Calgary estate planning law firm achieves 70% client retention rate using Lawmatics

Britta Graversen
Estate Planning Lawyer & Owner
Modern Wills Law
The results
10-15
hours saved per week
70
%
client retainment rate
25-50
%
increase in new clients
Firm facts
Practice Area
Estate Planning
Business Size
True Solo
Location
Calgary, AB
Switched From
Microsoft Excel
Meet Britta Graversen
Britta established her firm—Modern Wills Law—just two and a half years after graduating from law school. Although she knew she probably would have started her own firm eventually, Britta figured that the middle of a global pandemic was as good a time as any to set out on her own. Powered by her bachelor’s degree in business and experience working in a family business prior to law school, Britta knew a thing or two about how to set herself up for success.

Aside from some contracted bookkeeping, Modern Wills is [currently] an entirely solo operation, offering personalized estate planning with a five-star rating on Google.

With Lamwatics automations there is less for me to think about and therefore, less for me to worry about."

— Britta Graversen

The mission

Starting her firm in her home office during the COVID-19 pandemic, Britta’s first goal was to create and fine-tune a system that worked for her. As a true solo lawyer, Britta has worn several hats: business owner, director of marketing, CEO, and lawyer. Without the luxury of an assistant, Britta knew she needed systems in place that were as efficient and convenient as possible.

Two years into starting her practice and one year into using Lawmatics, Britta’s firm is hitting its stride and has since relocated to a physical office space. “Lawmatics does quite a bit more than the other options that I was looking into. And I really liked the idea of not having to use multiple or add even more softwares to the current stack.” With the bulk of its business coming from referrals, Modern Wills Law is building a strong reputation of quality service.

Challenges

Too many manual processes

With so much paperwork associated with estate planning—from drafting, reviewing, making any changes and getting signatures—completing it all manually would be all-consuming, especially as a solo lawyer. Britta didn’t have the time or bandwidth she needed to focus on growing her business while providing dedicated legal services.

Hours of lost time per week

“My primary mission is to deliver customized estate planning documents as efficiently and as conveniently as possible,” details Britta. With the key to her firm’s success hinging on the quality time spent with each client, spending upwards of 3 hours a day on tedious administrative tasks was unsustainable.

Unnecessary stress and anxiety

Law is a precision industry. Manually managing all of her correspondence created room for error, and even more room for overthinking about the potential for error. Britta needed a way to reduce stress about consistently communicating accurate and timely information.

I don’t want clients to have to pay for my time to do things that can be done automatically"

— Britta Graversen

Benefit highlights

Better value for clients

Automations allow Britta to streamline her estate planning services. In turn, she can offer reasonable flat rates without charging her clients for tasks that technology can handle in the background. “If I can get things done in the background, then I can charge them a rate that just reflects my time for the actual legal work—that’s what sets Modern Wills apart is time spent with a lawyer for, I think, great value for the cost."

Instant follow-ups

With a fully automated intake process in Lawmatics Britta no longer has to play phone tag (or mail tag) with prospects to book consultations. Instead, she saves 10-15 hours per week with self-service booking. “When prospects book a consultation, they have access to my calendar. The Zoom link is sent to them automatically, followed by an email with my intake form. Once they fill out the intake form they get an automated response with appointment reminders—I don’t have to do anything.”

Simplified communication

Automated emails eliminated the need for Britta to copy, paste, and edit the same email each time a client booked the same kind of case. Ready-to-go email and SMS templates equate to less worry, and more dedicated time toward the next task on the docket. “As a lawyer that deals with social anxiety, if an email is automatically sent (or a template is at least ready to go), there is less for me to think about and therefore, less for me to worry about.”

Better insight

Since the bulk of Britta’s clients come from referrals, tracking her best referral sources is key to growth. Lawmatics offers full reporting insights automatically. “I don't have to deal with separate tracking spreadsheets anymore to track referrals. That is all inside of Lawmatics and I don't have to do it manually."

Increased growth

Since becoming a Lawmatics customer Britta has seen a 25-50% increase in clients with a 72% conversion rate. With a process in place for managing growth, Britta can maximize her business potential before hiring additional staff. “My business is growing and hopefully that percentage stays the same as it grows!”

Work-life balance

With a fully automated intake process, Britta enjoys peace of mind when stepping away for personal time and hobbies, like spending time in the beautiful Calgary mountains. “When I first started Modern Wills, I was, without exaggerating, spending at least 3 hours a day on administrative tasks and emails and scheduling and back and forth.”

Power features

Client intake

With a fully automated intake process, Britta can focus her efforts on serving her clients. “I will never forget the first time that my intake process ran automatically. I was at a lunch and I just started getting all these emails confirming that someone had booked an appointment, then accepted the calendar invitation, then completed my intake form. And I didn't have to do anything. That was a huge moment for me.”
Appointment Booking Calendar
Legal CRM Automation

Legal CRM

Running a true solo firm, Britta does not have the time or bandwidth to float between several different apps to engage leads and manage activity. With Lawmatics, Britta can do everything herself in a single organized location — all while welcoming each client with a personalized touch thanks to customizable automatic responses.

Reporting & insights

Thanks to Lawmatics' powerful reporting and insights software, Modern Wills Law has the analytics needed to increase profitability and continue to grow. Rather than wasting marketing dollars in places that don’t yield new business opportunities, reporting identifies Britta’s best lead sources to get the maximum return on her marketing investments.
Law Firm Reporting and Metrics

What I like about Lawmatics is the idea of not having to use multiple softwares, or add even more to the current stack."

— Britta Graversen

Future business goals

After setting up her firm for success with efficient processes, Britta has her sights set on driving growth in a sustainable way. In the coming years, Britta hopes to:

  • Hire staff to her firm
  • Expand her caseload
  • Build the Modern Wills brand

I like the idea of things being streamlined and being able to schedule appointments online, and my clients also appreciate that.”

— Britta Graversen