For tax foreclosure law firms, public notice is not optional. But it does not have to slow the whole team down.
And because Zacchaeus operates across multiple counties, the publication process has always been time-consuming to manage manually.
“We work with so many counties,” Dixon said. “Each county could have anywhere from five to 20 to 30 sales. And that’s just one county.”
Problem: too many notices, too many newspapers, too many emails
Before using Column’s automated placement solution, Zacchaeus had to manage public notice across multiple systems and publishers.
Some notices could be submitted through Column because the newspaper already used Column’s platform. But even then, the work still required manual entry. If Dixon had five notices to publish, she had to enter those notices one by one.
For other counties, Zacchaeus had to contact publishers directly. That meant sending notices, waiting for responses, following up on proofs, confirming publication dates, checking costs, and making sure everything was ready in time for the sale process.
In practice, the workflow looked like this:
- Multiple newspapers to coordinate with
- Multiple publication deadlines to track
- Multiple proofs and invoices to manage
- Multiple follow-ups to make
- Multiple opportunities for delays or errors
For a firm handling legal work across many counties, that kind of manual coordination adds up quickly.
Dixon was not just preparing notices. She was also tracking them, following up with publishers, confirming details, and making sure publication happened as expected. That took time away from the broader sales process she was responsible for managing.
The Solution: Automated Placement with Column
Column’s automated placement solution gives law firms the most efficient, reliable way to manage public notice.
Instead of placing notices manually or coordinating directly with every newspaper, Zacchaeus now sends all their notices to Column. From there, Column helps manage the publication process: coordinating with newspapers, tracking notice status, surfacing proofs for review, supporting updates or corrections, and keeping the firm informed every step of the way.
In other words: Zacchaeus sends all their notice volume to Column. And Column handles the whole workflow. Zacchaeus can log into Column anytime to review.
That is the core shift: the firm no longer has to execute every step of public notice placement manually. They can hand the operational work to Column and oversee the process in one place.
“All we have to do is just go into Column directly just to review each notice to make sure it’s in good standing,” Dixon said. “So all that’s pretty much done for us.”
Impact: 3 ways automation changes the workflow
1. Time savings: from executing every step to overseeing the process
Before Column, Dixon had to spend time contacting publishers, entering notices, tracking responses, reviewing proofs, and following up when she did not hear back.
Now, Column takes on much of that coordination.
Instead of managing every publication detail herself, Dixon can send the notices to Column and focus on review, approval, and the rest of her workload.
That means less time spent chasing publishers — and more time spent moving cases forward.
When asked whether Column had cut the time spent on public notice in half, Dixon was clear: “Yes, it’s cut the time in half, if not more.”
2. Consolidation: many publishers, many bills become one
Public notice can quickly become fragmented when a firm is working across multiple counties, newspapers, and publication schedules.
Without Column, each publisher can become its own separate workflow: one email thread here, one proof there, one invoice somewhere else, another deadline to track manually. The more counties and notices a firm manages, the more scattered the process becomes.
Column brings that work into one place.
For Zacchaeus, that means fewer disconnected steps and a more unified process for managing notices across counties, publishers, proofs, and costs. Instead of coordinating with each newspaper separately, the firm can send notices to Column and review everything through one workflow.
It also simplifies billing. Rather than managing separate publication costs, invoices, and payment details across multiple newspapers, Column helps consolidate the financial side of notice placement into a clearer, easier-to-manage process.
Instead of:
Many publishers → many email threads → many proofs → many invoices → many follow-ups
Zacchaeus now has:
One Column workflow → one place to review → one partner coordinating placement, tracking, and billing
For law firms, that consolidation matters. It reduces administrative overhead, gives staff better visibility into what is happening, and makes public notice easier to manage at scale.
3. Optimization: a more reliable process that can scale
For law firms, public notice is not just another administrative task. These are legal documents tied to court timelines, sale dates, publication requirements, affidavits, and client expectations. The process needs to be accurate, timely, and well-documented.
Column helps make that process stronger.
By moving public notice into a more structured workflow, Zacchaeus gets better visibility into where each notice stands, what still needs review, and whether publication is moving on schedule. Instead of relying on scattered emails and manual follow-up, the team has a clearer way to oversee the process from submission through publication.
That means:
- Fewer chances for details to get missed
- More visibility into notice status
- More confidence around publication deadlines
- Cleaner review and approval steps
- Better tracking around costs, proofs, and affidavits
- A more seamless handoff between the law firm, Column, and publishers
For a foreclosure law firm, that level of oversight matters. A delayed notice, missed correction, or late affidavit can create real friction for the team and the case. Column helps reduce that risk by giving firms a more reliable process for managing the details.
As Dixon explained, Column makes it easier to stay updated, track notices, and ensure everything is moving as expected. That gives the firm more confidence that public notice is being handled correctly and on time.
The result is not just a faster workflow. It is a more professional, more seamless process — one that helps the firm operate with greater accuracy, consistency, and control.
Offload the work to Column, review everything in one place, scale
For Dixon, the difference was immediate.
“It’s been great,” she said. “It definitely makes it a lot easier.”
With Column, Zacchaeus no longer has to manage every step of public notice placement manually. Instead of entering notices one by one, contacting publishers directly, waiting for responses, tracking proofs, confirming costs, and following up on deadlines, Dixon can send notices to Column and rely on Column to help manage the workflow from submission through publication.
“With the updates, tracking it all, that has become a lot easier,” Dixon said. “Not having to manage and focus on that part of things as much as I was prior to.”
That shift has cut the time Zacchaeus spends on public notice “in half, if not more.” But the value is bigger than time savings alone. Column gives the firm a more reliable way to manage a process that has to be accurate, timely, and well-documented.
For law firms, public notice is tied to legal documents, court timelines, sale dates, affidavits, publication requirements, and client expectations. Speed matters, but only if the process stays controlled. As Dixon put it: “Especially in a law firm, timeliness and accuracy are what we want. These are legal documents; you want as little amount of error as possible.”
Column helps Zacchaeus:
- Offload manual placement work by letting Column coordinate with publishers, track notices, and keep the process moving
- Review everything in one place instead of managing scattered emails, proofs, invoices, and follow-ups across multiple newspapers
- Stay ahead of deadlines and documentation with better visibility into notice status, publication timing, costs, proofs, and affidavits
- Scale caseload without adding more manual burden by giving staff a cleaner, more repeatable process as notice volume grows
For foreclosure and tax foreclosure law firms placing high volumes of public notices, Column turns a fragmented administrative burden into a managed workflow. The firm still has visibility and control, but Column handles more of the operational work.
Give the work to Column. Review everything in one place. Scale caseload without adding manual burden.