Lori Gonzalez, president of RayNa Corp, sat down with Attorney at Law Magazine to discuss her company. She first entered the legal arena as a paralegal, but found her niche in practice management and technology
AALM: Tell us about the founding of RayNa Corporation.
Gonzalez: I was weighing options for my next position. As I discussed options with my mentor, he suggested a legal billing company. He knew my passion for helping attorneys. After the idea was formed, I partnered with another paralegal who had extensive experience managing small businesses. We merged our collective experience in small firms, management and technology tools to create a resource.
AALM: How would you describe the culture or the brand of the company?
Gonzalez: Our company is made up of those who have lived in the legal field and truly understand the joy – and frustration – it brings. There is always that one girl or guy who just knows how to get things done. She is the one you call to fix the equipment, get things organized, or assist you in a crisis. Our company is a team of “that girls/guys.” It is our goal daily to provide our clients with the best solutions to fit their needs.
AALM: How has the company evolved since its founding?
Gonzalez: The company has doubled in size – all within our first three years. I attribute the growth to our ability to listen to the needs of our clients and adapt. In the beginning, I thought we were building a simple billing company. Instead, we have found our home providing custom solutions for many types of problems.
AALM: How do you balance your time between aiding clients and running a business?
Gonzalez: Luckily, aiding my clients actually makes running my business easier. I spend time on researching, comparing and testing items designed to ease the burden of running a business. Each time I find a new tool for assisting my clients, often I find I have eased the burden of running the business. I also ensure that management sneaks off as often as possible to recharge our batteries and plan our next steps. Keeping a solid plan in place for your operations and growth keeps all of the work manageable.
AALM: What do you think are the most pressing concerns for lawyers when it comes to the business end of their firms?
Gonzalez: Other industries have moved much faster into technology and outsourcing, thus allowing them to grow faster, easier and with less struggle. The legal field is often slow to adapt to new innovations and technology – sometimes because it seems those options are out of reach both in price and the learning curve. The truth is that affordable technology already exists which can change a small growing firm into a thriving business. Investing in both technology and training in order to gain efficiency and productivity will increase a firm’s overall profitability.
AALM: How is RayNa Corporation involved in the community?
Gonzalez: RayNa is very committed to volunteerism and pro bono efforts. As part of the Supreme Court’s Access to Justice, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of creating and running legal clinics over the years. Additionally, The RayNa Corp plans events every year that allow us to give back to our local community including hosting fundraisers for our favorite nonprofit.
AALM: Are there any changes coming in the future that you’re excited about?
Gonzalez: We are working to expand two sides of the business. We are working with appointed attorneys to get them paid much faster. We get the time and expenses entered into the ICE system, but also make payment on those claims within a week. We do the heavy lifting so attorneys don’t have to. Secondly, we’re now obtaining medical records and bills for attorneys. We found a real need for a requesting service to both request and follow up on medical bills and records. We work to maintain a database of information that allows us to send requests to the correct party, decreasing the time it takes to receive them.
