Case study · Onyx & Bricks LP
How Onyx & Bricks runs every matter from one workspace
How a Port Harcourt law firm brought case updates, Microsoft Word drafting and AI research into one workspace built for a boutique practice.
The Client
Building a boutique practice in Port Harcourt
Onyx & Bricks LP is a general-service law firm practising out of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Its managing partner, Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, had a clear picture of what the firm needed: practice management designed for the way a boutique firm works, with every matter visible from wherever he happened to be.
He came across ModulawAI in his Facebook feed. The platform matched the brief, and it was built in Nigeria, which mattered to the firm. Onyx & Bricks decided to give it a chance and chose ModulawAI as its practice partner.
For the longest time I have been seeking out practice management software suitable for boutique-style law firms like ours. Once I saw it, I decided to give it a chance, and I don’t think we regretted that.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
At a glance
| Challenge | Solution | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Case updates relied on reaching an associate | Case portal with a real-time view of each matter | Case status visible from anywhere |
| Firm work spread across separate tools and tabs | One workspace connected to Microsoft Word | Research and drafting in one place |
| A separate subscription for each AI tool | ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek inside ModulawAI | Fewer subscriptions to manage and pay for |
| A new platform for the whole team | On-site training from the ModulawAI team | Staff trained in their own office |
The work
Running every matter from one workspace
As the firm grew, Darlynton wanted two things from its platform: a way to see where every matter stood without picking up the phone, and one place for the work his team did across cases, documents and research. Before ModulawAI, a client asking for an update while he was out of town meant calling the associate on the matter.
Seeing every case in real time
The firm started with the question clients ask most often. Onyx & Bricks keeps its matters in ModulawAI’s case management, so when a client asks for an update, Darlynton opens the case himself.
Rather than calling an associate on the matter, you can simply log on to the portal, go to the case and see exactly what is happening in real time.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
The same workspace carries the internal side of the practice. The firm assigns cases to staff and follows each one through to completion.
Drafting and researching inside Microsoft Word
With matters in one place, the firm turned to the documents behind them. Darlynton names the Microsoft Word integration as the part of ModulawAI the firm values most: his lawyers research and draft in the same workspace, without switching between tabs.
The most important thing for me is the integration between Microsoft and Modulaw AI. Now we are able to do everything from the same workspace, without having to open multiple tabs on the system.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
He is looking forward to the next release of the Word add-in: “I really can’t wait to explore the better user experience.”
Using the leading AI models under one subscription
For legal research and drafting, the firm also wanted more than one AI model on hand. Inside ModulawAI, the team works with ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek and others from the same platform, which let Onyx & Bricks retire a number of separate subscriptions.
I’m able to use any of the AI platforms, ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek and the rest, while on the platform. It makes it easy. And cost-cutting: at this point there are a lot of subscriptions we get to do away with. It’s like a buffet. A complete buffet.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
With the day-to-day work in one place, the next step was bringing the whole team along.
The partnership
Training the team and building the partnership
A new platform pays off when the whole firm uses it, so adoption and support mattered to Onyx & Bricks as much as features. The relationship began with a single conversation that Darlynton says settled the decision for him.
My first conversation with you that day sealed it for me. It was easy communicating with you, and I felt these guys were like my guys.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
When the firm raised a complaint, the ModulawAI team resolved it quickly. The team asked for feedback throughout and came to the firm’s office to train the staff in person at no extra cost.
With the team trained, Onyx & Bricks turned to the people side of the practice.
What’s next
Expanding into staff onboarding and performance review
The firm plans to take on more of ModulawAI as it grows. Darlynton’s list covers the full working life of a matter and the people on it:
- Staff onboarding
- Staff orientation
- Case assignments
- Case monitoring
- Performance review
Once we are able to properly activate it, we probably do not need an extra person to know what a particular individual has done in a particular period, and how they have done it.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
Testimonial
The key thing for me is centralization of the workspace. … I like what you’re doing. I trust that you’ll do bigger things within the tech space.
Darlynton Okiemute Ofekeze, Managing Partner, Onyx & Bricks
Conclusion
Running the firm on its own terms
Onyx & Bricks set out to find practice management that fit a boutique firm, and it now runs its matters, its drafting and its AI research from one workspace that Darlynton can check from anywhere. The firm made the calls along the way: to give a Nigerian-built platform a chance, to keep its drafting in Microsoft Word, and to have the whole team trained.
ModulawAI’s part was to listen, respond quickly and show up in person. With those foundations in place, the firm is ready to extend the platform to onboarding and performance review, on its own timeline.
Quotes are from a recorded interview with Onyx & Bricks and have been lightly edited for length and clarity. More case studies.
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