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Joseph G. Skelly, Esquire
(Retired)
Ellen has been extremely helpful to this Luddite over the years. She has always been willing to give direction and guidance, irrespective of how complex or simple the problem. Even as I am in the process of retiring, Ellen is giving me advice on a new computer. The last computer purchase was made in 2008, with Ellen’s guidance. She helped me select what I needed then — a powerful Dell laptop — and it lasted for six years. She even got on a conference call with me and the Dell sales representative, because he was giving me conflicting information. Ellen was right, and set the sales rep straight!
Ellen is fantastic in what she does.
Charles A. Rausch, Esquire
Partner, Blakey, Yost, Bupp & Rausch, LLP
York, PA
We were very impressed with the professional manner in which Ellen prepared for and conducted our firm's strategic planning retreat. Ellen knows the legal business inside and out, and provided us with excellent guidance and information as we plan for the future. Without question, you get your money's worth with Ellen.
Barbara Zulick
Zulick Law LLC
Norristown, PA
I think Ellen
Freedman is the best thing that ever happened to law office
management in Pennsylvania. She is more than well equipped
to deal with any management issue that may arise: engagement
letters, configuration of office equipment, hiring of staff,
hourly rates, billing systems, document storage and retrieval
systems, marketing the firm; you name it — she knows
it! I highly recommend her to small, medium and large firms
alike.
Keith
A. Clark, Esquire
Shareholder,
Shumaker Williams PC
Harrisburg, PA
Dauphin County
When you retain a consultant, you need someone with the knowledge and style that fits your organization. Ellen encompassed both characteristics. We retained Ellen Freedman not only to review our compensation system and make recommendations to enhance it, but also to generally review firm cultural and operational issues which impact performance. She conducted interviews of staff and reviewed existing procedures. Her recommendations were on the mark and practical. They were presented in a non-threatening manner which enhanced conflict resolution. They addressed our Firm Vision, and reinforced the need for individuals to nurture the firm rather than personal agendas. Ellen has a particular expertise with respect to the use of technology within law firms of our size. We would not hesitate in recommending her to other firms.
Michele
Peffer
Office Manger,
Joseph J. Plunkett, P.C.
Allentown, PA
Our office
first consulted with Ellen Freedman about five years ago when
we made the choice to replace our word processing system;
moving from WordPerfect to Microsoft Word. (Or as Ellen puts
it, we decided to “join the dark side”.) Ellen
visited our firm for a week and instructed our staff on the
ins-and-outs of the Microsoft Word software.Ellen is a true professional. Upon her arrival, she was met
with a great deal of opposition, as the staff was not looking
forward to the conversion. However, by the end of the week,
she had the entire staff asking why we waited so long to make
the change. Her proficient knowledge of the software, delightful
disposition and excellent teaching ability continue to be
an asset to our firm on a daily basis.
We continue to consult Ellen regarding software questions,
and each time she always manages to teach us something new.
Ellen is an excellent Microsoft consultant and we would recommend
her services to any firm.
Adam
D. Zucker, Esquire
Mudrick & Zucker, P.C.
Conshohocken, PA
Ellen’s
advice was practical and to the point. She understands that
starting any new program—be it technology, public relations
or human resources—has a learning curve. She works with
you at your pace and works within your learning curve and
time restraints as a busy attorney.
It’s reassuring that as a small firm we can get guidance
as to our practice that we once thought only the larger firms
could afford.
Malcolm
J. Gross, Esquire
Gross, McGinley, LaBarre & Eaton, LLP
Allentown, PA
Ellen Freedman
was responsive, professional, and extremely helpful in advising
our firm on a whole variety of professional issues. We found
working with her to be a tremendously positive experience
which benefited everyone here.
Alan
Price Young, Esquire
Young & Haros, LLC
Stroudsburg, PA
You should
know that besides bringing a depth of professionalism and
much experience with management systems and technology to
the table, Ellen does not shy away from the other hard issues—she
deals directly and effectively with the 'people' problems
in a law firm.
Richard
C. Mudrick, Esquire
Charleroi, PA
Ellen suggested
calling my telephone service provider about voice mail. I
have general voice mail that picks up when the office is closed
or when all of the lines are busy. I called my telephone service
provider and found out that for just $2.00 more each month,
I can get 5 different voice mail boxes. Now, my staff can
ask the client if they want to leave a voice mail for me,
and transfer them. I was told by my telephone equipment provider
that I would have to buy a new phone system at a cost of $2000
to achieve the same result.
Thanks to Ellen, "I just saved a bunch of money on my
................" No wait, that's a different commercial!
Margaret
Klaw, Esquire
Berner & Klaw
Philadelphia, PA
Ellen was
invaluable in walking us through the complex maze of options
in choosing a new telephone system, negotiating a favorable
package for us with the vendor she ultimately helped us select,
and overseeing installation and training on the new system
(which we love.) She also helped us immensely in negotiating
the terms of our affiliation with another attorney who was
becoming of counsel to our firm. Ellen is terrific. She has a wide range of knowledge about
everything you could possibly need to know to run a law office,
and she delivers it with intelligence, efficiency and tremendous
warmth.
Sandra
E. D. McGraw, Esquire, MBA
Chief Executive Officer, The Health Care Group
Plymouth Meeting, PA
As lawyers
and consultants ourselves, we are used to delivering the news
of how to "fix" a practice. We are also very aware
that when hiring a consultant a lot of practices play a lot
of games in who they select, so that management gets the answers
that validate their decisions to date. When we decided to
hire a consultant, we wanted someone who would tell us what
we needed to hear, not what we wanted to hear. We wanted someone
who would tell us, our senior partners, where our problems
were, without being concerned about what that meant about
being hired again, or being "liked." What we found
was that we did not like or agree with everything that Ellen
had to say, and we certainly challenged many of her statements.
But, she stood by her recommendations, and clearly explained
why she made them, with facts and statistics behind her. In
the end, we implemented many of the changes that she recommended
and we are better off for having done so.
Paul
James McAndrew
Erie, PA
During my
tenure as Director of Administration at a 23-attorney law
firm, I hired Ellen Freedman to assist our firm in a “forklift
upgrade” of our computer network. The upgrade consisted
of replacement of over 80 workstations, a new network operating
system, implementation of high speed internet connectivity
and secure remote connectivity, and change and conversion
of our document management and email systems. It was a massive
project. Ellen
performed a technology survey, assisted us in formulating
a technology plan, identified vendors, created our Request
for Proposal, analyzed the vendor proposals, arranged in-house
demonstrations and site visits, and created an apples-to-apples
side-by-side analysis for our review which helped us to
arrive at a decision quickly.
Ellen negotiated pricing and contract terms, and oversaw
the project implementation. Following each vendor or project
meeting Ellen produced detailed minutes with assignments
and deadlines to ensure that everything flowed smoothly,
nothing fell through the cracks, and there were no misunderstandings.
Ellen patiently provided explanations of the many complex
issues to ensure that everyone made careful decisions based
on solid information. At key points in the project she met
with our staff to explain the project, answer questions,
and generate enthusiasm. Ellen efficiently created the teamwork
necessary between personnel and departments to enable the
gathering of information for the efficient set-up of our
new software. She coordinated the effort of multiple vendors
in order to eliminate finger-pointing, errors and delays.
As with any large technology project, problems arise. Ellen
ensured that these problems would be dispatched quickly
by negotiating detailed acceptance criteria in advance,
which she incorporated into our purchase agreement. Ellen
assisted our firm in resolving problems by creating a detailed
punch list, following up with the appropriate vendors, and
updating and redistributing the punch list until all issues
were resolved.
Finally, Ellen provided excellent hands-on training to our
staff and attorneys in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
and Outlook.
Without hesitation I would recommend Ellen for any technology
project, large or small. She has the depth of knowledge
and hands-on experience to make it seem easy, to achieve
the results the firm wants, and to do so as economically
as possible while still achieving the goals of the firm.
Paul
M. Perlstein, Esquire, LL.M.
Perlstein Law
Doylestown, PA
It is my pleasure
to let everyone know how helpful Ellen is in the management
of a law office. I personally have found her knowledge of
all of the many computer programs available to electronically
do all the things that running an office requires to be especially
valuable. Whatever my question, whether it be on Word, Outlook,
or QuickBooks, just to name a few, she has always answered
accurately and promptly. I have also been impressed with her
knowledge of such other management issues as marketing and
human resources.
I consider Ellen to be one of my most valuable assets in the
running of my law practice. I would have loved to have had
Ellen as my office manager during all the years when I ran
my multi-staffed office. I can only imagine how much easier
the task would have been because I know how much easier she
makes things now.
Kathleen
“Kitty” Terrill
Administrator, Timoney Knox, LLP
Fort Washington, PA
I have had
the pleasure of working with Ellen Freedman in a variety of
ways over the past six years.
My law firm hired Ellen as a consultant when selecting a new
accounting and time/billing system, and again when selecting
a new telephone system. We used her services in helping us
identify various vendors, creating and sending out RFP's,
and assisting us in the process of analyzing the vendor proposals.
On both assignments, Ellen was focused, attentive to our needs,
realistic in her approach to working with both the vendor
and our firm, and submitted information to us timely and succinctly.
Ellen has an incredible breadth of knowledge, she brings a
sense of humor to the table, and is a pleasure to work with.
I have learned a great deal during my association with her
and would recommend her most highly.
Karen
Sirlin
Office Administrator,
Sirlin Gallogly & Lesser
Philadelphia, PA
As a law firm
administrator, I have had numerous opportunities to consult
with Ellen Freedman with respect to various professional issues.
Ellen has consistently demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge
of technical and practical issues essential to the performance
of my job and to the efficient functioning of a law firm.
She is familiar with the legal community and continues to
monitor ongoing developments in the field. In addition, she
is always reliable, pleasant and responsive.
A few years ago I had hired Ellen to train my staff on several
different computer programs. Even though she had broken her
foot over the weekend, she appeared for training on crutches.
She is an extremely good instructor and got my staff up to
speed quickly.
Ellen is one of my most valuable resources due to her all–around
knowledge and abilities and I highly recommend her.
Arthur
Martinucci, Esquire
The Quinn Law Firm
Erie, PA
We asked Ellen
Freedman to help us decide the best way to upgrade our firm's
out-dated an under-powered computer network, and we couldn't
be happier with the results. Ellen assessed the firm's technological
capabilities —hardware, software and end-users—and
worked with us through a thorough RFP process to identify
a great vendor. She helped us negotiate a reasonable price,
and worked with both us and our vendor through the roll-out
process to make sure the project was brought to a timely and
successful conclusion. We've been up and running for nearly
18 months now, without the former experience of weekly—sometimes
daily—network failures, and are looking at new ways
to exploit technology instead of fearing it.
Mary
McDermott, CLM
Administrator. Begley, Carlin & Mandio, LLP
Langhorne, PA
Ellen Freedman
is extraordinarily knowledgeable in virtually every topic
conceivable concerning law firm management. This, combined
with her direct, common sense approach to problem solving
has proven extremely valuable to our 18–lawyer firm
in a variety of areas. I've found that Ellen quickly understands
our most complex issues and has a unique ability to provide
sound advice that fits the culture of our firm—thus
increasing the probability of implementation. Her recommendations
are always right on the mark and implementable. She continues
to be one of my most treasured resources.
Richard
C. Woodbridge, Esquire
Synnestvedt Lechner & Woodbridge LLP
Princeton, New Jersey
I learned
more practical information from Ellen about Microsoft Word
and Outlook in three hours than I learned on my own over the
past 25 years - which says a lot coming from an electrical
engineer. Her program was well organized and humorously delivered.
Questions were encouraged. There isn't a day that goes by
when I don't use at least one of her tips. If I do forget
something, I always have her handy and well organized printed
materials to fall back on. I recommend her most highly as
an entertaining and effective way to learn crucial computer
skills.
Marian
Law Burns
Vice President of Administration, Brintnall & Nicolini, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
[When] our company excitedly announced the cutover to a state-of-the art Altigen telephone and voicemail system, [it] would not have been possible if we had not engaged Ellen Freedman. At the time, I was juggling many major projects and thought I would never have time to install a new phone system. Then a light bulb went off — that’s what Ellen does! As a consultant, she is equipped with the knowledge and experience to handle every facet of office operation. My stress level dropped as I dialed Ellen’s phone number. The coordination was massive. Though it was not an easy transition, Ellen made it appear easy. She set up meetings with [all of the vendors and providers] … and ensure[d] that communication never faltered. Ellen confidently dealt with complex scenarios involving switches, circuits, and channels. Ellen provided comprehensive and customized training to all end-users, including our remote employees. She continued to follow up after installation to fine-tune the software and to resolve all remaining issues. As a result of the new system, we became more accessible to our clients, which was quite an accomplishment since we conduct business globally. In short, it was a pleasant and positive experience that made me look good!
Edward
Blumstein, Esquire
Mediation Services
Philadelphia, PA
Ellen helped me negotiate the
tricky waters of professional liability insurance. She was
thorough, diligent , professional in her efforts and best
of all she saved me a bundle of money with premier coverage.
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