Commercial solicitors based in the UK, Owen White found that their manual processes for information management and the lack of a central repository in the pre-pandemic office quickly became “unworkable” in the remote work environment imposed by the global pandemic. Deploying iManage Work 10 in the Cloud with their chosen iManage partner Ascertus, the firm quickly implemented a best practice approach to document and email management. Since then, their lawyers and staff have made significant productivity gains, contributing to broader business efficiency across the entire firm.
The challenge
All aspects of the process were time consuming for the people involved
Owen White used network drives as the firm’s primary email and document storage solution. Due to the burdensome nature of saving emails, volumes of important information lay dormant in Microsoft Outlook inboxes. Without a standard approach to file naming and case-folder management, case-related information was difficult to identify. The firm also still stored all case documents in a physical archive, and creating those records was a demanding, manual, and time-intensive activity.
“All aspects of the process — from email and document management to archiving — were time consuming for all the people involved,” said Caroline Cowley, Director, Owen White.
When the firm went from a wholly office-based environment pre-pandemic into remote working during lockdown, the shortcomings of these manual information management processes quickly became evident.
The solution
Almost 90 percent of the firms we work with use iManage Work
Focusing on best-practice email and document management systems (DMS), the firm learned that almost 90 percent of the firms that they work with use iManage Work. Augmented by the many long-term business benefits of a cloud solution, Owen White decided iManage Work 10 in the Cloud ensured the fastest route to deployment during the lockdown.
Of several potential partners iManage suggested for the implementation, the firm chose Ascertus.
“I recommend iManage Work 10 and Ascertus to any law firm that is looking for a DMS. From our very first interaction with these organizations, our experience has been extremely positive,” Cowley observed.
The benefits
Gaining efficiency and seamless collaboration in the hybrid work environment
With iManage Work 10, Owen White has a single repository for emails and documents in structured, matter-specific workspaces using standardized file naming. Lawyers save time previously spent searching for documents that were stored on a network or attached to an email. Documents and emails are saved together as a matter, giving the business a more comprehensive view. Any member on the team can move a matter forward, boosting productivity and freeing attorneys to focus on higher value activities for the firm.
Versioning keeps updates and changes visible. Plus, every record of correspondence and document in iManage has an audit trail, expediting client-related audits of documentation.
“As the director responsible for compliance, I’m very assured and confident that all the case-related information is duly stored in iManage Work 10. Documents and pertinent emails aren’t sitting in people’s inboxes,” says Cowley.
Looking ahead
Cowley said the future process of post-case completion archiving would be much simpler because, with all the information now electronic, just a few clicks of the mouse will be all there is to do.
“iManage Work 10 in the Cloud is a true game-changer for Owen White,” said Cowley.
