Time Matters Continuing Disintegration

With the announcement that Jonah Paransky has moved from the LexisNexis Practice Management division to CounselLink, and the failure so far to appoint any new head, LexisNexis Practice Management has become leaderless. (Whether the move was voluntary or not is unclear.)

Further, Lexis has terminated (fired) the last remaining developer from the original TimeMatters team. So now there is absolutely no institutional knowledge of the TM code that goes back further than about 4 years. To say that this leaves TM rudderless would be an understatement.

So it is understandable that there have been rumors that the Practice Management division is up for sale.

The mantra among consultants used to be “there’s plenty of work for everybody.” It is perhaps a sign of Time Matters’ declining fortunes that consultants have turned carnivorous. Tom Rowe’s OTB Consulting has recently sued one of its former clients, the Doan Law Firm, as well as Frank Rivera’s Logicbit, makers of Houdini, Esq, for dropping Time Matters and the OTB Bankruptcy add-ins and switching to Houdini. I didn’t manage to plow through all the way to the end of the documentation, but here’s the link: http://logicbit.com/groups/esquire/weblog/0e9fa/

I am not in a position to assess the merits of the case, but on the face of it, suing a client for failure to continue the use of your software is a pretty sad state of affairs.

Things will only get worse.  As the number of clients who have either dropped the software or refused to pay LexisNexis’ extortionate  “Annual Maintenance Program” rates grows, so too will the rate at which the old software no longer integrates with changes to the operating system or the adoption of new versions of software that previously integrated with Time Matters or PCLaw. I find I seem to be getting an increased number of inquiries in the form: “I am using Version [X] of [Time Matters, PCLaw] and it no longer does [Y] or integrates with my new [Z]. I refuse to pay the AMP. What can I do?” Unfortunately, the answer is in the form of one of a variety of truisms: Suck it Up, Bite the Bullet, Fish or Cut Bait, etc.

I have somewhat changed my views on the subject of what to do. I used to say: “Well, despite the flaws, these are still the best programs around, so just pay up.”  Now I am more inclined to say: limp along if you can, and in the meantime most of the web-based programs have 30-day trials. Aggressively seek out the trials, put all your data for one or two clients into the trial version for a month and see if they will do what you need.

For example, Seth Rowland recently pointed me in the direction of a new web-based practice management program, Action Step, out of Australia/New Zealand.  For a first take, see Seth’s blog. 

Comments

[Kelly Hill]

There is really plenty of work for everybody. However, the question to be raised there is if they can satisfy the owner of the job.

[android blog]

I absolutely feel ecstatic when I find articles relevant to my work and my subject.
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[Luis]

How face this Timematters news to turn onto Abacuslaw or Timeslips 2013 new calendar improvements??

[Frank Rivera]

John, some Time Matters consultants seem to prefer to go the way of the dinosaurs rather than adapt and prosper. The market is changing. You can choose to be a part of the change or wither and die.

Tom Caffrey recently had a client move away from Time Matters to HoudiniESQ. We went out of our way to try and get Tom Caffrey to customize HoudiniESQ for this client. After all he has expertise in this particular practice area and knows the client's needs. Caffrey baulked instead of seeing the opportunity to move with his client to HoudiniESQ and remain their consultant and in the process learn something new and bill for his time. This is a classic case of not seeing the forest through the trees.

Instead, almost a year after the client purchased HoudiniESQ Caffrey a well respected TM consultant calls around trying to find out who the client was so he can contact them. Is this ethical or professional? Hell no!

The TM community needs to come to the realization that Time Matters life span is coming to its end. Fight as hard as you want, file frivolous lawsuits, put ethics aside if you want to. It will al be to no avail. The end result will be the same. Law Firms will move from Time Matters to competing products. You can either help them along and stay their consultants or get dropped like a hot knife.

Here is my email to Mr. Caffrey and applies to any other legal consultant who thinks they are entitled, special, are exempt from professionals and ethical behavior, or thinks that any Law Firm owes them anything.

--

hey Tom,

How are things? The reason for my email is I have gotten several calls from TM consultants regarding your inquiry into one or more of my clients. Your inquiry is unethical and out of line.

I don't have to tell you that if a former client of yours, Lexis-Nexis', or Tom Rowe's chooses of their own free will to leave Time Matters and your services for HoudiniESQ that you should have nothing to say about it. Poking around trying to get confidential details about one of my clients or any portion of my client list is a bit of a problem for me and a far more serious one for you my friend.

Your former client wanted to move away from the dinosaur called Time Matters.

When they said they were using Time Matters and your services we went out of our way to reach out to you. You weren't receptive. Don't deny it. We made your former client aware that if they customized HoudiniESQ using similar labels (the same ones used by all attorneys in this area of law) that characters like you may potentially cause their law firm some problems. Your former client's response was "screw him, we don't care what he thinks. It's our data!". They proceeded to customize HoudiniESQ themselves to fit their practice.

Tom get your head on straight because you are on the wrong side of this thing. I have nearly 5,000 Law Firms as clients and every single one will defend their right to their client data, their right to migrate their data, and their right to create similar labels used by all attorneys practicing within the same practice areas. I have spoken to several high profile ones and they are all willing to raise the issue with their State Bars.

You do know that every attorney is obligated to protect their client data. In some states it is law. Which means they can move their client data to any platform they choose, whenever they choose, including any field labels.

You lost the client. You have no one else to blame. They found my product as well as several others on the web. They reached out to me of their own free will. They customized HoudiniESQ themselves and we migrated their data. Just like Tom Rowe's former client the Doan Law Firm. GET OVER IT!.

I'm sure you have had discussions with your buddy Tom Rowe and as you probably already know by now, I'm not going away. I don't scare easily. If you care to make issue of it I will have your former client bring this issue and your company up to their State Bar. They have already agreed to do so. I will expose you and any other consultant who tries to take any Law Firm's data hostage.

How do you think this is all going to look Tom? A couple of disgruntled consultants who lost their clients to a Time Matters competing product. You really think any law firm would take you or Tom Rowe's side? It's their freaking data Tom, NOT YOURS!. Do you think once they are aware of your position they will want to do business with you, ever? How much do you really stand to loose taking the position that a law firm shouldn't be able to migrate their data if you customized their instance of Time Matters? Put your thinking cap on Tom.

Further, if you contact anyone, and I mean anyone with regards to obtaining LOGICBit's confidential client details again you will be hearing from me once more but not in this sweet tone.

When we met down here in North Carolina right after I launched HoudiniESQ I got the impression that you were a standup guy. By the looks of things, I may have been wrong.

FYI, I have CC'd my Attorneys on this email in case you wish to test me.

Sincerely,

Frank Rivera LOGICBit Corporation