Rafte

The Latest from Rafte & Company

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:08:09 GMT

Rafte & Company to Explore Best Practices in Retaining Female Attorneys at Partner’s Breakfast Roundtable - March 2008 HOUSTON, March 31, 2008 – One of the biggest challenges faced by Houston law firms is on the agenda next month as Rafte & Company (www.rafte.com) hosts its upcoming Partner’s Breakfast Roundtable: How to Improve Retention of Female Attorneys. Law firm managing partners identified the subject of retaining female attorneys as a priority for 2008. The National Association for Law Placement’s Directory of Legal Employers indicates that women account for more than 43 percent of associates at law firm offices in Houston, but they comprise less than 18 percent of equity partners. The hurdles that women face in their legal careers tend to be overlooked and misunderstood, so we anticipate a valuable exchange of information and ideas, said Dena Rafte, founder and president of Rafte & Company. This is a highly complex challenge rooted in the very way law firms operate,...

Strategic Partners

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:45:50 GMT

Rafte & Company values its strategic partners and alliances. We strive to create a full spectrum of services for our clients and align ourselves with key technology and solutions providers that add value to the services we provide to our clients.

IS Educate

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:42:01 GMT

Rafte & Company has professional trainers that can complement your staff and increase the overall effectiveness of your information technology through customized or standardized classroom, workshop, or one-on-one offerings.

Rafte & Company can provide your company with an overview of training requirements to maximize the effectiveness of your technology and application tools. In addition to providing the training plan, Rafte & Company focuses on providing a learning program oriented toward improving the knowledge and capability of the end user.

Training classes include but are not limited to Microsoft Office, graphics and pdf applications, Interwoven's iManage desktop client, Workshare Deltaview and Professional, and many more.

Click to learn more about our IS Complete™ service package, Our Methodologies, Service Framework and Technology Evolution perspectives.

Rafte & Company's training services freature in BtoB. Read the article here.

News

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:35:28 GMT

Rafte & Company praticipates regularly in legal industry events and focuses on adding additional value to the client experience.

Press Releases - Rafte & Company in the news

Rafte Legal Technology News - Read Rafte & Company articles

Tech Industry News - Stay up to date on the newest legal technology buzz.

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:40:54 GMT

Rafte & Company Course Listing Rafte & Company’s professional trainers can increase your staff’s overall effectiveness through customized or standard application training. We provide classroom, workshop, one-on-one training, and anything in between. Rafte & Company’s focus is on providing a learning program oriented toward improving the knowledge and capability of your end users. We will provide your company with a customized training plan to maximize the effectiveness of your technology and application tools. Our Training courses include but are not limited to: ▪ Windows operating system, ▪ Microsoft Office, ▪ graphics applications, as well as ▪ Interwoven’s document management system. Some of our course offerings include: Document Management Interwoven – Filesite and...

Technology Services and Support Solutions

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:37:17 GMT

Rafte & Company can help you manage and support your technology system. Our IT management goal is to be proactive rather than reactive. We have a client-focused approach to delivering our services. By assigning a team of experts, headed up by an account manager, for each client this ensures that your company will have around-the-clock access to a dedicated Rafte & Company IT expert when you need it most.

Rafte & Company supports its clients in a number of ways, ranging from onsite Technology Services to the offsite support of client technologists. These services include:

IS Onsite™ – Rafte & Company provides IT outsourcing to meet your needs.
IS Offsite™ – Rafte & Company provides support for your in-house IT department.

...more on Technology Consulting

Learn more about our Service Framework, Our Methodologies, IS Complete™ service package, and Technology Evolution perspectives.

Strategic Technology Solutions

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:33:24 GMT

Rafte consultants are highly experienced in strategy, business operations, and accounting system infrastructure. We deliver customized solutions that drive critical processes closer to the firm’s strategy. This approach allows us to assist with improving business processes and therefore improving the capabilities of the firm.

Rafte & Company provides the law firm and professional service firm with Business Operations Consulting Services in the areas of:

Strategic Insight - Aligning technology to strategy
Business Processes - Improve critical process efficiency
Financial Insight - Access strategic financial information

Library - Resource Center

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:12:29 GMT

Welcome to the Rafte & Company Library Resource Center. Please browse around and let us know if you have any questions. Case Studies White Papers Published Articles Product Data Sheets Case Studies · Recovering your IT Network in a Disaster, June 2007, Porter & Hedges · Outsourcing your IT, May 2007, a Mid-Sized Houston Based Law Firm · Managing a Training Program, March 2007, Houston Zoo · Hays Davis, Septemeber 2007 · Winthrop & Weinstine Case Study – Stops Email Overload with Interwoven, May 2006 White Papers Top of Page · A Conversation with Kari Richards about Rafte’s Software Training , June 2007, by Dan Keeney · Rafte & Company Helps...

Why Rafte

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:04:27 GMT

Rafte & Company provides excellent ROI on its projects and services primarily because: Rafte is focused on law firms and professional service firms. This makes us optimally positioned to deliver firm-centric solutions. Rafte takes a holistic approach to understanding the role of strategy, applications, and technology within the organization and therefore can see related symptoms and effects of nonfunctioning processes and can look for effective ways to optimize the overall environment. Rafte focuses on the work flow and critical processes of the organization. This approach allows us to assist with improving business processes and therefore improving the efficiencies of the firm. Rafte & Company’s Service Offerings are fully integrated. Each can be utilized stand-alone, or for greatest effectiveness, with a full suite of complementary service offerings. Rafte Business Consultants and Technology Analysts have many years of experience and have...

Privacy Statement

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:35:54 GMT

Rafte & Company is committed to safeguarding your privacy online. Please read the following policy to understand how your personal information will be treated as you make full use of our Web sites.

This policy may change without prior notice.

Some web pages created by Rafte & Company use 'cookies', which are small text files that may be placed on your hard disk for record-keeping purposes. It is essentially your identification card, and cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses. It is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you. A cookie's purpose is to tell the server that you returned to that Web page. Cookies in and of themselves do not personally identify users, although they do identify a user's computer. Furthermore, a cookie in no way gives us access to your computer. The use of cookies is an industry standard.

Many major Web sites use cookies to provide useful features for their customers. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. If you'd prefer, you can set yours to refuse cookies. However, you will not be able to take full advantage of a Web site if you do so.

Rafte & Company will not send you any unsolicited information, including email regarding any commercial offers or advertisements at any time. We value the relationships we have with our customers and future customers, so we respect these concerns.

Linked sites are not under the control of Rafte & Company. Therefore, Rafte & Company is not responsible or liable for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Links are provided to you as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply the endorsement of the site by Rafte & Company.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or e-mail us at info@rafte.com .

Document Management

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:34:04 GMT

In many law firms, documents are scattered in file cabinets, on personal and network hard drives, in e-mail text or attachments, at offsite locations or on removable media. Rafte & Company can assess your law firms technology needs and then design, implement and manage an appropriate and collaborative document management solution customized for your unique situation. A fully integrated document management system can enable your law firm to establish a sound archival policy, implement role-based security and generate a detailed document audit trail, while also allowing attorneys to use these capabilities from anywhere. Additionally, a document management system can empower your law firm to track and control exactly what happens to a document when it starts circulating. ... matter-centric document management Matter-centric implementations of document management systems allow law firms to manage the flow of information and documents through their firms in a natural, optimized way....

Case Study - Growing Law Firm Outsources 24/7 Technical Support in Order to Focus on Legal Business

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:22:07 GMT

Challenge As is the case with many mid-sized law firms, a Houston based firm found it difficult to manage the firms information technology (IT) needs by employing an in-house person. Having a highly distributed, multi-tiered, legal IT system designed to support a collection of users with diverse needs is extremely complex for one person to handle. Though the Firm tried to manage its technology needs and IT support by employing an in-house person, the limited IT capabilities became a problem as the Firm’s technology systems grew more complex. After examining how best to manage its various business functions going forward, the Firm determined that while technology was not their business focus, it was critical to their practice. As a result, a team of technology experts was needed. “We previously had IT support in house and it wasn’t successful,” said Denise, Director of Administration & Client Services. “I only know so much technically and I was...

Case Study - Recovering your IT network in a Disaster

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:39:14 GMT

Challenge When Tropical Storm Allison wreaked havoc across the city of Houston and knocked out power to downtown businesses, law firm Porter & Hedges learned the true value of a business partner such as Rafte & Company. The devastating storm flooded the underground tunnel system and garage of the downtown building that housed Porter & Hedges’ offices, rendering the building uninhabitable for at least a month. In the meantime, Porter & Hedges had a law firm to run and clients to serve. The firm needed access to the information on its servers in order to remain in operation. Rafte & Company, a strategic technology systems integrator and business solutions provider for law firms, came to the rescue. Within a few days of the storm, Rafte employees were climbing 35 flights of stairs in the disabled building to retrieve Porter & Hedges’ computer hardware and install it at Rafte offices so the law firm could be functional again. “I can’t say enough about Rafte &...

Rafte Proxy Services

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:11:21 GMT

The Rafte Proxy™ Services framework is a suite of service offerings designed to compliment your internal processes with high level professional services focused on enabling the growth and success of your firm. Rafte & Company believes that high impact service offerings are based on strong, proven methodologies and are developed through years of experience. Our service offerings fit together in a full suite of services, as diagramed in the illustration that follows. The Rafte Proxy™ Services include: Rafte Legal Process Consulting – Rafte specializes in the legal community and focuses on the work flow and critical processes of the firm. This makes us optimally positioned to deliver firm-centric solutions such as document, case, and records management. Business Operations Consulting – Rafte consultants are highly experienced in strategy, firm operations, and accounting system infrastructure. We deliver customized solutions that drive critical processes...

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:16:44 GMT

Course Descriptions The Basics Word Processing Spreadsheets & Financial Excel Fundamentals is much more than just data entry and formatting. Its using Excels power. Explore how easy it is to create formulas and allow Excel to do the calculations for you. In this class you will discover how to work smart by learning the following: Starting a Spreadsheet from Scratch The Most Efficient Methods for Spreadsheet Creation and Data Input Creating Formulas and/or calculations from Scratch Using the Function Feature to create Formulas Automatically Copy/Cut/Paste features, and More...

Case Study - Managing a Training Program

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:42:04 GMT

Challenge The Houston Zoo’s information technology (IT) department needed to implement an ongoing training program that would increase end user knowledge and efficiencies on mission critical applications, without adding hours to their work day. “We knew that our employees weren’t using the applications available to them as effectively as they could, but I just didn’t have the time to personally address the problem,” said Alex Rigsby, Senior Systems Administrator for the Houston Zoo. “We have a lean IT staff. To add complexity to our challenge, for each of the applications we offer; we had some people who needed very basic instruction, others who knew the basics, but needed a little more skills, and some people knew quite a bit but needed to go to the final level to really get the most out of the applications we provide.” Solution Rafte & Company utilized its easy-to-use Web-based system to address the logistics of running a training...

Financial Insight

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:25:27 GMT

Law firms and professional service firms often suffer from the same issues surrounding their financial systems… the information is being collected and managed but is typically not available to the people that need it. The management of the firm needs access to critical data on the growth of the firm, the financial performance drivers associated with clients, and the significant points in its operations where additional profit margin is gained or lost.

... accessing financial information

Rafte & Company can assist your firm management team with customizing reports and accessing information without disrupting the financial operations of the firm.

Business Process

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:22:58 GMT

Many clients say that they wish their law firm were more proactive. Corporate counsel want their needs to be anticipated in advance. Clients say they want legal risk management rather than legal problem solving, and dispute avoidance rather than dispute resolution. Likewise, many managing partners expect timely internal reporting, the ability to forecast financial and staffing requirements, and the tools to move their law firms forward. They understand the importance of maximizing the use of captured data. Many firms are seeking ways to leverage their knowledge base and past work in order to streamline the analysis of the profitability of specific clients and practice areas, and to examine how business development campaigns can be more focused and efficient. Progressive law firms are implementing client relationship management (CRM) systems to maximize their client and contact data in order to promote cross-selling, enhance the effectiveness of marketing initiatives and improve...

Records Management

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:21:01 GMT

Rafte & Company understands the lifecycle concerns of law firms from the inception to the close of the case and beyond. Management of the information and documents continues well past the close… it involves a fully functioning archival and retention system. New regulations mandate retention and destruction of records, and the law firm is subject to consistent regulations that have complicated the lifecycle of data in the corporate world. Rafte & Company can assist your firm with implementation and management of an effective Records Management application.

Learn about our Document Management and Case Management services.

Technology Evolution of Law Firms

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:15:06 GMT

In order to allow technology to fully enhance the practice of law, law firms must follow a well-defined evolutionary path that includes the gradual deployment of various technology tools. To get started down that path, Rafte & Company encourages your law firm to assess where your firm is today in terms of its use of technology tools to achieve your objectives and strategies, decide where you need to be tomorrow in order to satisfy the future needs of your firm and your clients, establish a step-by-step plan to get there and select a strong legal information consultant to assist in the process. Partners in Technology The technology evolution has four building blocks starting from the bottom: Expected Technology - These are functions geared to supporting the needs of the individual attorney. These technology applications help the law firm establish basic standards, policies and procedures for managing data. They also ensure predictable performance and access to the firms...

Our Methodology

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:09:55 GMT

Rafte & Company's business and technology consulting methodologies helps our team drive efficiencies and positively impact your profitability through workflows and technology with the least amount of disruption of your normal business practices. This process helps anticipate future client demands and aligns your technology investments with your law firm's strategy. It includes frameworks and processes to:

Gain a detailed understanding of your environment, culture, and technology

Assess - Evaluate your firm's existing IT infrastructure, applications, and work flow
Design - Clearly-defined IT strategy and implementation plan
Implement - Procure, install, upgrade, and customize your software and hardware
Manage - Maintain and support your technology systems

Click to find out more about our process to Assess, Design, Implement, and Manage your firm's business and technology strategies?

...back to the Service Framework

IS Complete

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:08:33 GMT

Rafte Proxy™ Services, packaged as IS Complete™ is designed for firms that desire comprehensive, ongoing IT design, management and support. IS Complete™ keeps technology costs low and eliminates the hassles of hiring, training and retaining a qualified technology staff. It enables users to access an expert team with outstanding user support. IS Complete™ services consists of the following: IS Onsite - Various levels of IT management and support at your site IS Offisite - Support for the in-house IT department IS Helpdesk - End user desktop application support IS Educate - Desktop Application Training Benefits of IS Complete™ include: Your law firm can focus on its core competencies: securing and servicing clients; Your firm can use best-of-breed software and hardware while mitigating your risk of investment; Your firm can gain consistent and dependable performance through the services of our trained staff; Your budgeting is...

Application Consulting

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:59:40 GMT

Rafte & Company has professional trainers and helpdesk experts that can complement your staff and increase the overall effectiveness of your information technology applications through customized or standardized helpdesk, classroom, workshop, or one-on-one offerings. Our team is committed to supporting your end-users effectively on a daily basis, enhancing their use of your technology systems and resolving problems with minimum disruption of normal business practices.

Rafte & Company Application Consulting Services include:

IS Helpdesk™ – High-level technical and application help-desk support via telephone or remote access.
IS Educate™ – Rafte & Company has professional trainers that can create and deliver customized or standardized classroom training, workshops, or one-on-one training.

Click to learn more about our IS Complete™ service package, Our Methodologies, Service Framework and Technology Evolution perspectives.

IS Helpdesk

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:57:13 GMT

Throughout the business day, Rafte & Company provides high-level technical and application help-desk support via telephone or remote access. We understand that the value of a help desk is measured in terms of speed and accuracy. Our team is committed to identifying the problem quickly and coordinating with the appropriate resource to resolve the problem with minimum disruption of normal business practices. Rafte & Company provides assistance on office productivity packages such as Microsoft Office and WordPerfect Office, as well as iManage desktop client, Juris desktop client, and certain firm wide utilities.

Want to know more about Helpdesk?

Click to learn more about our IS Complete™ service package, Our Methodologies, Service Framework and Technology Evolution perspectives.

IS Onsite

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:56:18 GMT

Rafte & Company provides IT outsourcing, with various levels of engagement to its IS Onsite Clients.

At a high level, Rafte and company personnel staff your IT department, providing end user helpdesk services, network administration, and network management services. For simpler implementation levels, Rafte provides regularly scheduled, on-site service to address IT issues.

Click to learn more about our IS Complete™ service package, Our Methodologies, Service Framework and Technology Evolution perspectives.

IS Offsite

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:55:39 GMT

Rafte & Company provides support for the in-house IT department.

Rafte & Company provides consulting to the IT staff, and assists the IT staff on an ongoing basis with network management and administration tasks remotely.

Click to learn more about our IS Complete™ service package, Our Methodologies, Service Framework and Technology Evolution perspectives.

Implement

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:56:45 GMT

Rafte & Company's team of IT experts can take responsibility for your company wide implementation of technology and application solutions. Whether your company is implementing an incremental change or adopting an entirely new technology application, we will lead the plan to procure, install, upgrade, and customize your software and hardware. Specific services include:

Custom Implementation Plan – Recognizing that each company’s needs and processes are different, Rafte & Company works with each client to customize a plan of implementation to maximize efficiencies and minimize disruptions of normal business practices. We examine the way the company operates and then work around the normal work schedule – often focusing the majority of our implementation activities on nights and weekends.
Implementation Services – Rafte & Company can help your company select and implement appropriate cost-effective hardware and software systems to realize the requirements identified in the company's strategic plan. Our goal is to implement a good, stable system that helps the company prevent the need for crisis management.
Security – Rafte & Company can help your company assess and manage processes and systems to ensure your data is secure, such as Internet firewalls, e-mail encryption, file access protocols, file saving procedures and comprehensive backup solutions.

Click the links to find out more about our process to Assess, Design, Implement, and Manage your firm's business and technology strategies?

...or click to view our Service Framework?

Design

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:56:06 GMT

Our design phase enables our Project Team to gain a detailed understanding of your environment, its culture and the role technology currently plays in your organization. The areas we address include:

Infrastructure Design Document – Rafte & Company can design a viable clearly defined IT strategy and implementation plan that will serve as an optimal platform for the future growth, evolution and profitability of your organization. This customized roadmap will be designed specifically to meet your company’s unique needs.
Comprehensive Timeline – Rafte & Company can work closely with your internal team to develop a step-by-step implementation plan and timeline
Selection Guidance - Guiding the firm through the selection process, including preparing requests for proposal and specifications, identifying vendors, answering questions, reviewing proposals and making recommendations.

Click the links to find out more about Our Methodology and our process to Assess, Design, Implement, and Manage your firm's business and technology strategies?

...or click to view our Service Framework?

Assess

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:54:30 GMT

Rafte & Company can evaluate your organization’s existing IT infrastructure, applications, and work flow.This evaluation provides a snapshot of strengths and weaknesses as well as a gap analysis identifying where challenges exist. It also examines training needs and identifies how your company can utilize technology to deliver services better, faster and at higher profit margins. Rafte & Company also can evaluate your present internal technology and application support structures and provide guidance regarding how to strengthen internal support capabilities.

Recommendation & Proposal – as application and technology specialists, Rafte & Company can assess your environment, make recommendations for change, and produce custom RFP’s or Proposals to meet your needs.
Goal Discovery – Rafte & Company identifies the appropriate technology infrastructure and applications that can help your company accomplish its goals and objectives. We can review your company's resource utilization, organizational structure and culture in order to accurately assess where your technology is today and where it needs to be tomorrow.
Identifying requirements and priorities – once a strategy has been identified, the supporting tactics and priorities can be assigned.
Discovering viable alternatives – when multiple paths forward exist, Rafte & Company can assist you with determining your best alternative.

Click the links to find out more about Our Methodology and our process to Assess, Design, Implement, and Manage your firm's business and technology strategies?

...or click to view our Service Framework?

Manage

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:53:29 GMT

Rafte & Company can help you manage and support your technology system. Our IT management goal is to be proactive rather than reactive. We have a client-focused approach to delivering services, assigning a project manager and backup project manager to each account. This ensures that your company will have around-the-clock access to a dedicated Rafte & Company IT expert when you need it most. Every support call and resolution is logged into our support database thereby insuring that service needs are responded to in a timely and accurate manner. Management/Support includes the following: Monitoring – Rafte & Company monitors the technology, network, and applications systems and analyzes the operations to avoid any unforeseen crisis. Disaster Recovery – When an unforeseen systems failure does occur, the key to survival is to have simple, effective and well-understood policies and practices in place to protect your data. Rafte & Company can help your company in all...

Case Management

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:19:26 GMT

Rafte & Company can help your firm establish documented standards, policies and procedures for the collection of administrative information allowing multiple parties to enter and edit information. Our team can set up a case management system to interface seamlessly with all your major existing software: accounting, time and billing, document management and e-mail. The impact can be enormous. One-time entry and multiple points of interface and accessibility result in minimization of errors and improved overall performance of your firm.

...read more on Case Management in The Importance of Workflow Process Reengineering in Case Management Implementation.

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:41:26 GMT

The Rafte Proxy™ Services framework is a suite of service offerings designed to compliment your
internal processes with high level professional services focused on enabling the growth and success of your firm.

Rafte & Company believes that high impact service offerings are based on strong, proven methodologies and
are developed through years of experience. Our service offerings fit together in a full suite of services, as diagramed in the illustration that follows.

Strategic Insight

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:57:17 GMT

Building a law firm or professional services firm often depends on relationships, and the rules of professional ethics dictate how those relationships can develop. Traditionally, the process of getting new clients has been a bit similar to a courtship, and law firms, in particular have customarily waited for the phone to ring.

Can you continue with the status quo? Not if you want to be viewed as a partner of the client. Having a good set of contacts isn’t going to get you through an RFP process. Only client-focused market analysis and effective marketing plans that align with your firm’s vision of the future will help you do that. Rafte & Company can be your partner to clarify your vision, align critical growth initiatives, and integrate processes within the current culture of the firm.

Want to know more?

Law Firm Vision and Growth

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:53:27 GMT

Building a law firm or professional services firm often depends on relationships, and the rules of professional ethics dictate how those relationships can develop. Traditionally, the process of getting new clients has been a bit similar to a courtship, and law firms, in particular have customarily waited for the phone to ring. Meetings would follow during which the firm and the client would get to know each others businesses and decide whether working together would be a good fit. A convergence of market dynamics is changing this, however, and Rafte & Company can help law firms and other professional services firms grow through this change. We provide the following services: We help define the firms vision for the future We design and implement the technology infrastructure necessary to modernize firm processes We help strengthen the firms business development engine We assess the firms work flow process and design improvements to maximize efficiencies, boost...

Training Classes with Rafte and Company

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:48:08 GMT

Click here to view and register for Upcoming Classes Training Classes are available for beginning, intermediate, and advanced skill levels. Classes can also be tailored to fit your specific needs. Sharpen Your Skills The Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter, find simplicity; From discord, find harmony; In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity. - Albert Einstein The One Technology Upgrade You Forgot: Your People If your computers are just glorified typewriters, your firm is at a tremendous competitive disadvantage. Turn disadvantage into an opportunity to excel. Below are just some of the classes we offer to empower your employees. Microsoft Office Suite - 2000, XP and 2003: Word Excel PowerPoint Access Outlook Publisher Visio Other Applications: iManage RightFax Digital Imaging/Photo Editing Desktop Publishing New Class: Word - Shortcuts & Efficiency Tools Even if youve used Microsoft Word for 10 years, you...

Collaboration through Legal Process Consulting

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:22:48 GMT

Rafte & Company's Legal Process Consulting Services will enhance your law firm's ability to lead the way. We help firms anticipate their clients' information requirements and align your firm's technology assets with client needs and capabilities. We can design, build and manage safe and secure environments, such as Intranets and Extranets, to provide password-protected, private websites for clients.

These applications can position your firm as the owner of fully collaborative data repositories, enabling your team to create and control the data asset while others access and edit it.

Examples of the ways Rafte & Company's Legal Process Consulting Services can align your law firm's technology with your clients include:

Clients will feel secure in the knowledge that your firm is focused on their needs;
Clients can have access to the work product in a fully secure, collaborative environment your
law firm controls;
Clients can access and communicate with your attorneys from anywhere;
Your law firm can illustrate return on investment for clients by improving efficiencies; and
Your legal teams can realize opportunities to cross-sell services.

In and of themselves, advanced communications systems, document management systems, matter-centric systems, litigation support databases, case management systems, firm-wide dockets and contact management systems can lack potency. Properly integrated, however, they are invaluable tools enabling your firm to be more responsive and helping you to anticipate and satisfy client demands for greater collaboration.

These initiatives enhance your law firm's ability to communicate seamlessly with clients as well as allow clients to collaborate, manage and access valuable information at anytime from anywhere. And Rafte & Company can assist your firm to assess, design, implement, and manage these initiatives.

Philosophy

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 18:04:55 GMT

At Rafte & Company, we combine outstanding technical skills, in-depth knowledge of our clients' businesses and understanding of critical applications to deliver services that enhance your firm’s ability to delight your clients.

Our philosophy is based on five key concepts:

Visionary – Aligning technology, operations, and strategy;
Focus – Focused on law firms and professional service firms;
Determination – Driven to crafting a solution that fits your firm;
Resourceful – Using resources creatively to deliver high value; and
Team Oriented – In sync with our clients to clients.

Central to this philosophy is the understanding that technology by itself cannot win cases nor secure clients. However, with the appropriate infrastructure and managed applications in place, Rafte & Company can maximize the positive impact of your application and technology investment by helping your firm evolve and operate more effectively, efficiently and profitably. We accomplish this by:

Integrating applications to eliminate redundancy in the workflow process;
Establishing a streamlined client-focused culture, giving your firm a competitive boost;
Enhancing your firm's ability to allow greater collaboration;
Giving clients direct access to critical information, where appropriate; and
Enabling attorneys to have more mobility while remaining accessible to clients

IS Helpdesk The Legal Technology Help Desk

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 20:26:24 GMT

IS Helpdesk is Rafte & Company’s legal technology help desk service, which provides law firms throughout the United States remote on-call legal technology expertise. IS Helpdesk features a highly trained legal technology team that is available when you need them to fix your technology problems, helping you reduce wasted time, maximize productivity and increase billable hours among your attorneys and support staff.

IS Helpdesk legal technology help desk is exclusively designed for end users in law firms. Law firms that desire comprehensive, ongoing IT design, management and support should refer to Rafte & Company’s IS Proxy service.

IS Helpdesk helps your law firm level the playing field by cost effectively giving you access to legal technology expertise that can be cost prohibitive to maintain in-house. Because IS Helpdesk is specifically designed for law firms and legal IT challenges related to common legal applications, IS Helpdesk can cost effectively provide everyone in your firm access to legal technology expertise whenever they need it. Having us on-call gives your firm flexibility to meet changing business conditions.

IS Helpdesk can help your law firm with:

Document management
Microsoft Office applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook
Desktop support
Legal accounting
Docketing
Remote access
Problems with mobile devices, wireless devices such as PDAs
Spyware and malware problems

IS Helpdesk has affordable and flexible pricing options to match every firm’s budget. You can choose a flat monthly fee that gives everyone in the firm access, or an hourly fee for each help desk contact.

For more information about IS Helpdesk, contact us at (800) 396 9390 or e-mail info@rafte.com.

Services

Wed, 31 May 2006 16:01:24 GMT

Rafte & Company is a technology consulting organization dedicated to the legal community in Houston, Texas that provides the following core services:

Network Services – Rafte & Company's skilled legal IT professionals help law firms stay in control of critical information resources, provide consistent and predictable performance, and deliver access that is unquestionably secure. Additionally, we offer proactive and reactive troubleshooting to resolve environment-related or application-related issues to minimize workflow interruptions.
Application Services – Rafte & Company enables collaboration throughout your law firm by integrating document management applications, case management systems, firm-wide docketing systems and standardized form generation. This can result in increased return on investment through streamlined workflow patterns.
Connectivity Services – Rafte & Company helps law firms integrate their technology assets with client needs and capabilities. We design, implement and manage applications to encourage collaboration in a safe environment controlled by the law firm. We help law firms differentiate themselves through knowledge sharing and partnering structures, greater access to attorneys and improved responsiveness.
Process and Workflow Consulting – Rafte & Company helps law firm optimize the use of captured data to support practice-building initiatives such as marketing, budgeting, forecasting and risk management. We design, implement and manage systems to enable managing partners to fully leverage the law firm's knowledge assets to promote cross selling, provide timely internal reporting, and forecast financial and staffing requirements.

Current Newsletter

Tue, 16 May 2006 13:56:04 GMT

Newsletter Archives will be available soon . . .

Mon, 15 May 2006 22:29:11 GMT

...........................................................Law Firm Application Services Rafte & Company enables collaboration throughout your law firm by integrating document management applications, case management software systems, firm wide docketing systems and standardized form generation. This can result in increased return on investment through streamlined workflow patterns... more

Training Services

Fri, 12 May 2006 16:11:12 GMT

IS Helpdesk – The Legal Technology Help Desk

Are technology problems wasting time, draining productivity and costing your firm billable hours? IS Helpdesk, the legal technology help desk service designed for law firms, is available when you need them to fix your technology problems.

Business Vision + Technology = Competitive Advantage

Technology is never going to win a case or close a deal on its own, but technology investments can provide a tangible and measurable return when they are aligned with a firm’s strategy and culture. Read More

Services

Thu, 11 May 2006 15:20:45 GMT

Rafte & Company is a technology consulting organization dedicated to the legal community in Houston, Texas that provides the following core services:

Network Services – Rafte & Company's skilled legal IT professionals help law firms stay in control of critical information resources, provide consistent and predictable performance, and deliver access that is unquestionably secure. Additionally, we offer proactive and reactive troubleshooting to resolve environment-related or application-related issues to minimize workflow interruptions.
Application Services – Rafte & Company enables collaboration throughout your law firm by integrating document management applications, case management systems, firm-wide docketing systems and standardized form generation. This can result in increased return on investment through streamlined workflow patterns.
Connectivity Services – Rafte & Company helps law firms integrate their technology assets with client needs and capabilities. We design, implement and manage applications to encourage collaboration in a safe environment controlled by the law firm. We help law firms differentiate themselves through knowledge sharing and partnering structures, greater access to attorneys and improved responsiveness.
Process and Workflow Consulting – Rafte & Company helps law firm optimize the use of captured data to support practice-building initiatives such as marketing, budgeting, forecasting and risk management. We design, implement and manage systems to enable managing partners to fully leverage the law firm's knowledge assets to promote cross selling, provide timely internal reporting, and forecast financial and staffing requirements.

Methodologies

Thu, 11 May 2006 14:21:21 GMT

Rafte & Company's legal IT methodology helps our team drive efficiencies and positively impact your profitability through technology with the least amount of disruption of your normal business practices. This process helps anticipate future client demands and aligns your technology investments with your law firm's strategy. It includes the following steps for

Management

Thu, 11 May 2006 14:19:53 GMT

Rafte & Company can help your law firm manage and support its legal technology system. Our legal IT management goal is to be proactive rather than reactive. We have a client-focused approach to delivering services, assigning a project manager and backup project manager to each account. This ensures that your firm will have around-the-clock access to a dedicated Rafte & Company legal IT expert when you need it most. We understand that the relationship between each client and its project manager is extremely valuable. Therefore, we have policies and procedures in place to ensure that maintaining and strengthening these relationships is paramount. Management/Support includes the following: Monitoring – In cases where a law firm has a stable, well-functioning system, Rafte & Company monitors the system and analyzes its operations to avoid any unforeseen crisis. Security – Rafte & Company can help your law firm assess and manage processes and systems to ensure your...

Migration

Thu, 11 May 2006 14:14:44 GMT

Rafte & Company knows that before we can drive efficiencies and impact your law firm's profitability through the strategic implementation of technology, we must help your firm adapt to the new systems. The conversion phase enables our legal IT team to smoothly transition your law firm's workflow from existing applications to new, improved applications with minimal disruption to your practice. Conversion includes the following:

Testing – Once the new application has passed our own preliminary testing, Rafte & Company will help your firm establish a beta test group to work with the new system under normal business situations.
Consensus Building – New processes will change the way your law firm works and create a cultural shift in the environment. Rafte & Company will work with your firm to promote a clear understanding throughout the organization of the benefits associated with technology initiatives. Our team of legal IT professionals can facilitate management presentations that illustrate senior management's commitment to change, thereby promoting acceptance of the technology being introduced into the firm.
Training – Many law firms inadvertently waste enormous amounts of time and money on technology because training is inadequate or nonexistent. Rafte & Company can develop personalized training and reference materials as well as develop and conduct flexible training modules for your team. We also will evaluate the training initiative and recommend further training requirements, if appropriate.
Floor Support – Rafte & Company will provide on-site support during the conversion period to ensure the new system is smoothly adapted into normal business practices with the least amount of disturbance.

Implementation

Thu, 11 May 2006 14:11:29 GMT

Rafte & Company's team of legal IT experts can take responsibility for your firm wide implementation of workflow solutions. In many cases, we encourage law firms to critically and realistically assess the capabilities and limitations of their existing systems because many will not support the current generation of software applications.

Whether your firm is implementing an incremental change or adopting an entirely new technology application, we will lead the plan to procure, install, upgrade, and customize your software and hardware.

Among the biggest practical challenges law firms face is selecting and procuring the best mix of technology to meet their unique legal IT needs. Rafte & Company can help your firm select and implement appropriate cost-effective hardware and software systems to realize the requirements identified in the firm's strategic plan. Specific services include:

Identifying requirements and priorities;
Discovering viable alternatives; and
Guiding the firm through the selection process, including preparing requests for proposal and specifications, identifying vendors, answering questions, reviewing proposals and making recommendations.

Our goal is to implement a good, stable system that helps the firm prevent the need for crisis management.

Recognizing that each firm's needs and processes are different, Rafte & Company works with each client to customize a plan of implementation to maximize efficiencies and minimize disruptions of normal business practices. We examine the way the firm operates and then work around the normal work schedule – often focusing the majority of our implementation activities on nights and weekends.

Design

Thu, 11 May 2006 14:08:03 GMT

Rafte & Company knows it is not realistic to have a blanket formula for solving the IT challenges of law firms. Every firm is unique. Our design phase enables our legal IT team to gain an intimate understanding of your firm, its culture and the role technology currently plays. The areas we address include: Goal Discovery – A law firms strategy should drive its technology plan. Therefore, Rafte & Company identifies the appropriate technology infrastructure and applications that can help your law firm accomplish its goals and be more responsive than ever. We can re view your law firms resource utilization, organizational structure and culture in order to accurately assess where your firms technology is today and where it needs to be tomorrow. Through this process, we help law firms see into the future to anticipate client needs and define technologys role in supporting your strategy. We also identify and address emerging issues, such as remote access, to help firms create...

Testimonials

Thu, 11 May 2006 14:01:20 GMT

Application Services

Thu, 11 May 2006 13:46:20 GMT

Standard operations in many law firms were established to support the individual and not the firm. As a result, redundancy is the norm and data is not in an accessible format that can be interfaced easily. Rafte & Companys Application Services enable collaboration throughout your law firm. We can empower your firm to allow you to spend your valuable time serving clients and managing cases rather than duplicating work and juggling documents. Collaboration is the result of integration, or linking applications to amplify their effectiveness. The rationale for integration is simple. If technology applications and your law firms processes dont work together, the same data has to be entered repeatedly. With Rafte & Companys Application Services, your firm can operate more efficiently than ever. Enter information one time and that clients record is updated automatically. Your team can see the total picture at a glance: check the status on any matter for each client with ease; view...