“I want you to imagine that Amazon and LinkedIn had a baby.”
That’s the line that stuck in my head after sitting down with the Fulcrum GT team to hear more about their latest product RAPIDx, first unveiled back in May and then showcased at ILTACON in August. It’s an evocative pitch. It’s also a pitch that delivers when you dig into the product.
“Just as Amazon Prime fundamentally changed the marketplace for consumer goods, RAPIDx is positioned as the catalyst that modernizes the entire landscape of legal service provision, from sourcing through delivery and payment,” said Dino Eliopulos, Fulcrum GT vice president, innovation and solutions.
What that Amazon inspiration means in practice is an interface that foregrounds the factors clients care about when staffing a matter. Who really sells the products on Amazon? Not necessarily Amazon. But as a consumer, the identity of the seller is usually secondary to getting the product you want, at the best price, in the right timeframe. Define the representation — say, it’s an employment matter in California — and tick off any additional factors important to the client, like a DEI rating or whether this must be a fixed fee engagement — and RAPIDx provides results like these:
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That’s exactly how you shop for frying pans. Obviously legal services are a lot more insufferable than a frying pan.
But underneath these entries, is all the rest of the information. If the provider already has negotiated rates, if they have preferred rates, if they’re on your carrier’s panel — all that stuff’s in there. Click around, make some decisions, and invite firms to bid.
From there, the system provides insights into managing work going forward.
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Clients win with the ease of shopping. Outside counsel wins by putting itself in the position to be selected by motivated buyers.
RAPIDx is secure, scalable, process-based, sustainable and optimized to help firms move their business operations forward amid changing client needs. The platform offers in-depth analytics, allowing both law firms and clients to monitor and analyze sourcing activities, work in progress, invoicing and overall spend visibility. The high-level status dashboards provide valuable insights to drive informed decision-making and optimize legal operations.
It’s no secret that the easiest way to get lawyers to adopt tech is to draw inspiration from consumer interfaces. Even the stodgiest lawyer knows how to buy off of Amazon. With RAPIDx, Fulcrum draws upon that Amazon user experience — both in interface and in substance — to deliver an intuitive way to shop for legal services.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
