Client of the Month

D'Amico, Griffin & Pettinicchi, LLC

Founded in 1990 by three attorneys who believe that clients deserve the highest level of client service, D’Amico, Griffin & Pettinicchi, LLC is a well-known and respected firm.  They believe that clients who come to the firm, because of their experience and reputation, deserve to have one of the principal attorneys, Mike D’Amico, Mark Griffin or Tom Pettinicchi, handling their case.  The firm has  seven paralegals, along with additional support staff, and every case is handled personally from start to finish by an attorney whose name is on the door.

Among its partners is Michael D’Amico who has consistently been named a Connecticut Super Lawyer by  Law & Politics magazine; has received the preeminent AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the leading peer review legal rating organization, and is listed in The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.  Mike is a life-long member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and is an active member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.  He serves on the Board of Governors of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and on its Executive, Medical Malpractice and Legislative Committees.  Mike is board certified in civil trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is a Court Appointed Arbitrator/Fact Finder in Civil Litigation, as well as a Special Settlement Master for Personal Injury Claims in the State of Connecticut Superior Court.

Mark Griffin attended Providence College as an undergraduate where he graduated with honors with a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting. After working as an accountant for two years, he attended Albany Law School of Union University in Albany, New York. He is a member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice and practices in the fields of personal injury and workers' compensation. Mark is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association as well as the New York Bar Association and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

Thomas Pettinicchi practices in the area of matrimonial law, divorce mediation and personal injury. Thomas is a member of the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association and Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. In addition, he serves as a Special Master in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Process for Family Matters for the Superior Court of the State of Connecticut and for the Regional Family Trial Docket in Middletown.  He has been recognized by the court for his service in representing children in family cases and has been a lecturer for the National Business Institute on various family law topics.

This close-knit group of legal professionals joined the Needles family on November 2, 2004.  Prior to that time, the Watertown, Connecticut firm,  was using Microsoft Word, GroupWise and a “homegrown” database to manage its cases.  As the firm grew and the caseload increased, D’Amico, Griffin & Pettinicchi, LLC, began the search for a case management system which would not only increase efficiency and organization but also insure that their major priorities, client service and contact, were met.

Over time, firm members have become active members of the Needles community, submitting Wish List  items and attending UserGroup meetings and seminars.  D’Amico, Griffin & Pettinicchi, LLC has also expanded its case management protocols to include integrations with Palm Pilots and the QuickBooks accounting system.

Needles:  Why did your firm decide to implement Needles?  Have you been happy with the results?
Reed Kloc, Office Administrator/Paralegal:  .  The database that we were using was not as efficient as we wanted it to be. The office looked at several different case management software programs.  We looked at Needles a few times during our decision-making.  The thought of converting to Needles was initially overwhelming and required a lot of pre-converting work and planning.  Despite these initial concerns, the conversion went well

Needles:  How does Needles help your firm complete its motto/mission?
Reed:   Our firm is well respected and many of our cases come through attorney referrals.  Needles helps us to maintain our high level of efficiency and professionalism.  While we are a small firm with three attorneys, we handle a large caseload.  Needles has made us more efficient in the handling of these files.  Client satisfaction is top priority at our firm.  Needles gives us accurate information quickly to provide good client communication.

Stacy Crochet, Paralegal:  Needles has been our salvation.  There are no worries of missing a statute date; there is always a reminder when a document is due.

Patricia Broderick, Paralegal:  Needles helps by providing accuracy in maintaining deadlines, pertinent client/case information and useful notes and memoranda.

Sue Pandiscia, Receptionist:  Needles enables more accurate and timely information in handling the cases.

Needles:  How does the way that your firm manages its cases with Needles compare to your previous case management program?
Stacy:  ...Needles is very helpful.  No more pulling the file from the cabinet and looking to locate the client’s name, address, date of birth, adjuster’s information, etc.  All the information is again at your fingertips.

Kim Nowell, Paralegal:  Needles is a more convenient and accurate way to manage cases vs. the old diary system.

Patty:  It is an invaluable management tool.  Previous efforts to maintain files/deadlines were paper diaries and time-management software programs with limited capabilities.

Reed:  You MUST use Needles in our office.  It is mandatory.  All staff and all attorneys use it.  We have been able to standardize many of our forms and repetitive-type court documents which has reduced the amount of time spent both proofreading and manuscripting documents.

Needles:  What has been the largest improvement in the way your firm manages its cases since the installation of Needles?  What Needles features contributed to these changes?

Kim:  I believe the largest improvement is that you can get an accurate accounting of the status of your cases quickly.

Sue Mastropietro, Paralegal:  We no longer have to put clients on hold -- to get the paper file -- to be able to answer their questions.

Reed:  The Note feature has been a helpful improvement by allowing us to document telephone conversations for easy reference.  We use the information in the Negotiation tab when speaking with an adjuster about settlements and offers without having to dig for old notes in the file.  In addition, we recently hired another paralegal and Needles was invaluable in bringing her up to speed on a large number of files quickly.  She participated in a Webinar and found it to be a very effective way of learning Needles.  We plan to schedule another Webinar soon to correct and re-code some of our existing documents.

Needles:  What aspects of Needles are most frequently used?
Kim:  The checklist … the major information tabs (party/insurance/notes/attorney etc.) and the Needles form documents.

Patty:  Many functions are used on a frequent basis.  I use the Note tool often to memorialize telephone conversations with clients, adjusters, doctors and opposing counsel for quick reference at a later time.  Also, discussions within the office between the staff/attorneys are summarized here so that the information is accessible to anyone who may need that data at any time.

Reed:  We use the Value Tab feature now to make all of our check requests and to quickly and accurately track all case expenses.  Medical bills are easily tracked, along with payments made on medical bills thru the Value Tab.

Needles:  Do attorneys use any features that staff members do not use?  If yes, what features and how are they used?
Reed:  Attorneys use the management reports – this is an area we continually strive to become more proficient in, along with using Needles in our Marketing plan more effectively.  All new Cases and Intakes are required to have the referral source filled in which has helped us track more efficiently exactly where our cases are coming from.

 
Needles:  What is your favorite Needles function?  Why?
Stacy:  (The Needles merge documents.) I can do numerous letters at one time.

Kim:  The Checklist is my favorite because it helps me keep up with my files.

Patty:   Notes.  Inputting information for quick access at any time ensures that the information is precise and always up to date.  Bringing yourself or your attorney up to speed on a file is quick and easy.  It also promotes the professionalism and quality service we’re able to provide by accessing information and answering questions quickly and with accuracy.

Sue M.:  The Checklist function.  It remembers things for me.  The “Post to Needles feature” in Outlook – e-mail communication is rapidly increasing.  Now we can communicate with our clients and save those communications directly to their file.

Reed:  The Note feature is the best for documenting files.  Personally, I love that Needles integrates with QuickBooks and that I can easily export and import check information to QB which saves me tons of time.

Needles:  Why does your firm invest in Needles training and seminars?
Kim:  To learn more about Needles to improve our use of the service.

Patty:  Uniformity, efficiency in managing files.

Sue M.:  To become more proficient with the program.

Reed:  Needles can do so much we keep trying to learn more and apply it to our specific needs.  Training and seminars keep the enthusiasm for learning going.

Needles:  What differentiates your firm’s use of Needles?
Reed:  We are better able to keep our clients informed.  All the information is at our fingertips so whenever they call, we know what is going on and can answer them intelligently.  Quality client contact is important to this firm and Needles helps us do that.

Needles:  Finish this thought: “I love my Needles because…”
Stacy:  …I am able to work efficiently on my cases.”

Kim:   …I am able to keep up with my workload and find information quickly.  When asked about a closed case in which the "Our Client" boxed was not check, I was quickly able to run a report on my closed cases to get the information the attorney wanted.

Patty:  …I can retrieve information quickly and easily.  Even when I’m interrupted while working on a file, I can multi-task by accessing information in another file to answer a question or schedule an event without having to retrieve a file for information or make someone wait for a return phone call.

Sue P.:  …of it’s simplicity in use.

Sue M.:  …it makes my life easier by keeping me organized and on task.

Reed:  …it has a better memory than I.  I can “set it and forget it.”  Once it’s in Needles I don’t need to worry about it.  I know it will come up on my daily Checklist or Calendar and all of the information I need is right there.

(from left) Mark F. Griffin, Michael D’Amico, Tom Pettinicchi

D'Amico, Griffin & Pettinicchi Staff