Wilkes Artis Raises the Bar With BI and Information Integrity Solutions From Information Builders

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 15, 2012) - Information Builders, a leader in business intelligence (BI) and analytics, information integrity, and integration solutions, today announced that Wilkes Artis, an established law firm in Washington, D.C. specializing in real estate law, is working with Information Builders to create analytic dashboards that streamline internal operations and make it easier for clients to obtain information about their real estate portfolios.

Wilkes Artis helps commercial property owners with their income-expense reporting requirements, tax budget projections, and real property tax assessment appeals. The firm's attorneys are experts in the interplay between local tax and zoning laws, with a focus on increasing a property's asset value through a reduction in real estate tax liability. These activities generate a tremendous volume of detailed information and necessitate continual interaction among attorneys, paralegals, administrators, and clients. In order to more successfully counsel its diverse client base and convey current information about tax assessment matters, Wilkes Artis contracted with Information Builders to design, develop, and implement the new information system.

Information Builders Professional Services conducted interviews with Wilkes Artis partners to spec out an online portal for data entry, retrieval, analysis, and reporting. Information Builders also helped to merge databases from three jurisdictions into a single repository, standardizing the way work is done company wide. They designed an internal dashboard to streamline operational processes and an external dashboard to enable clients to review in-depth information on values, appeals, and historical tax information for each property in their portfolio.

According to Charles A. Camalier III, managing partner at Wilkes Artis, clients formerly had to call the law firm or send an e-mail request to obtain up-to-date information about their properties and tax assessments. Now, authorized users will be able to quickly access this information through a secure web portal. The new information system streamlines internal processes and exports information in a secure way. Clients will be able to obtain key documents with a couple of clicks through standard web browsers on their computers, tablets, or phones, putting a wealth of information at their fingertips.

"We're making common business activities easier, quicker, and more accurate by empowering clients with this information," Camalier said. In addition, having all the data in one place, in a standardized format, will make it easier for attorneys to observe trends in the real estate market. "We can see what is going on across the street, around the corner, or in the next jurisdiction with respect to real estate sales and assessments," he added. "Having more comparative data will enable us to develop more successful appeals."

The new BI system will enable clients to save time and obtain greater insight, while internal administrators will be more productive thanks to reduced call volumes and more consistent data-input procedures. Users won't need any special software, applications, or plug-ins to access data or generate reports. The unique capabilities of Information Builders' WebFOCUS BI platform permits people to both retrieve and enter data, simplifying the property management and assessment workflow. Built-in data integrity rules will enforce the accuracy and consistency of all information in the system.

"Customers in every industry are clamoring for self-service access to data through client-facing web portals," said Gerald Cohen, president and CEO at Information Builders. "By delivering key business metrics about the status of real estate appeals and administrative processes, Wilkes Artis is raising the bar for boutique law firms around the country."

About Wilkes Artis
Wilkes Artis is the oldest law firm in the Washington Metropolitan region specializing in real estate law. Its attorneys are widely known throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia as leading authorities for their expertise in real property tax assessment and condemnation matters. Every year Wilkes Artis handles cases involving millions of square feet of commercial real property as well as thousands of acres of residential and commercial land. The company closely monitors local, regional, and national real estate market trends and handles the litigation of tax appeals from the administrative hearing level through to the trial and appellate courts.

About Information Builders
Information Builders helps organizations transform data into business value. Our software solutions for business intelligence and analytics, integration, and data integrity empower people to make smarter decisions, strengthen customer relationships, and drive growth. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched in the industry. That's why tens of thousands of leading organizations rely on Information Builders to be their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices around the world, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.