ILTA White Papers

Case/Matter Management

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case and matter management to legal hold or discovery management solutions — are not redundant, do not compete with existing solutions and are technically compatible. There can be a need for combining cloud and enterprise technology when there are specific case requirements or client environment mandates. If you have a legacy system inherited through a merger, for example, that can’t be retired until the right enterprise solution is found, it can be run alongside other technologies. A cloud solution that can selectively pull data from onsite client systems for analysis or management by firm attorneys is critical for meeting FRCP mandates and remaining competitive in an increasingly commoditized market. An example of this situation would be a law firm requiring their client’s corporate data in order to manage the litigation hold process on their behalf. This would be done through the cloud for a flat pass-through cost. For both in-house and cloud solutions, availability, reliability and security are of utmost importance. IT resources must be dedicated to any in-house solutions to prevent data breaches and data loss, and any firm using a cloud solution should have the complete faith in the availability and security of the application. Good cloud vendors should offer multilayered security at application, platform and database levels and host data on caged, redundant servers. Client data should be segmented and partitioned on private clouds. Thoroughly research your vendors’ backup procedures and ensure they have a solid exit strategy in place. Good solution providers will offer both cloud and enterprise solutions and allow you to choose which model best suits your needs. 22 Case/Matter Management ILTA White Paper Additionally, vendors should offer scalability and make transferring from cloud to enterprise seamless should your organization reach the point where a transition to an enterprise solution becomes necessary or more cost-effective. DRIVE ADOPTION Getting a law firm to look at process management can be challenging. Firms are often legacy- and time-driven. But the benefits of automated workflow management can be presented internally in a way that makes sense to stakeholders. Measure success in terms of performance, quality and dollars to secure internal buy-in. It’s also critical to ensure at the point of purchase that the solutions you choose are sophisticated enough for IT use and intuitive enough to ensure widespread legal adoption. Choose a solution with configurable workflows that can mimic your current business processes to ensure minimal disruption in day-to-day processes. CONCLUSION The bad news is that courts are no longer sympathetic to firms or attorneys claiming ignorance about technology, and attorney — and even firm — liability for client’s data and processes is increasing. The good news is that you can put automated solutions and processes in place to increase defensibility while still keeping overhead low. Formalizing the process for deciding when and where to run legal applications and periodically re-evaluating those decisions as your business landscape changes should ensure smooth adoption and full utilization of your firm’s technology investments, and should keep your attorneys’ focus where it needs to be — on the matters at hand. ILTA

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