Case Management Comparison: Jr. Partner v. Gryphon

by

Aaron P. Morris, Esq.

This month, the old and the new square off. As a part of our continuing, in-depth reviews of case management programs, we examine Millennium Software's Jr. Partner, which has been on the market since 1989, and Poseidon's Gryphon, which was introduced last year. Not to give things away, but with age comes wisdom.

Installation

Both programs installed without incident in just a few minutes. They can both be used as standalone programs, or networked. The network configuration is peer-to-peer, with all workstations sharing the same data files. To avoid accidental overwriting of the data files, Gryphon allows the program files to be installed on multiple workstations, but will allow the data files to be installed only once. Be sure you designate the proper location for the files on your first attempt or you will have to go through an uninstall process.

Gryphon 1.3

Some case management programs are little more than a compilation of predefined fields used to capture case data. Gryphon is far more useful. It uses an approach it calls "create it, bill it, calendar it." Say, for instance, you are sitting in your office, and your secretary informs you that John Smith is calling. Most programs would allow you to do a quick search for the name, and then log the call with some notes. Gryphon goes much further. As you are speaking, you log the call, indicating a call from John Smith. Gryphon is already set to search for that name, and finds that John Smith is opposing counsel in the Jones case. At the end of the call you would enter a few notes, and then click on a dollar sign to bill your time. Gryphon will create a time slip for the Jones matter that reads "Call from opposing counsel re . . . ." You would simply fill in the rest. Another few clicks would then add any deadlines generated by the call. If used properly, Gryphon could capture billable time that is often lost.

Depending on your preferences, you may be singularly unimpressed with Gryphon's "calendar" view. The calendar is not a calendar at all, but rather an "action list" of appointments and to-do items. Small icons indicate the type of item, such as appointment, deadlines and reminders, but these do not make up for the lack of a visual calendar. Even printing the calendar does not yield an actual calendar. If you want an answer to the simple question, "How much time do I have on Thursday?" Gryphon will make you work for it. Like Jr. Partner, Gryphon does not have the ability to calendar dates from rules.

Moving onto the contact features, Gryphon has created some useful fields not found in most any other program, while at the same time ignoring obvious fields. For example, when you are adding address information, there are predefined fields for the person or company's web page and e-mail addresses. Those are useful, but even more useful would be a place to list a second address (aside from the notes section).

In its favor, Gryphon has excellent document management features. Instead of just attaching documents to the applicable files, they are organized by stage: development, pleading, discovery and resolution. You can isolate the documents generated in any phase, or view them all. Each entry shows who the document was to or from, and best of all, indicates whether any further action is needed or expected.

Gryphon also has an excellent document generating feature. It ships with six templates, one for correspondence, one for a memo to file, and four model pleadings. From the four pleadings, Gryphon can generate 70 more. You end up with a library of pleadings and motion face pages that will accept case information. If you wish, Gryphon can even insert your letterhead each time you create a letter. In the same manner, Gryphon can create a proof of service. By clicking the names of the attorneys and the document, and then clicking on how you want it served, you can create a proof of service. Service methods can be different for each recipient, and even include overnight mail and fax. You may never use this feature, but your secretary will love it. Gryphon's templates are run in either WordPerfect or Word, but not WordPro.

Finally, Gryphon has a time and billing system built in. It is entirely functional, and since Gryphon emphasizes capturing time, the combination is a natural. However, do not expect the more sophisticated features you will find in a standalone program such as Timeslips. There are no budgeting features, or any way to do flat rates or discounts.

In addition to these core features, Gryphon has a number of other features worthy of note.

One is called the "inactivity check." With a single click you get a complete report on any cases that have not had any activity in x number of days, and a statement of what was the last activity. Another click displays all statutes of limitation dates. There is also a conflicts checker, and a number of predefined reports that show phone calls, documents created, and a "modifications audit" that provides a list of every action taken in every matter in the office.

Hopefully, as Gryphon matures, it will work out some of its kinks. There were a number of unnecessary, minor annoyances. For instance, if you begin to enter information into a dialog box and then change your mind, you cannot simply escape or cancel out of the box. Instead, you must close the drop-down list you are using, click on a button to clear any information you have entered, and then click on an exit icon. This may be Gryphon's attempt to avoid loss of data, but an "exit without saving?" prompt would accomplish the same thing.

Printing your action list is equally frustrating. You might think that when you are looking at your calendar, you would have the option to print it. You would be wrong. To print your list, you must exit from the list, go back to Gryphon's "Activities Switchboard," select report, select calendar, and then select your filtering options. On the positive side, after you have done all this Gryphon prints a nice list.

Another problem involved the dialog boxes. For some strange reason, dialog boxes did not open fully. After searching in vain for an OK button, you will realize that it is hidden under the border, which must be manually dragged out of the way.

A working, demonstration version of Gryphon can be downloaded for free at www.poseidon.com.

Jr. Partner for Windows, version 2.0.

The opening screen of Jr. Partner provides two vertical rows of large pushbuttons, with explanations next to each. These include buttons for "Quick Data Entry," case entry, people entry, case review, calendar and address book. You select your desired activity, and are taken directly to that screen. The original buttons then become the toolbar across the top of the screen in subsequent views. Each view also includes a second tool bar that includes only those action items that are relevant to that view.

Jr. Partner uses a spreadsheet approach to display much of its information. For example, when reviewing your to-do list, the date, time, description and text are listed in different cells. Right clicking on a cell expands only that information. Using this method, a lot more information can be squeezed onto the screen, and then easily accessed. Speaking of more information, one surprising omission is Jr. Partner's inability to expand to fill larger screen resolutions. With most programs, changing the resolution permits the program to display more information such as the entire day's appointments or more text on the to-do list. With Jr. Partner, changing the resolution from 640x480 to 800x600 yielded no more information. Gryphon also did not automatically expand when the resolution was increased, but you can drag the edges of the screens to larger proportions.

Jr. Partner has well executed calendaring features. The calendar/to-do list adopts the usual appointment calendar graphic, with a three month calendar along the left margin. There is both a daily and weekly calendar view (but no monthly). One very nice feature is the ease with which you can add or review entries. Next to each calendar and to-do item is a push button. One click on the button either opens an existing entry and displays all the detail, or permits entry of a new item.

Jr. Partner does not permit you to reschedule an item by dragging and dropping it onto the smaller calendar, a bothersome oversight, but at least with the push buttons an item can be quickly changed to the new date or time. Jr. Partner allows the calendar to be customized in a number of ways, and can filter the display to selected items. For instance, if one of your associates calls in sick, you could call up their to-do list and display only those items that have been marked as urgent. Jr. Partner does not have the ability to calendar dates from rules (i.e., 30 days from service of summons answer is due).

Jr. Partner's contact features are first rate. Names and addresses are displayed in two ways. First, the "Rolodex" screen shows, again in spreadsheet format, the names and phone numbers of all your contacts. This is where you would go to quickly find a number. Surprisingly, however, there is no auto-dial feature. For more detailed information, you can click on a Rolodex entry, or click on the button marked "people." Through the copious use of tabs, Jr. Partner offers places for all the information you are likely to need. There are also tabs for documents and events associated with that person. Jr. Partner will also create mailing lists.

Especially powerful are Jr. Partner's reporting capabilities. The case status report is a sight to behold. Additionally, all of the information you have entered can be presented graphically. With little effort you can create pie charts of data you might otherwise have never analyzed. For example, to better target marketing efforts, you can with just a few mouse clicks create a chart of all your clients by city or zip code.

Unlike Gryphon, Jr. Partner does not have any billing features, aside from a timer that keeps track of the time you spend on a matter (one nice touch, the timer also has a dollar meter that shows the running total like a taxi meter). However, an optional module links Jr. Partner and Timeslips.

Jr. Partner also links with Word and WordPerfect, and allows for form documents. It also has an available module for HotDocs. Overall, a very impressive program. Incidentally, aside from some minor cosmetic changes, Jr. Partner is the same as another program called LegalEdge. LegalEdge, however, costs far more.

Conclusions

Although there is a lot to like about Gryphon, its lack of a calendar view will remove it from serious contention by most attorneys. However, that may simply be a matter of personal taste. Download the demo from the company's web site, and do your own test. But given the various features of the two programs, not to mention the lower price of Jr. Partner, Jr. Partner wins this contest by a wide margin.

Details

Gryphon for Windows, version 1.3. Versions available for both Windows 95 and Windows 3.x. Single user: $995, Five users: $2,685. The Poseidon Group. Telephone: (800) 547-9746. Internet: Info@poseidon.com; www.poseidon.com.

Jr. Partner for Windows, version 2.0. Sixteen-bit version only for Windows 95 and Windows 3.x. Single user: $599, Five users: $1,249. Millennium Software. Telephone: (800) 577-2786. Internet: www.millenniumsoft.com.