Forman Watkins & Krutz Elevates Litigation Strategy and Efficiency with Everlaw
Representing prominent clients in multi-district tort claims, class actions, and other high-stakes commercial litigation demands precision, coordination, and cutting-edge tools. These cases often involve dozens of different parties, jurisdictions that span states, and data that totals in the terabytes or more.
For Forman Watkins, a boutique law firm with a national footprint, litigation is the firm’s foundation. Since its founding in 1986, they’ve led class action and multi-district litigation that has shaped national legal precedent and drawn international media attention, including in the historic In re Silica Prods. Liab. Lit., 398 F. Supp. 2d 563 (S.D. Tex. 2005), tens of thousands of asbestos claims, and more.
The firm’s award-winning work has earned national recognition, including the Outstanding Organization Award from the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform for the firm’s success in exposing systemic fraud and abuse in mass tort litigation.
With its headquarters located in Jackson, Mississippi, and six offices across the United States, Forman Watkins serves as a model for innovation-driven litigation practices in the Southeast.
Partner Daniel Mulholland is an integral part of this work, having first encountered Everlaw through his co-counsel in a multi-district litigation case. Now, he continues to advance the firm’s legacy of innovation, shaping how Forman Watkins strategically leverages cutting-edge ediscovery solutions to manage its most complex and high-stakes cases.
No Training Required
While Forman Watkins has a long history of leveraging advanced tools to stay ahead of the curve, the firm recognized that their previous ediscovery solution was no longer meeting the high bar they set for efficiency and performance. Everlaw offered a modern, seamless alternative that aligned with the firm’s tech-forward, strategic approach to litigation preparation.
“We were working on a deposition a few years ago that required a 100-page outline and involved millions of documents,” Mulholland said. “Our legacy system couldn’t keep up. It forced us to manually rename and organize files, resulting in lost metadata and inefficiencies that placed us at a disadvantage, particularly when facing opposing counsel from some of the largest firms in the country. It became clear that we needed a more robust, intuitive solution.”
For a firm like Forman Watkins that regularly goes up against these giant, resource-intensive firms, starting on the back foot because of technological shortcomings simply is not an option. Fortunately, by leveraging state-of-the-art technology, the firm’s attorneys are empowered to compete confidently and efficiently.
“I can’t imagine doing what I do without Everlaw,” Mulholland said. “It’s easy to use, highly performant, and eliminates the frustration of waiting for things to load.”
“I’ve told myself that at some point I’ll take time for more formal training in the platform,” he continued. “But truthfully, I haven’t found it necessary. The platform is so intuitive and user-friendly that I’ve been able to accomplish everything I need by simply exploring and using it. That level of accessibility is a testament to Everlaw’s thoughtful design.”
A Storybuilder Proselytizer
Mulholland’s favorite tool in Everlaw is Storybuilder, an end-to-end trial and deposition preparation platform that aligns perfectly with the proactive, litigation-centric approach of Forman Watkins. It lets attorneys build case timelines, craft narratives, and collaborate seamlessly with their team no matter where they are.
“In my view, Storybuilder is one of the most transformative tools I’ve encountered in my legal career,” Mulholland said. “Its utility and impact on how I organize, analyze, and present complex litigation materials is on par with the introduction of Microsoft Word. It has become an indispensable part of my trial preparation process.”
What’s impressive about Mulholland’s use is that he was amid preparing for trial when he was introduced to the tool. He watched a single training video on Storybuilder and was off to the races.
“I began using it immediately after watching the Storybuilder tutorial, and I was thoroughly impressed,” Mulholland said. “Given the complexity and volume of documents involved in our litigation matters, I’ve never encountered a tool that supports trial preparation as effectively and intuitively as Storybuilder.”
Mulholland appreciated how easily Storybuilder allowed him to work with his team no matter where they were, and its ability to effectively organize his many thousands of documents. Additionally, once he saw how effective it was in his own work, he was even able to convince his co-counsel, who were already Everlaw customers, to leverage Storybuilder themselves.
“Interestingly, the firm from which we first encountered Everlaw hadn’t yet explored Storybuilder,” he said. “When I saw its capabilities, I strongly encouraged them to give it a try, despite their initial preference for spreadsheets. Given my strong endorsement, they tested it and quickly became enthusiastic users themselves. I’m a proselytizer, as you can probably tell.”
Doing What It Takes to Stay Competitive
By strategically investing in top legal talent, client relationships, and transformative legal technology, Forman Watkins has remained at the forefront of the complex litigation space. Their embrace of modern ediscovery tools like Everlaw – and game-changing features like Storybuilder – demonstrates a deep understanding of what it takes to stay competitive against larger, resource-intensive firms.
Forman Watkins proves that embracing innovation isn’t just about keeping pace, it’s about setting the standard for what’s possible in modern litigation.
