Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/13683
TRANSFORMING MATTER AND CASE MANAGEMENT WITH A PLATFORM OF MEANING frequently returned. This scenario forces users to alter search queries to accommodate the capabilities of the search engine. While keyword technology is certainly important, systems based on a platform of meaning enable advanced capabilities through the conceptual and contextual understanding of information. Some of the key functionalities of meaning-based platforms such as automatic hyperlinking and clustering are not available in traditional keyword search engines. For example, automatic hyperlinking, which connects users to a range of pertinent documents, e-mail messages, voice or video files that are contextually linked to the original text, requires that the meaning of the original document is fully understood. By understanding the concepts and the context of content, meaning-based systems provide sophisticated capabilities to promote “gold-standard” documents to the top of the results list, enabling consistency in the quality of work product and improving productivity of the fee earners. These systems also enable users to find expertise within the firm regardless of global location, ensure that the right resources are assigned to the matter, improve client service and create opportunities for competitive advantage. By facilitating the search of information found across disparate content repositories, meaning-based systems build conceptual relationships between information sources. For example, meaning-based systems provide global matter mash-ups that build holistic views of the matter across a variety of repositories, including DMS, CRM, archives and Time+Billing systems. GOVERNING THE MATTER There is no doubt that lawyers have become mobile content creators, with e-mail as the primary form of communication. The electronic transmittal of legal documents between the lawyer and his or her client, the law firm and the courts, and co- and opposing counsel, has become commonplace. This has made the development and enforcement of records management policies significantly more complicated. Lawyers are ethically obligated to treat electronic records in a manner consistent with paper records, maintaining the same retention and disposition policies. Regulatory and risk management pressures are driving the need for information governance as a critical business function for law firms and legal departments. Financial audits and regulations demand disciplined record- keeping, and discovery requests require careful management of information. Since compliance is mandatory under current government and judicial regulations, it is essential for firms to guarantee the metadata and content integrity of the records they manage for their clients, as well as any records involved in eDiscovery. Unlike traditional records management solutions, meaning-based solutions automate information governance, including the retention and disposition of records, by understanding the meaning of all information across the enterprise, regardless of data type, language or repository. Meaning-based systems can automatically create taxonomies, records categories, or file plans based on the corpus of data; import an existing taxonomy; or allow users to train the records categories or file plan to automatically identify content that should be managed as records, regardless of format or location. This functionality not only solves the task of www.iltanet.org Case/Matter Management 9