Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/37773
PORTAL PLATFORMS L aw firms and legal departments are increasingly utilizing portal platforms to provide a wide array of resources from one centralized location while decentralizing the management of the content that’s available. By incorporating enterprise information from various databases and applications, powerful search engines, customizable views, security options, process controls and more, attorneys, staff and clients have transparency to the data that’s relevant to them, encouraging knowledge-sharing, increasing collaboration and improving the user experience. We gratefully thank our authors for providing a gateway into the world of portal platforms. Jump in and see the new and exciting ways in which your firm and clients can become empowered to reach new heights (and score more points)! Randi Mayes Editor-In-Chief In This Issue 6 DELIVERING WORLD-CLASS EXTRANETS by Don Fuchs of AMS Legal Extranets can offer your firm a convenient means of accommodating the growing requirements from clients who demand accessibility to their information. Extranets can also assist in maintaining compliance with security practices that are now required to meet the increasing number of privacy laws that have been legislated to protect your clients’ financial information. If your firm hasn’t taken a comprehensive approach to implementing an extranet strategy, it is important for you to realize that your firm might be exposing the firm to risk by relying on email and traditional methods of communicating information to clients, as well as missing out on important marketing and client perception opportunities. Even if your firm currently offers extranets at some level, you might want to rethink your approach. 14 10 KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SHAREPOINT 2010 PORTALS by Hal Marcus and Marcus Liban of SydneyPLUS | LawPort Many expert legal IT teams have embarked on visionary portal projects, only to find a year or two later that they have lots of ideas, 4 Portal Platforms ILTA White Paper consulting bills and development challenges, but nothing up and running. Every firm has somewhat different needs from a portal, yet the primary considerations are relatively consistent, and invoking the right experience with those issues can help you make faster decisions and avoid common pitfalls. From evaluating your existing portal to determining your DMS and establishing processes that support legal project management, this practical overview of key considerations and recommendations for deploying SharePoint 2010-based portals is comprised from lessons learned over 10 years of our authors working with law firms on successful portal implementations and is designed to help you move beyond plans to results. 24 SHAREPOINT AS A PATHWAY TO IMPROVED CLIENT SERVICE by Rob Saccone of Hubbard One The challenging economic climate of the last few years has stimulated significant change within law firms. The competitive necessity to increase revenue and maintain profitability while operating within tighter budgets has caused firms to rethink their technology infrastructure, carefully weighing new and existing