The legal industry has been reshaped in recent years by several key trends.  Competition has increased, driven in part by clients wanting to lower costs by replacing patchwork legal coverage with a smaller number of larger firms that can meet their needs more efficiently.  And a wave of mergers and acquisitions among U.S. firms — 206 completed between 2000 and 2002, according to the Merger Services Group of Hildebrandt International — has intensified the competition, as newly expanded firms vie for a larger share of their clients’ business.

 

Basic document management systems fall far short of addressing the full range of challenges today’s firms face.  To meet rising client expectations while improving productivity, competing more effectively and deepening client relationships across all locations and practice groups, firms must go beyond basic document management.  Web-based document management provides the remote access and collaboration tools necessary for addressing these challenges.

 

Support for Cross-Geographic Practice Groups

Although multi-geographic practice groups aren’t new, a lack of effective collaborative technology has prevented them from functioning as unified organizations and has left professionals relatively isolated within each location.  Web-based document management removes the barriers to collaboration and enables authorized participants from both inside and outside the firm to share matter-related information — any time and from anywhere.

 

When evaluating a Web-based solution, look for a system that enables all users to access a single repository from both the desktop client and the Web browser.  Some systems maintain separate databases for each type of UI, which must be synchronized to ensure that all users have access to all documents.  The need to synchronize adds complexity to the administration of the system and can lead to gaps in availability of documents.

 

A seamless user experience is also key.  The solution should provide a consistent view of the data whether the user is using a browser or a desktop client.

 

Improving Employee Productivity

A good Web-based document management system should enable you to store all types of files, including e-mail messages, scanned images, documents, task lists and calendar entries.

 

Look for a solution that provides integration with other data sources.  This functionality will enable you to aggregate content stored in various disparate repositories (the document management system and other databases) and provide a consolidated view of this content from a single, portal-like page.

 

For example, you would be able to present client or matter-related information from a newsfeed, a time and billing system, the document management system, an ERP or CRM system and more, making it the central location for finding all information related to the matter.  The system you select should enable users to conduct searches across all repositories and deliver a personalized view to the user via the browser.  Users should be able to both view and take action on content directly from the Web browser, eliminating the need to access multiple different systems.

 

Deepening Client Relationships

A robust Web-based system should also provide secure intranet and extranet capabilities — capabilities essential for capturing new business as well as for cross selling to existing clients. 

 

This functionality can also provide a collaborative team room for clients and distributed team members to track task lists and calendar entries and to create discussion threads related to matters, reducing the users’ dependency on       e-mail.  For example, executives within a company the firm is representing can log onto a secure, matter-specific website and view drafts of legal documents, invoices and billing information and other content posted by the firm.  The client can also provide comments and edits directly through the extranet, view and participate in secure discussion threads on the site, avoiding multiple   e-mail threads that may or may not contain the most current documents and information.

 

Security Is a Must

Security is essential in a Web-based system.  Look for a solution that enables you to assign security levels to both individuals and groups at both the folder and document level.  This enables the system to determine who can view or modify items within a particular folder.  For example, an expert witness might have rights to view the background information related to a matter and the schedule of document submissions, while a client has access to a completely different set of files in the same folder.  Access to files via the Web-based interface must be secured via https or SSL.

 

Vendor Support

When investing in a Web-based document management system, you are also investing in the vendor.  Be sure to fully research the vendor to determine their financial stability, investment in research and development, commitment to the market and their ability to support their customers.

 

Summary

The new face of the legal industry presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the law industry.  Web-based document management helps firms keep pace with these new trends by enabling them to match their lawyers’ areas of expertise with their clients’ matters, regardless of location, and to provide a solution for sharing information both within the firm and also with clients and third parties.

 

About our author . . .

 

Shannon McMahon is the Product Marketing Manager for the legal solutions group at Interwoven, Inc. (formerly iManage).  She can be reached at smcmahon@interwoven.com.