When our staff grew large enough that attorneys who were co-counseling on cases from different offices, and a paralegal who was supporting them from another location, were duplicating document review, analysis, and production in ways that were inefficient and causing confusion at times, we started to investigate software programs that would allow staff in different offices to collaborate on the same document set together.
We needed a way to maximize efficiencies, and a centralized place where documents could be stored and available to all staff, rather than saved on hard drives here and there. [In MasterFile] we are able to work more efficiently and smoothly together, and organize our files in a way that makes them available to multiple people. I like how once all documents are profiled, you can quickly move around a set of documents, switching from Date, to From or To, or Issue/Topic. This makes it simple to find what you need quickly and also saves much time in the long run. The learning curve is admittedly steep, but once you understand the program and its functions, it becomes simple to use.
I highly recommend MasterFile. Staff are very supportive and enormously helpful in learning the program, it is cost-effective, and not run by a remote corporation.
Thanks again, so much, you’ve changed how we work here – much for the better.
MasterFile has exceeded all of our expectations both in terms of evidence management and operational requirements. … We now use MasterFile for every file we open, whether the file is a litigation file or a transaction file.
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MasterFile does everything we need for evidence management. We have set up a series of template databases so that we are able to open a new database with particular features depending on the nature of the file.
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Once we installed and started using MasterFile, we were immediately able to enjoy the benefits of the program. MasterFile is intuitive. It is easy to learn the basics and start working productively, and to increase one’s level of sophistication with experience.
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We believe that MasterFile is superior to any of the other document management programs we investigated. We are particularly impressed by the ease with which we are able to operate remotely. Between acquisition, installation and training the move to MasterFile can be made at a fraction of the cost involved in acquiring other programs.
Your support has been fantastic and your product is my best friend. MasterFile has made practicing law fun again …
In summary, I would say that MasterFile is a fantastic electronic document management system. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is involved in any kind of research and needs to manage, organize and present large quantities of information.
Legal technology expert Ross Kodner in his Law Technology News article, Trial tech options for small firms with small cases and small budgets, says:
“Finally, think about alternate litigation suites — all-in-one systems that are alternatives to the high cost, über-sophisticated systems that may have more bells and whistles than you need.
“Check out MasterFile. It is a combination of tools that parallel CT Summation, including transcript management, a discovery database and full-text searching.”
GPSOLO Magazine’s June 2010 article about case analysis software, published by The American Bar Association, stated:
“Both CaseMap and MasterFile are good programs with rich feature sets…”
MasterFile itself offers an unprecedented level of flexibility, adaptability and affordability that integrates case analysis, evidence and document management and, thus, provides an extraordinarily powerful litigation-support tool. … It places lawyers in small firms and solo practices on a technologically equal footing with large firms that use applications costing several times more than MasterFile.
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We had used the CaseSoft® suite of products (CaseMap®, TimeMap®, NoteMap®, and TextMap®) for case analysis over a considerable length of time. … MasterFile offered case-analysis tools that are similar, but superior, to the case-analysis tools that CaseMap offers. … We found that the application provides a more comprehensible analysis of the case. For example, MasterFile provides views that offer a visual snapshot of the facts, their analysis and the case time line or chronology. One can “see” the case more easily with this visual snapshot than one could “see” the same case in CaseMap.
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It has been the firm’s experience that the level and quality of MasterFile’s technical support has exceeded, by far, that which CaseSoft had provided the firm in the past.
Several relational database systems were considered, but none offered the flexibility provided by MasterFile.
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Since a great deal of travel is involved in my business it is also very useful to be able to synchronize versions of the files on my office computer and my portable computer, as well as to carry backups of the information on USB storage devices that fit in a pocket. While this is theoretically possible with other programs, none have had the convenience, ease and speed of MasterFile.
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For my application it isn’t a question of why MasterFile is the best solution, it is the only solution — and also, exceptionally easy to use. Without MasterFile I simply could not accomplish my goals without hiring several assistants to perform the tasks MasterFile handles very efficiently.
MasterFile is the new boy on the block – a relative newcomer to the litigation arena. The concepts it espouses seem at first to be hackneyed … until you use it. And then you believe.
MasterFile is the first alternative to CaseMap but with an integrated document repository comparable to Concordance/Summation along with document management ala Worldox, all at less than 1/4 of the price.
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CaseMap users looking for full litigation support without the cost of Summation or Concordance can simply use MasterFile’s CaseMap Importer to quickly switch to MasterFile’s integrated fact and document repository, In fact, MasterFile is the first and only system capable of importing CaseMap files.
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Once CaseMap’s spreadsheets are imported into MasterFile, CaseMap is no longer required. … Then, using MasterFile’s argument drafting system, link the facts-supporting document in line with MasterFile’s doc-link functionality, as all documents and extracts or other facts are ready for linking to the facts, and argument you are working on.
A particular frustration was the need for us to invest in a separate document discovery system and case analysis tool (CaseMap) … [and] we are still left with the challenge on finding a method to allow all parties to work securely off-line with their own laptops.
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MasterFile is an incredibly well thought out and easy to use product. It has clearly been written by a team who not only understand the technical requirements and limitations of current marketplace solutions but have a deeper understanding of the very specific legal process required.
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The key advantage of Notes is it excellent capacity to synchronise and handle off-line working without again looking at a separate system to handle this.
As litigator specializing in Employment Litigation and Public Law, I had been using both a case analysis and a leading litigation support product, but recently I’ve switched to MasterFile. Not only was using two products proving too cumbersome, MasterFile gives me everything the others had and more, plus document management and built-in PDF creation, in a new, very intuitive and easy to use metaphor.
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I currently manage 16 or 17 cases with MasterFile. Each case database contains 200-300 documents, complete case knowledge and my argument. Installation was straightforward and support from MasterFile is excellent. MasterFile deserves your attention and if you currently use other products, consider switching. It is well worth it. The price will surprise you too!
MasterFile is an exciting new product that deserves a serious look if you’re considering moving to electronic litigation evidence analysis and case strategy analysis. Scalable from small and solo firms to large enterprises, it is the first entrant in a new class of software that combines CaseMap®, Concordance®, Summation® and document management akin to Worldox®.