ILTA Awards

NANCY GRIFFING LINKEDIN /nancygriffing MICHAEL OWEN HILL SCOTT ANGELO JARED GULLBERGH READ ONLINE epubs.iltanet.org/i/1530716-winter24/51 ARTICLE OF THE YEAR: BUSINESS PARTNER N Nancy Griffing, a 3545 Consulting Partner, and Michael Owen Hill, NetDocuments Director of Product Marketing, joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's CIO, Scott Angelo, and IT Services and Governance lead, Jared Gullbergh, to craft their article, "Modernizing Legal Workflows: The Role of AI, Automation, and Strategic Partnerships", for ILTA's 2024 Winter issue of Peer to Peer magazine. Their award-winning contribution features Buchanan's partnership with NetDocuments and 3545 Consulting to integrate AI-powered tools into its operations to improve efficiency and streamline processes through advanced document automation and AI-driven capabilities. Buchanan's five-year strategic plan, introduced in the second quarter of 2023, included a focus on technology innovation to drive practice efficiencies. In response to the strategic plan, the IT organization developed an 18-month plan to set up Centers of Excellence (CoE) in AI, business process optimization and automation, and advanced data analytics. Recognizing the immense value of partnering with industry experts to integrate AI-powered tools into the firm's day-to-day operations, Buchanan connected with NetDocuments and 3545 Consulting. The NetDocuments AI App Builder quickly became integral to the firm's strategy, enabling them to automate complex legal workflows with AI. By generating documents, extracting data, and streamlining legal processes, the tool delivered immediate efficiency gains and allowed the firm to focus on higher-value work. A key advantage of the AI App Builder and 2025 WINNER Business Partner / A R T I C L E O F T H E Y E A R PatternBuilder lies in their secure operation within the firm's existing NetDocuments environment. This integration ensures that all workflows and data follow the robust security standards established in the existing document management system so that legal firms like Buchanan can confidently explore AI-driven automation without risking sensitive client or case information. As a driving force behind 3545 Consulting's 20-plus-year track record of helping law firms successfully integrate technology, Nancy Griffing resonates deeply with ILTA's collaborative ethos and commitment to knowledge-sharing. Inspired by the abundance of attendee interest in the 2024 ILTACON session Buchanan hosted in collaboration with 3545 Consulting and NetDocuments, Nancy spearheaded the groups' efforts to share their forward-thinking approach, lessons learned, failings, accomplishments, and practical experiences with peers throughout ILTA's ecosystem. This collective generosity resulted in multiple award nominations, speaking invitations at industry conferences, and an ILTA Voices podcast appearance. The captivating content provides a high-level glimpse of the benefits for ILTA members and legal firms like Buchanan, who forge partnerships with highly skilled legal tech solution providers, like 3545 Consulting and NetDocuments, to find and solve acute challenges around automation and AI integration. The collaborative initiative described in the article provides ILTAns with an ideal example of the transformative possibilities available to law firms who work hand-in-hand with trusted legal tech providers. ILTA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2025 2 1

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