Cecil J. Lyon:
Mentor, Mediator, Mac User

Promoting Appropriate Dispute Resolution,
and Appropriate Software Selection

Cecil J. Lyon, of Kanata Law Chambers

An active and enthusiastic LawStream user, for more than ten years

When prospective LawStream Pro users want to learn what LawStream Pro is really like, they prefer to rely on someone who has really had the time to learn about that software and use it in a real law-office environment. PowerSoft Innovations Corporation has been very fortunate to count on people like Cec Lyon, when prospective users want a reliable and informed referral. Cec has recommended LawStream Pro (and its predecessors) to many lawyers, and many of those lawyers have chosen LawStream as a result of Cec's recommendations.

Cecil J. Lyon has the experience and credentials that draw people to him for advice, and he often assumes the role of a mentor for new lawyers. Cec's advice includes general office management advice, as well as advice in substantive areas of the law. Cecil is a long-time columnist with the Lawyers Weekly, a member of the Collaborative Famly Law Network, and a Roster Mediator with the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program in Ottawa. He is also a Past President of the Dispute Resolution Centre for Ottawa-Carleton, a member of the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution, the National Institute for Dispute Resolution, the Ontario Association of Family Mediation, an Honoured Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution, and a member of several other professional organizations.

Appropriate Dispute Resolution

"From the time I first meet a client until the time our office team has completed our representation of that client, we continue to monitor the client's needs" says Cec. "Common sense and cost effective legal advice are always on our minds. That's why we refer to our approach as appropriate dispute resolution: we want to find a solution that reflects the needs of each individual client, considering all the circumstances. We provide our clients with the essential information needed to make an informed decision about their legal options, from both a substantive point of view, and a procedural one. We work hard to tailor our approach to each unique set of circumstances. When appropriate, we may also recommend employing other specialists such as financial advisorrs, accountants, social workers and psychologists, in order to provide a holistic approach to the resolution of issues."

"Thanks to LawStream, ... we can keep our finances and our time under control, and reduce the stress for us and for our clients."

Whether a client's needs require litigatiton, or whether they can be handled by Cec's preferred method of dispute resolution (collaboration or mediation), LawStream Pro helps Cec to meet those needs. "For all my files, I use LawStream Pro's ablity to organize all contacts for each of my files. When I am working as a collaborative family lawyer, I can quickly keep track of contact information for the other party and the other party's lawyer, as well as coaches, psychologists, and other advisors. For litigation files, my list of contacts for a file can include those types of contacts, as well as court registries and witnesses. Whatever the type of file (litigation, mediation, etc.), I can easily send a quick letter, or look up a phone number or other information."

With a practice that has continued to grow for several years, Cec has also been able to rely on LawStream as a way to keep all his office finances in order. Cec records all his time, whether or not a file is billed on an hourly basis. "By keeping track of all my time, I can see where my time is most productive; I can also use the information I've recorded, to help me compare the relative costs and benefits of different files. By producing client dedication reports, productivity reports, and other reports, I can see how well I have been working on different types of files. Thanks to LawStream, it's easier for me to decide which approaches might be more appropriate for any individual file, so we can keep our finances and our time under control, and reduce the stress for us and for our clients."

Appropriate Software Selection

Here's what Cecil Lyon says about choosing software for his office: "When we recommend a way to resolve a client's legal challenges, we make sure we have a solution that can handle all of the client's needs. We have the same thing in mind when we use LawStream: it's a single program that handles all our office's needs for managing time, money, contacts and other information."

Looking to the Future

For Cecil J. Lyon, LawStream is a lot more than a law office management program that has served the office in the past: it's a strong basis for Cec's plans to continue serving clients in the most appropriate manner. With hundreds of clients who have already been served by the office, LawStream can help Cec and his team ensure that there are no conflicts between new clients and those who have already been helped. LawStream's ability to maintain a data base of areas of law can also help organize precedents, and make it even easier to research issues on new files.