Peer to Peer Magazine

P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 8 23 intelligence software. The ultimate goal of an enterprisewide collaboration will be improving how teams coordinate, communicate and perform across the board. Why the rise of collaboration for legal Modern organizations see next-gen enterprise collaboration technolo as a critical component in maximizing employee productivity, acquiring and retaining talent and growing revenue. The legal industry is ripe for transformation to take full advantage of all of these benefits of collaboration. Collaboration tools are designed to enhance communication inside and outside the workplace. Legal teams are used to fast-paced, always-on communications. It's the culture of the practice of law. But legal professionals are not used to having a single tool that facilitates their culture. Collaboration platforms enable an uninterrupted focus across a legal team through secure, always-on messaging connections, document sharing and videoconferencing features. No longer do teams need to flip in and out of systems, wait for voicemails to be returned or sit idle while web or videoconference systems connect. Additionally, all members of the legal team – including in-house counsel and experts outside the law firm – can collaborate in specific, security-controlled workspaces and realize productivity gains. Further, similar to other industries, law firms are experiencing a shift in employee demographics, with younger, more global and remote workforces. These teams seek modern technolo that allows them the flexibility to interact from any location and any device. A collaboration platform, rolled out enterprisewide, enables co-workers in the same building or different countries around the world to collaborate with the same amount of ease. Moreover, no matter the generation or geography, digital collaboration is fundamental to happy and productive employees. In a study by Adobe 1 , employees reported that state-of-the-art technolo was more important at work than food and beverages, a beautiful office design and on-site amenities. In another Adobe study 2 , 8 in 10 surveyed said that office workers of the future will be better collaborators. The bottom line: collaboration technolo is more than a perk. Leveraging useful technolo that integrates applications, workflows and data streams can make a law practice more efficient and successful. Even more critical, law firms looking to remain relevant in a competitive legal environment need to embrace these changes and see the shifting communication and collaboration landscape as an opportunity to differentiate. How can law firms transition communication streams Becoming familiar with the value brought by collaboration software is increasingly important for law firm professionals but knowing where to start can be challenging. Study the features, security and support. Look for a platform that offers both cloud-based and on-premise hosting, with a simple, easy-to-use interface available on a desktop, laptop and mobile device. The platform should provide a way to exchange quick, concise messages, as well as hold videoconferences and share documents, internally and externally to your firm. Searching capabilities should be robust across both messages and documents. Ask questions about security protocols, training materials and help desk support. Customize the platform. Look for key integrations that can be made to connect the collaboration system to other software tools used in the firm. For example, can the collaboration platform be connected with the firm's email client so that navigating between email and messaging, videoconferencing or file sharing is seamless? Can the firm's document management system 1 http://fow.adobethinktank. com/Future-of-Work-2016- FINAL.pdf 2 https://theblog.adobe.com/ more-than-a-machine/ The bottom line: collaboration technolo is more than a perk. Leveraging useful technolo that integrates applications, workflows and data streams can make a law practice more efficient and successful.

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