Amy Sullivan Cahill is a trademark attorney with over 20 years of experience and the founding partner of Cahill IP, PLLC, a boutique intellectual property law firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. Previously, she worked in the Intellectual Property department at MCI Worldcom and practiced at Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt. Most recently, Amy was a member at Stites & Harbison before starting her own practice.
Based on her experiences at larger law firms, she knew she would need to have an effective docketing system to keep up with her firm’s deadlines. But, like a growing number of IP attorneys, she was intimidated by the costs and complications of traditional providers.
When she first heard about Alt Legal, though, she was excited. Not only could she afford the software as a solo practitioner, but she was also impressed with the software’s usability and automation technology. Now almost a year into her new practice, her team has grown significantly, as has her practice, and she credits Alt Legal with providing the infrastructure to make it possible.
Alt Legal CEO and founder Nehal Madhani interviews Amy to find out more.
Nehal Madhani: One of the first things you did when you hung out your shingle was seek a trademark docketing system. Why?
Amy Cahill: Before I started my practice, I knew that I would need to have technology to help me keep track of my docket. At larger firms like Oblon and Stites, we had paralegals and assistants who managed our dockets. Even so, the process was always a stressful one. While I had a clerk assisting me with my docket, the software we were using made it difficult to ensure that information was accurately and completely input into the system. For example, when two different attorneys reported an extension of time to the docketing clerk, it was “double counted” and resulted in an incorrect filing deadline.
I did not want to repeat this experience in my own practice, so I made a point to research docketing systems early on when I opened my own firm.
Nehal: Why did you choose Alt Legal over CPI and some of the more traditional providers?
Amy: CPI and other traditional software lacked many of the features we needed for effectively managing intellectual property deadlines. My team and I often had to come up with workarounds to complete even the simplest tasks. For example, if we wanted to send clients reports of their IP filings, we would receive an output that looked like a spreadsheet but it was difficult to embed in a letter or an email without significant editing and reformatting. The reports would invariably be both incomplete and over-inclusive, containing irrelevant information while omitting critical fields. I often found myself spending non-billable hours cleaning up reports just to make them look presentable.
When I first saw Alt Legal, I was blown away. I kept seeing features and wondering how it was possible that this new entrant could do everything I had asked from other software products for years. All I had heard before was “That’s not possible!”
Nehal: How are you using Alt Legal?
Amy: Alt Legal has become sort of a centerpiece of my practice. I receive a weekly email with reminders about deadlines, and I use that email to plan my days and distribute work. Everything is automated. I do not spend any time saying, “put this on the docket,” and I do not have to explain the deadlines to anyone. Alt Legal automatically gathers data about my trademark filings, collects it into my docket, and allows both my clients and me to quickly and easily access it. I almost never need to use attorney time for docketing.
I also value Alt Legal’s other features, including the ability to send clients updates about filing statuses and quick links to download case documents.
Nehal: How is Alt Legal an improvement over the previous software you’ve used?
Amy: It’s dramatically different. I do not have to spend unnecessary time docketing, and neither does anyone else at my firm. Other systems kind of felt like a black box. I cannot say there were many mistakes when I used other systems, but I always knew that if anyone made a mistake, it would have been my responsibility. It caused a high level of anxiety. Not only does Alt Legal save me time and money, but I’m also so much more relaxed and comfortable knowing that deadlines will not be missed.
Nehal: How has using Alt Legal saved you time or money?
Amy: In part because of our technology stack, my firm is able to provide services at lower costs than other attorneys. We use technology—especially Alt Legal—to lower our overhead, which makes our prices fair and reasonable. For example, we don’t charge for administrative services. We offer alternatively priced services, including both subscription and fixed-fee pricing. We’re not trying to undercut competition; we’re trying to offer the product where it should be priced. From years of billing clients, I know what they do not want to see on the bills, and that is docket checks and other secondary services that they don’t understand. We do not charge for those items, and we attract more business as a result.
Nehal: In addition to these savings, were there any other reasons you selected Alt Legal?
Amy: I truly appreciate the free and unlimited client support. When I first contacted Alt Legal, they immediately created a trial account that I could use to learn the system and validate it before buying. I spoke with you (Nehal Madhani, Alt Legal’s CEO), several times about starting my own practice, and you personally answered all of my questions. A few weeks later when I was ready to go off on my own, I had a full docket set up for me that same day. I remember that when we switched software at one of my prior firms, it had been a painful year-long process. I was impressed that Alt Legal had me up and running the day I started my practice. It was effortless.
I use many cloud-based services, and most offer good customer support, but of all of the products I use, Alt Legal’s customer service is the best. If ever there is a problem, you can call someone immediately to address it. Everyone on the team goes above and beyond standard quality customer service you’d expect today.
Nehal: Why would you recommend Alt Legal to another company?
Amy: The automation and clean interface are wonderful. However, the thing I most appreciate is the confidence of knowing that I am not going to miss any deadlines or updates. Good technology absolutely contributes to making a practice successful, and I know that Alt Legal is an essential part of my practice.