Justice Works as we continue to explore the numerous abilities of this program and continue to fine-tune the customizable features that make this program a cut above the rest. Robert L. Kilgo Jr. Chief Public Defender Defender Corporation Of Darlington County Darlington, South Carolina