“I’m able to use ROSS as though it were a first-year associate doing top flight legal research.”
Jonathan runs a small firm in Stillwater, Oklahoma focused on representing local entrepreneurs in transactions and business litigation, among other practice areas.
Build a new type of legal platform to support entrepreneurs.
Leverage technology to provide clients with a flat monthly fee.
ROSS fits perfectly into Jonathan’s plans to build a subscription fee platform that will allow him to deliver advice to local entrepreneurs for a predictable monthly fee. “Efficiency is key when you’re developing a fixed fee model,” Jonathan reports. “ROSS is the only legal research tool I use. I’m able to use ROSS as though it were a first-year associate doing top flight legal research. That allows me to provide clients with unlimited research for a flat monthly fee. The model simply doesn’t work without support from cutting-edge tools like ROSS.”
“What intrigues me is the potential for changing the traditional relationship between lawyers and clients. I want to use technology to be more transparent and open. One great way to do that is to get out of the hourly fee mindset. The billable hour too often leaves the client feeling that inefficiency benefits the lawyer. It can weaken relationships over time. I want to move in the opposite direction.”
“I’m not a tall-building lawyer doing endless research. ROSS lets me deliver value as a trusted advisor on my client’s executive team. That’s how I want to practice law.”
Jonathan illustrates the point with a quick example of how he recently used ROSS to assist a client with a matter outside his core business concentration. “A parent wanted to terminate a guardianship. Family law situations always involve uncertainty and sometimes a bit of anxiety for the client. Your job as a lawyer is to deliver a good result, but it’s also to help the client understand how the court will come to a decision. ROSS was great for that. I was quickly able to find some cases that clearly laid out the standard that was going to govern the client’s petition.”
“You obviously can’t guarantee what’s going to happen in any case, but whether you’re advising an entrepreneur in a transaction or a parent in a family law matter, you can give the client confidence that she fully understands how the law should work in her situation.”
Jonathan’s interest in technology isn’t limited to building his law practice. He uses his active Twitter account to build and strengthen communities in Stillwater. “I work with a lot of young professionals in Stillwater through Rotary and other organizations. I’m always looking for ways to help people work together, whether its entrepreneurs, people developing technology on the Oklahoma State campus or local activists improving the city. Technology isn’t an end in itself, it provides tools to bring people together and leverage their strengths.”
“I’m able to use ROSS as though it were a first-year associate doing top flight legal research.”
