The Context

Walter Clark Legal Group is a high-growth injury firm in the California High Desert area, soon to open their seventh office. Though specializing in personal injury, the firm’s strong local presence brings in people needing help in many different practice areas. Client experience for all potential clients is a top priority, and Walter Clark's team goes to great lengths to make sure they refer clients to good firms in the correct practice area, recognizing that clients’ referral experiences reflect back on Walter Clark.

Edwin Magaña, Director of Support Staff Operations, shared his firsthand experience of how Lexamica helped Walter Clark scale up referrals and enhance personal connections with clients and referral partners.

The Challenge

Before Lexamica, Walter Clark faced the usual referral challenges: cumbersome systems, few status updates, and delayed or missing payments.

The firm’s referral network lived in an Excel spreadsheet of the founding partner’s individual connections.

Case updates were spotty at best. The firm’s original approach was to “send it out and hope for the best.” Later they tried to close that loop with a full-time referral coordinator, but the situation was still far from perfect. Cases with updates within 90 days (Lexamica’s compliance standard) were “less than 30%, for sure,” according to Magaña.

“We were leaving money on the table because a lot of these referrals we send out are good cases,” said Magaña. “We know these attorneys are settling the cases. We’re just not following up proactively.” Late payments were a consistent problem. Magaña recalled one instance where they followed up on a missing referral check, only to find that the referral partner had fifteen checks they needed to write to Walter Clark.

The Key

Lexamica powered up Walter Clark’s referrals, facilitating the personal nature of good referral relationships while smoothing away the kinks and frustrations of manual systems.

New Personal Connections — Lexamica harnesses technology to open up new personal connections, not replace them. Magaña explained, “a lot of the injury firms have reached out to us. They want to have that personal connection as well, not just through the platform. They want to get to know the firms they’re referring these cases to through Lexamica. One of the firms actually came out here to our part of town and we had lunch together. It was great to share what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and exchange notes.”

Improved Relationships — Existing connections have gotten better. When Walter Clark onboarded their prior referral partners, Magaña saw some of the firms were hesitant about the new technology. But Lexamica provided the support they needed—a client success team “making sure it’s a successful partnership for both.” With onboarding support from Lexamica, the referral partners have seen the benefit of the new system, and Magaña’s team has also welcomed the opportunity to provide updates on inbound referrals more easily and consistently.

More Attentive Client Service — One of Magaña’s favorite successes since joining Lexamica has been finding a new products liability referral partner, one that offers really personalized service to clients. “Prior to this, we had a products liability contact, one of those 800-number firms, but obviously they get inundated with cases. Through Lexamica, we found another products liability firm that really spent the time with the client. They connect with the client and explain the reasons why they can help or why they can’t help. Very hands-on.”

More People Helped — Magaña estimates that Walter Clark’s retained referrals have increased by 30 to 45% since joining Lexamica. The firm now has access to a network that is not just geographically broad. It also offers a depth of coverage the firm did not have before: “a vast network of even more attorneys that can have that second, third, fourth look at the case” increases the chances of a successful referral every time they send out a lead.

Easy to Use — All these positive changes have come with less work for the firm, not more. The onboarding experience was “great”; the integration with Walter Clark’s case management software is “fantastic.” Lexamica’s team ensures that partners are updating cases, and the firm’s referral coordinator has been free to take on new roles for the firm. The Lexamica platform is easier for the intake specialists, and they find the dashboard very easy to navigate. Everything now runs more smoothly for everyone.