Seamless transition to better records management and information governance at Vedder Price PC
An international business‐focused law firm, Vedder Price serves sophisticated clients of all sizes and industries from offices across the US and in the UK and Asia. The firm wanted to move from outdated legacy document management systems to a more matter-centric environment, with greater transparency into the knowledge contained in the physical records they kept. Benefits of adopting the iManage Cloud knowledge work platform included strong user adoption, increased productivity, significantly upgraded security, and the greater efficiency of delivery from a single platform.
Challenge
Vedder Price attorneys and staff faced the daily challenges of finding information quickly in an information-intensive business. The firm knew they had to centralize document, email, and records management in a more matter‐centric environment, as well as needing to improve security and adherence to governance.
In addition to a more matter-centric environment, the firm hoped for greater transparency into the knowledge contained in the physical records they kept. Identifying records that didn’t need to be kept in paper form enabled more efficient offsite storage, but it was a challenge in the existing system to have attorneys review historical matters to assess their value and apply the rules that determine their disposition.
Solution
Vedder Price selected the iManage Cloud platform, with iManage Work, iManage Records Manager, iManage Security Policy Manager and iManage Threat Manager, and completed the implementation in February 2020.
Why did they choose iManage over other options?
As noted, the firm saw value in centralizing their work. Centralization is at the core of the iManage knowledge work platform, which offers compelling workflow management benefits. These include artificial intelligence, security, governance, and the ability to integrate with email and other Microsoft products the firm uses.
Benefits
The firm quickly realized the benefits of adopting iManage Cloud knowledge work platform. Transitioning to iManage immediately prior to pandemic‐induced lockdowns helped them accelerate their digital transformation initiatives, identify asset value, and streamline their workflow.
Vosters told us iManage has helped people at Vedder Price be more effective at finding and creating documents. They understand where to start and how to get to the documents that they are working on, which improves productivity. Multiple attorneys can collaborate on the same document, and it easily becomes a record.
Vosters particularly likes the policy service feature in Records Manager, which lets him apply matter lifecycle management to workspaces in iManage Work, versus training people and hoping they do the right thing. He says that setting up a policy that requires that a workspace gets closed when a matter is done reduces the firm’s risk.
Results
After moving its knowledge work into a centralized, integrated, cloud‐based platform with iManage, all of Vedder Price’s immediate challenges were resolved. The benefits of the change were clearly demonstrated by positive outcomes, including strong user adoption, increased productivity, significantly upgraded security, and the greater efficiency of delivery from a single platform.
