KNOWLEDGE AND IT LEGAL LEADERS DISCUSS DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN A REMOTE WORKING WORLD 

As law firms are set to shortly have their hybrid working models tested out in practice, can their people access and work on documents as effectively as they should? Do they have the tools needed to ensure client service is still a top priority, even when remote? And how do firms factor the risks associated with sensitive information into a world of remote document management?  

These are the questions our panel of legal document management and knowledge experts aimed to tackle in Briefing’s latest webcast: How to transform remote collaboration. With three legal leaders from three very different organisations all having completed or facing document management system (DMS) migrations, and all facing similar challenges, we heard how each was tackling the task of balancing access to documents against the risks of losing control over content. Chaired by Richard Brent, editor-in-chief of Briefing, our speakers were: 

• Alison Devlin, head of knowledge, Eversheds Sutherland  
• John Hunter, chief information officer, Council of Europe 
• Simon Ferres, CIO for legal, Deutsche Bank 
• Dan Hauck, chief product officer, NetDocuments

Documenting collaboration  

Kicking off, we heard how John Hunter at the Council of Europe realised the organisation’s IT strategy needed an efficiency revamp. Working with over 10,000 external parties, however, access and security were a high priority. In order to migrate its 35m documents from shared drives and public folders to a single platform, Hunter explained the organisation had to develop a strong change management process.  

That’s an issue also highlighted by Simon Ferres at Deutsche Bank, who said much of the migration to DMS provider NetDocuments has included a “carrot and stick approach”. In terms of lessons learned so far from rolling out a new DMS, he said it’s been important to keep an open mind and put the time in to get the most out of the IT investment: “When it comes to decision-making in the design phase, don’t just accept the status quo. You may not make back your ROI if you don’t challenge it.”  

Command and control 

Aside from also having a new DMS on the horizon, at Eversheds Sutherland, Alison Devlin outlined a Teams-based initiative executed at the firm to create new content in support of regulatory horizon scanning for the financial services practice. MS Teams channels supported a global approach to frictionless sharing and collaboration on that issue, though she acknowledged the challenge this approach poses to the idea of a single source of truth – an issue being grappled with across many organisations.  

So, how to tackle the issue of controlling content in this new world? That risk is something John Hunter is also looking at, with a keen eye on use of collaboration tools like Teams, which, if unchecked, could be akin to “opening up the Wild West” when it comes to keeping a rein on documents and knowledge. That’s why collaboration spaces and tools that retain data and communications transparently are so useful, he added.  

The need to bring together content and invite people into a single platform to get the benefit of a collaborative approach – while retaining control – is a common theme across many firms, said Dan Hauck. That approach necessarily includes keeping an eye on integration with related tools like Teams, he said, for which tech providers like NetDocuments have a large role to play. 

Learn more about where each of our speakers is on the remote document collaboration journey, how they’re tackling emerging challenges and what solutions they recommend to solve common issues, plus hear answers to audience questions, by watching the full video. 

Want to watch the video on YouTube? Click here.

organise: virtual roundtable WITH NETDOCUMENTS

In this instalment of Briefing and NetDocuments’ Work Inspired series, we explore how law firms and their clients adopt systems and approaches to transform how they Organise key aspects of work.

Briefing editor-in-chief Richard Brent and VP of international business at NetDocuments Guy Phillips are joined by guests to discuss how technology is helping firms’ increasingly dispersed employees to collaborate with one another in new ways, in the interests of individual productivity and firm-wide efficiency – as well as the opportunities for automation to relieve repeated or redundant workload when all areas of the business are adapting to new challenges.

Simon Ferres, CIO for legal at Deutsche Bank, sets out the legal team’s method of collecting information about the key processes people already follow, before deciding which reveal strong potential for further automation in future – and only then assesses and prioritises the projects to pursue by likely impact. He also highlights the ways that law firms have best supported his business goals with their own automation expertise.

And John Turner, chief operating officer at Ellisons Solicitors, explains how the introduction of a new document management system has played a critical role in the firm’s response to the pandemic. Essential homeworking created a catalyst for accelerated digitisation of files, enabling paper-light processes, reorganisation and communication change, and of course great appreciation of the advantages of efficient access and new levels of agility.

Lynne Jones, head of library and information services at HFW, also joins the group to discuss where automation projects have produced the most tangible advantages in each of their businesses to date, the challenges when introducing and embedding them, and several other processes – human-focused no less than IT – that have needed to change.

Webinar time: 55 minutes. Take a look at the YouTube page for specific timestamps, so you can find content more easily.

PLAN: virtual roundtable WITH NETDOCUMENTS

The next in our series of webcasts with our friends at NetDocuments, under the banner of Work Inspired is PLAN. Briefing’s deputy editor Kayli Olson and Mike Creffield, business manager – EMEA at NetDocuments, were joined by leaders in top-tier UK law firms to discuss how firms are delivering wide strategic value. Specifically, we looked at how firms can harness the power of collaboration, innovation and technology to better coordinate teams and improve service delivery.

The biggest takeaway – how can you make your services as easy to use as possible for your clients? When looking at client portals, those in attendance agreed that they need to be more than just a client onboarding tool. It’s easier for a client just to email you the information rather than log onto a portal to do that. To truly leverage the benefits of a client portal it must also update the client about their matter(s) in real time, making it easier to track the progress of their work instead of rely on fee earners to send an update.

Not only did we discuss about the client experience and collaboration thereof, but the importance of having robust but flexible communications internally. Innovation is still thriving despite impact from the pandemic – watch now to hear more about how law firms, and those in the wider professional services space, are maintaining momentum.

Big thank you to those who joined us for this discussion: Ahmad Yamak, senior legal project manager, White & Case; Alicia Hardy, director of professional support, White & Case; Jane Challoner, head of tech innovation, CMS; Jeff Westcott, director of service management and strategy, Akin Gump; Kylie Grant, director, Time Peace Advisors; Laura Hofmann, chief legal tech officer, Clarius Legal; Richard Tomlinson, consultant (ex-BCLP), Kaaspi; Sophie Wakenell, global head of operational projects and change, Clyde & Co; Simon Ferres, CIO for legal, Deutsche Bank AG; Warrick McLean, chief executive officer, Coleman Greig.

Watch now! And keep an eye out for the next in the Work Inspired series.

Webinar time: 1 hour. Take a look at the YouTube page for specific timestamps, so you can find content more easily.