Gozel Law is an immigration law firm founded by attorney Arif Gozel. Based in the U.S. and operating for just over five years, the practice has steadily grown from a solo venture into a bustling operation of about ten team members. Handling everything from family-based immigration to complex business immigration cases, Gozel Law prides itself on attentiveness and thoroughness—qualities that used to get buried under the daily email deluge.

Subfolders, reply-all fiascos, and frantic scanning to figure out who was actually CC’d—feeling overwhelmed was putting it mildly.

Taming the Outlook Overwhelm

For years, Gozel Law relied exclusively on Outlook. Everyone had their own siloed email account, plus a few shared mailboxes like info@... and accounting@... The setup had worked—in a basic sense—but cracks were forming:

1. ‍Reply-All Confusion. Clients forgot to reply-all, or only responded to the most recent sender. Half the team was left in the dark, never seeing critical replies.‍
2. No Central Repository. If a team member left, they took their entire email history with them. “It just wasn’t sustainable,” Arif recalls, “because clients’ records were scattered.”‍
3. Subfolders and Color-Coding Overload. Some colleagues thrived on categorizing everything in Outlook, others were content with 700+ unread emails. “No universal approach meant plenty of missed information,” Arif says.‍
4. Personal Inboxes in the Mix. Arif also needed to juggle personal Gmail accounts—yes, plural—plus separate channels like Instagram and WhatsApp for the firm’s marketing. The result? A phone loaded with multiple email apps, never delivering that sweet, sweet Inbox Zero.

All of this led Arif to a place many of us know too well: “Maybe I’ll just give someone else my inbox?” But family emails and private matters often appear in the same mailbox. “I can’t just hand that over,” Arif recalls. He needed a different solution.

The Surprise Recommendation

While Arif was pondering his next move (or stuck hitting ‘reply-all’ for the millionth time), a newly hired team member introduced him to Missive. She had used it in previous law firm roles and swore it was “the first software I’d subscribe to if I opened my own firm.”

“She was so sure,” Arif says, “I figured it was worth testing.” In fact, he jokes that this new hire deserved a bonus for tipping them off to Missive. (Spoiler alert: She got one.)

Setting Up Missive Over One Marathon Weekend

Arif decided to roll up his sleeves for a single weekend, determined to test Missive thoroughly before inviting the entire firm. Here’s how he tackled it:

1. ‍Connected All Inboxes. From Outlook-based work addresses to personal Gmail accounts, everything funneled into Missive. Arif had so many accounts that he actually hit a user limit, creating a “team” of one (himself) just to house the overflow.‍
2. Experimented with Shared Inboxes. He created a new, central address—for all client matters. Instead of telling clients to CC three or four lawyers, now everything lands in one place. Everyone sees the same emails, eliminating the “Did you get that?” shuffle.‍
3. Integrated Social Channels. Rather than jumping between multiple apps, Arif brought in the firm’s Instagram DMs and even WhatsApp messages via Twilio. “We used to ignore the voice calls that came in through WhatsApp. Now we’ve made it so people can only text. It’s more convenient for both sides.”‍
4. Discovered Missive’s Unique Features. Arif was excited to learn about internal comments (no more confusing forwards), merging related email threads, and assigning tasks. “We do a lot of back-and-forth on client questions, so simply commenting within a thread is incredible.”

Overcoming the Team’s Reluctance

Once Arif had seen how Missive could transform his daily work, he felt confident inviting the rest of the firm. Except…not everyone jumped on board immediately. Outlook was deeply ingrained. Here’s how the transition played out:

• ‍Internal “Webinar Watch Party”. Arif asked every relevant team member to watch Missive’s getting-started webinar, so they’d understand the basics—Inbox, Shared Inboxes, Assigning, Archiving, and so on.‍
• Peer-to-Peer Training. The new hire who recommended Missive gave a short presentation, demoing best practices she’d learned at her previous firms. Arif discovered that colleagues learn best from each other, not just the boss.‍
• Addressing Subfolder Superfans. Some people relied heavily on subfolders and color categories in Outlook. Arif had to show them that Missive’s Labels (and the universal search) could accomplish the same thing—but more efficiently. And once everyone discovered Missive’s ability to tag, assign, and track emails internally, subfolder mania began to fade.‍
• Zero Inbox Education. One team member had 700+ unread messages. Arif had to teach her the concept of archiving vs. closing, and the joy of seeing a clean inbox each day. “I thought everyone just did Inbox Zero—turns out that’s a foreign concept for a lot of people,” he laughs.

Gradually, the entire legal team adapted. “At first, it was weird seeing them still open Outlook,” Arif admits. “I was like, ‘Hey, remember Missive?’” But a few small wins—like quickly tagging a colleague in a private comment or retrieving an email for a departing staff member—helped convert the skeptics.

Favorite Features and Early Wins

• ‍Single Hub for Personal + Business. Arif still keeps Outlook on his phone for the calendar, but rarely uses it for mail. “I can handle my personal Gmail accounts and my work addresses in Missive without the confusion of multiple apps. That alone is a game-changer.”‍
• No More “Who’s CC’d?” Confusion. With Missive’s shared inbox approach, everyone has access to the same threads. Clients who forget to “reply-all” can’t derail the conversation anymore.‍
• In-Thread Commentary. “We used to forward messages and manually add notes. Now we just @mention each other. And those comments never reach the client—so it’s all internal.”‍
• Easy Onboarding for New Hires. New lawyers or paralegals don’t have to stress about who used to handle a client’s case. The entire message history lives in Missive, so they can step right in.

Results: An Attorney’s Sanity Restored

Before Missive, Arif spent an estimated 80% of his workday wrangling emails. Now, he’s drastically cut down email sprawl.

Gozel Law is also more collaborative. Instead of frantically texting or emailing each other about missing replies, the team can check the shared inbox or leave comments in one place. “When someone leaves the firm, no problem: the client’s entire communication history is still there.”

Arif jokes, “If I tried to go back to Outlook tomorrow, I’d see thousands of old, un-archived emails piling up—no thanks!”

Ready to Reclaim Your Inbox?

Take it from Gozel Law’s story: If your team is drowning in email, reply-all nightmares, or a patchwork of email apps, you don’t have to just “deal with it.” With the right tool—and a little internal championing—you can centralize every conversation, simplify teamwork, and (finally!) see Inbox Zero.

Try Missive and discover a better way to handle email, chat, and team collaboration. Because your time is better spent helping clients—not searching for that lost email you swear was just there a second ago.