Why I Invested in Ajax

Great Lawyers, but Lost Revenue

At O'Connor Family Law, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional representation to families navigating difficult transitions. Our clients trust us with their most vulnerable moments, and our attorneys deliver results.

But even the best law firms face a universal challenge: capturing all billable time while providing effective client service.

During my first conversation with Jack from Ajax, I told him, "I know my team delivers exceptional value, but when we're jumping between urgent matters all day, those quick emails and five-minute phone calls can easily slip through the cracks."

The attorneys on my team are constantly pulled in 100 different directions simultanously - responding to a client's urgent text, reviewing a document from opposing counsel, drafting a custody agreement - and then struggle to reconstruct their day at the week's end because time just got away from them.

"We always err on the side of caution," I explained. "If we're not completely sure, we'd rather underbill than risk overcharging a client."

This approach aligned with our values but created a business challenge: our team was working hard, but the firm wasn’t always getting paid for that work and, where our attorneys are heavily incentivized on their collections, it was a problem that was hurting them in the long run as well. 

Additionally, I understood the pressure of the billable hour and how much of a burden it is to feel like you need to consciously track every minute of your day. I saw the two main problems that I wanted to fix - making timekeeping more efficient and less painful for our team - I set out on trying to find the solution.

The Search for a Solution That Actually Works

I had tried automated timekeeping programs before. While I liked the concept, the execution left much to be desired. I tried another solution, but my team found that it took more time to review and adjust entries than just tracking their time manually. 

When we discovered Ajax, I was cautiously optimistic. We needed to recapture our lost billables, but would it be easy for my team to use? Would they deliver on their promises? It almost sounded too good to be true. 

The Moment Everything Changed

Within days of starting our Ajax pilot, I noticed something unprecedented: silence. No complaints. No pushback. 

Introducing new processes and technology into a firm has never been an easy experience because of the resistance that naturally comes to being asked to change. It’s hard to learn something new between the time it takes and the effort necessary to adapt to the change. 

But our experience with Ajax was different. 

"This is the first technology I've brought to my team where zero people complained," I realized. Even my attorneys who had historically resisted change quickly became ardent fans of the program.

Most surprising was what I discovered about my own work habits - I was also still missing a lot of my own billable entries because - you just get busy and forget. Looking at my Ajax dashboard during the pilot, I noticed that it had found 11 billable entries, which without Ajax recording them, would have likely gone unbilled because I forgot I had even done the work. 

At the end of our pilot, the numbers across our firm told an impressive story:

• $162 in additional billable time captured per user, per day

• Over $30,000 in extra revenue monthly recorded across our 9-person pilot group

• Even our most meticulous timekeepers found significant missing time

• When I asked our team to rate Ajax on a score of 1-10 across 5 different categories, the responses were mostly 9’s and 10’s across the board, with the lowest being a single score of 7 from that meticulous timekeeper in response to the prompt: “Ajax helped me track billable work that I know I would not have otherwise tracked.” 

Why I invested in Ajax

My decision to invest in Ajax came naturally. I am a huge fan of the company and the service they deliver. The program has made my company more successful and my team’s lives easier. And as good as their product is, the customer service is even better. I've never considered myself a risk-taker with investments, but the ROI with Ajax was undeniable.  When they offered me the opportunity to invest, it was an easy decision. I've seen firsthand how Ajax transforms legal timekeeping from a dreaded chore into a seamless background process. It helps great lawyers capture the true value of their work and makes their jobs easier. It has helped us track any inefficiencies and we’ve been able to fix those issues as well. It’s a win for everyone - my firm, my team, and my clients. 

For me, investing wasn't about taking a chance on unproven technology. It was about backing a solution I'd already validated with my own practice - one that pays for itself many times over every month.

O'Connor Family Law is a midsize family law firm serving clients throughout Massachusetts. They focus on providing exceptional client service and achieving the best possible outcomes in divorce, custody, and other family law matters.

To learn more about how Ajax can help your firm capture more billable hours, visit joinajax.com.