Detroit Law Firm Chooses Fiber Connection for Clients, Practice
Hickey Hauck Bishoff Jeffers & Seabolt PLLC (HHBJS) is a Detroit-based law firm specializing in business litigation, counseling and mediation services — and being nimble. The firm proudly bucks the one-size-fits-all approach common with large law firms and, instead, effortlessly merges top-flight legal talent with cutting-edge technology to deliver outstanding results for its clients.
The Early Years
In 2016, lawyers Patrick Hickey, Mark Hauck, Thomas Bishoff and Benjamin Jeffers dreamt of starting new chapters in their careers and forming their own firm, one where they could be more adaptable to their clients’ expectations and needs to, ultimately, better serve them. Notably, to fully embrace available and emerging technologies, they wanted their firm to be virtually paperless.
Law firms are required to maintain client files for a certain amount of time, which quickly can tax even the best storage solutions. In contrast, a paperless firm means reduced document management and less physical storage. It also aligns well with modern court systems, which require filings to be made online, and with clients, who demand the efficiencies inherent in working with electronic documents.
As an example, a client with 10 GB of email that needs to be reviewed in litigation discovery is the equivalent of 30,000 individual documents. Rather than a labor-intensive manual review, today’s technology allows for a fast, efficient discovery process at a lower cost to the client.
The partners knew they would need to invest in secure cloud-based storage and management software. But first, the firm needed to identify a business service provider that could deliver a seamless high-speed connection backed by a top-quality customer support team.
Initially, the team explored a cable-based internet provider before further investigating other options for companies with a heavy reliance on stable connectivity and high-speed throughput.
Through this journey, the partners eventually determined they needed a fiber service provider. The decision has proven beneficial, as the firm has enjoyed uninterrupted network services for several years with fiber-based internet.
“It’s absolutely lightning-fast service and an outstanding product. We’ve never been down once unexpectedly,” Bishoff said. “Any interruption is problematic when you’re filing online, accessing courts online, reviewing documents online and managing your firm online.”
| SERVICES PROVIDED | CHALLENGES | OUTCOMES |
| Dedicated Internet Access | Bandwidth Needs | High Capacity |
| Lack of Access | Flexibility |
Connectivity Builds A Better Practice
In 2020, Hickey, Hauck, Bishoff & Jeffers combined forces with Seabolt Law Firm to form HHBJS — and required a robust connectivity solution to fully integrate the offices of Scott Seabolt and his team. Everstream worked closely with HHBJS’s technology provider to get the combined law firms up and running in a matter of days.
Connectivity remains a core component of HHBJS’s operations, given the firm’s growth. With its 100 Mbps Dedicated Internet Access connection with Everstream, HHBJS leans heavily on cloud-based computing to access documents and software programs — and network reliability makes all the difference.
“A loss of connectivity in the middle of a business day is simply not acceptable,” Hauck said. “If our internet goes down, we lose access to our cloud-based applications and our telephones. We can’t have that — and have not had to worry about it either.”
By utilizing Amazon’s AWS cloud-computing service, paired with management software designed specifically for law firms, HHBJS can be confident its data security is intact. The software’s end-to-end encryption ensures that every file is highly protected, backed up and, most importantly, accessible from any computer or terminal with the appropriate credentials and passwords.
Flexibility Proves Crucial To Success
The average five-attorney law firm can save more than $40,000 in salaries and other overhead costs by using the right law practice management software.
“HHBJS’s reliable internet connectivity in tandem with the data security of our cloud-computing platforms has helped us to not only lower, but eliminate, the expensive cost of storing files digitally on servers while greatly reducing the need for hard-copy storage,” said Hauck.
“We still have a technology cost, but it’s nowhere near what it would be to maintain a server network,” Bishoff noted. “It allows us to drive a lot of efficiencies and productivities to our clients. Our whole cost structure is less so our rates can be more competitive, and the services we deliver can be provided in a much more efficient manner.”
By not having to manage servers, Bishoff also says that the firm can use more modern software technology, which is friendlier to working remotely when needed. After all, flexibility and adaptability are critical cornerstones of success in today’s “always-on” business climate.
For HHBJS, choosing the right network connection proved invaluable for the firm’s success.
“If you’re going to base your practice on cloud-based computing, the most important thing you can do is find a reliable internet provider,” advised Bishoff. “And everything from there will flow.”