Megan Will balances her time between the Bedford County District Attorney’s office and her solo practice, specializing in estate planning and real estate. Initially using Smokeball for case management and billing, Megan struggled with delayed client collections due to their 3rd-party payment processor and restricted app-based access to case files on one device. After switching to PracticePanther, she found that the platform’s built-in payment processor and cloud-based case management system enabled her to bill and collect payments 88% faster, automate workflows, and stay connected to her practice from anywhere.
Eliminating Invoicing Hurdles with All-in-One Case Management Software
Megan started her firm in her hometown of Somerset, PA, to address a gap in legal coverage in the area and infuse some youth in the local Bar Association. Alongside her private practice, Megan works in the Bedford County District Attorney’s office, which means time is always in short supply.
Initially relying on Smokeball for both case management and billing, Megan quickly grew frustrated with the manual billing process and lack of a built-in payment system. She had to stretch her tight budget to purchase third-party tools like QuickBooks and Square, which came with additional subscription and processing fees and still resulted in delays when it came to collecting payments from clients or the court.
Searching for a better solution, Megan found PracticePanther. The platform’s modern built-in payment processor and intuitive cloud-based system provided a significant cash flow and flexibility upgrade. Making it much easier for clients to pay on time and for her to stay connected from anywhere.
“I was frustrated that Smokeball didn’t have a built-in payment system. Billing took extra time, and I had to rely on separate services like QuickBooks or Square, which came with high processing fees. Collecting payments—whether from private clients or the court—typically took 45-60 days, and every case was aging on the account. Switching to PracticePanther changed everything for the better.”
Megan Will
Founding Partner
How Megan Will Saved Time and Boosted Cash Flow with PantherPayments
With PracticePanther, Megan’s invoicing process was streamlined and far more efficient. What used to take 4 or more hours every month now takes just minutes, saving her half a day that would otherwise have been lost to manual billing tasks. This has freed up time for Megan to focus on new appointments, court appearances, and her family.
“Putting invoices together used to take forever. Between billing our private clients and the court for our appointments, it took 4+ hours every month to get everything done. That’s half a day I’m losing. PracticePanther gave me that time back by making billing incredibly simple and easy to complete.”
Megan’s payment collection process with Smokeball was also slow and costly. With PantherPayments, PracticePanther’s native payment processor, she has streamlined the entire billing and payment process, resulting in an 88% faster payment collection. With automated reminders and direct payment links, clients now pay within a week of receiving an invoice, and some even pay the same day.
“PracticePanther’s native payment processor made billing and payments seamless. With direct payment links and automated reminders, it’s rare for a client to go a week past due—some even pay the same day I send the invoice, compared to the 45-60 days it took before. They just click, and it’s done.”
Staying Connected from Anywhere with PracticePanther’s Intuitive Cloud-Based Platform
Megan felt constrained by Smokeball’s app-based platform, which required the program to be installed on a specific device. This severely limited her ability to access case files outside the office, making it challenging to stay updated on her practice while traveling or working remotely.
PracticePanther’s intuitive cloud-based platform resolved this by enabling Megan to securely access and update case files from any device, ensuring she remains connected to her practice no matter where she is. Whether reviewing assistant notes, checking client updates, or following up on tasks, Megan can effortlessly manage her cases and stay in control, even on the go.
“With Smokeball requiring me to download a program on my computer, I couldn’t access or update case files outside of the office without toting my personal laptop everywhere. I love that PracticePanther’s cloud-based platform is accessible from any device, no matter where I am. PracticePanther makes me feel connected to my firm from anywhere.”
Capturing Every Case Detail with PracticePanther’s Automation and Custom Reporting
Meeting deadlines is essential in Megan’s estate practice, even a small oversight can have significant consequences. Originally, she relied on easily lost handwritten index cards to track important dates.
Now, PracticePanther’s automated workflows and deadline tracking have completely streamlined this process. Every deadline across her matters is populated in a single, comprehensive calendar view. Ensuring Megan can see all upcoming tasks, such as filing a tax return or sending out a notice, with a quick glance.
“PracticePanther’s automation has helped me stay on top of deadlines by auto-populating anywhere I need them. I can see everything we have coming up this month in one view. Before I kept track of everything on an index card that could get buried. So this is much better.”
Additionally, PracticePanther’s intuitive matter view and expense tracking make it easy to pass along every billable fee to her clients. Small expenses, like $5 filing fees, would slip through the cracks and gradually eat into the firm’s bottom line before. Now all expenses are automatically tracked and clearly displayed at the top of each matter–-eliminating revenue loss from overlooked charges.
“PracticePanther’s client file layout has made it easy to see every expense on a matter and it’s automatically included in my invoice. I can’t tell you how many small $5 filing fees have been forgotten over the years. PracticePanther puts it all at the top of the matter view so I don’t have to jump to different pages to find every expense.”
Megan must complete an annual application to maintain her malpractice license, requiring detailed case data from the past year. In the past, this meant spending hours manually searching through case files and updating an Excel spreadsheet to answer questions like, “What percentage of your caseload is malpractice cases?” or “What portion of your revenue comes from those cases?”
Now, with PracticePanther’s custom reporting, Megan instantly generates the exact data she needs to answer every question. This streamlined approach helps her complete the application process faster and reduces the stress of maintaining her license.
“PracticePanther’s custom reporting can pull information for my annual malpractice application instantly and help me get everything submitted faster—making life much less stressful.”
PracticePanther’s Seamless Migration and Intuitive Interface Helped Megan Will to Hit the Ground Running
Data migration from one platform to another can be intimidating, but Megan found switching to PracticePanther to be an incredibly smooth experience. Within three weeks of learning about the platform, she had completely migrated from Smokeball and had PracticePanther fully implemented into her practice.
Leveraging the Google Drive integration, Megan seamlessly transferred all her case files and client documents without data loss or the need for complicated manual processes.
“I thought it would be more difficult to migrate my data from Smokeball to PracticePanther and get started. The timeframe from hearing about PracticePanther, to getting started on the platform was under three weeks. It was amazingly hassle-free.”
PracticePanther’s intuitive interface also positively impacted Megan’s newly hired paralegal’s onboarding experience. Megan gave her access to the platform on day one and encouraged her to explore how their firm’s systems were set up. Within the first hour, she had already learned how to navigate PracticePanther and was already making contributions to the firm’s operations.
“When I hired my paralegal, I gave her access to PracticePanther on day one and had her start playing around with the system. I’m not kidding when I say she already had it down within an hour and knew exactly how everything worked.”
Get Paid Faster & Stay Connected to Your Firm with PracticePanther
After making the switch to PracticePanther, Megan Will has seen transformative improvements in her firm’s operations, client experience, and the boost to the bottom line that comes as a result. Billing tasks that once took hours every month are now completed in minutes, and with PantherPayments, she collects those invoices exponentially faster than before. By leveraging the cloud-based, intuitive platform, Megan can ensure that no deadlines are missed, no expense is overlooked, and her team stays connected on every case detail—no matter where she is.
If you’re interested in seeing how PracticePanther’s case workflows and payment processing can help your firm operate more efficiently while boosting revenue, contact our team. Explore how PracticePanther’s features can reshape the way you practice law!
