Scaramella & Hoofnagle
New Jersey
In 1983 when the firm that would become Scaramella & Hoofnagle opened, founding partner Michael Scaramella resolved to utilize computer technology fully in his legal practice. This seemed necessary to compete successfully with the old entrenched law firms that dominated practice in his area. Those firms were very dependent upon large support staffs, causing them to lumber, and added greatly to their business overhead.
Scaramella soon realized that although word processing was very important, data processing was just as important. This began a protracted search to find practice management software to manage the day-to-day operation of the firm. All the informational brochures and booklets accumulating in a large pile in Michael's office started to seem alike. No available application seemed satisfactory enough to be relied upon as the core component of the management of his firm. Since it seemed that he would not be able to license an acceptable application, he started to wonder if he could make what he needed by himself.
"The search then shifted to find a data management environment that would enable us to build a suitable practice management system for my young firm," said Scaramella. "I discovered Helix®. The promotional materials said that it was 'for people who don’t think in code.' I took pride in drafting complex legal documents in plain language. I did not want to learn to program in cryptic codes. The Helix design environment was completely free of syntax and procedural codes. Manipulating icons on the screen was something I knew how to do. The previously impossible seemed within reach."
When the box containing Helix arrived, Scaramella opened it eagerly. Seeing the large Helix Reference gave him pause. "I took a deep breath and opened the cover. The following quote greeted me: 'Good tools save much labor.' Remembering this helped me to work through the earliest stages of learning the ways of Helix. Before long I was seeing data management tasks as assembled Helix icons and calculation tiles. It was truly empowering."
Helix guided him. Even more importantly, Helix stubbornly refused to allow him to make many of the mistakes he tried to make. The earliest parts of the new application took shape. It was still possible to change and extend the application without disturbing the real data being stored. The working application became the prototype, and the prototype became the working application. "I acted upon inspiration when the Helix Muse graced me, and responded to need when needed. The application grew continuously in power, scope, and sophistication. This helped the efficiency and capacity of our firm to grow proportionately," he said.
As this evolutionary process progressed, Scaramella's practice management application began to look more and more like a commercial product. "We found ourselves confronted with a difficult decision," he said. "Should we keep our maturing application confined within our own offices, or allow it to grow and develop into a full commercial product?" They decided to offer their application for license by other firms, and open it to extensive configuration by end users. Managing Partner was born.
Today Managing Partner serves as the cornerstone of the management of professional practices from coast to coast. Managing Director serves similar needs of other service businesses. A once fledgling application has now grown to maturity and manages both their legal practice and their Computer Division. "We count ourselves among the professional Helix developers," he said. "And our licensees count themselves among the satisfied Helix users."