How can an extranet enhance your firm’s communications?

The way lawyers and clients are communicating has changed with the development of technology. There is now many different ways to communicate such as; email, texting, instant messaging, over the phone or face-to-face. Without a standard way to communicate it can mean that messages don’t correspond and are miscommunicated, and so shouldn't law firms have one recognised method of communication with their clients?

All these different methods of communicating can get confusing, as different messages are sent over different communication platforms. Firms should have one centralised area where any information, resources, ideas and feedback can be exchanged, where all the information about a case can be shared, so the client and anyone working on the case can access all the data in one place. An extranet can provide a firm with a solution for this, so that the user doesn’t have to be in any particular location to access it, making it ideal for sharing information with clients who will be accessing it externally from the firm. Information is accessible on demand and no one needs to be contacted to share data, which will improve communications and client relationships.

Email is a popular way to communicate; however it is not always secure for sending confidential information, as the data is often not encrypted leaving it susceptible to intervention. Choosing an extranet that stores and sends files with encryption would mean that information can be communicated securely. An audit trail and the ability to set different security levels set for each user means that data about cases is communicated to the right people.

People often reply to all or the sender only, which creates many replies to one email and the stream gets lost, deadlines can be missed as they are hidden away in long threads. Additionally over the phone or face-to-face communications can cause disparate messages, as people may forget the action they need to take or what deadline they agreed to. Having one centralised place for data sharing, would mean that it would be the same between colleagues, clients, counsel and suppliers, and there would be no disparate messages or errors, so everyone is kept up to date regarding cases.

Firms should be making the most out of an extranet, as it is an effective way to share information; it enhances company-wide business communication and client relationships by providing on demand information in one centralised location. 

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

Nikec Hub is a powerful file sharing and collaboration platform that allows integration with your document and practice management system do seamlessly present documents and reporting to your clients in one portal.

Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page

  

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

Why integration is key to improving a law firm’s processes?

Document exchanges between law firms and its clients and/or counsel are rapidly changing, with the move to the ‘less paper’ office. More often than not documents are processed and stored in a digital format, and hence are now exchanged electronically, especially with the rise of file sharing and extranet portals. Whilst using technology to improve this process is a positive move within law firms, many are only at the start of this journey and have not necessarily improved the process, they have just shifted it from paper to electronic. So what can law firms do with this technology to not only move ‘less paper’, but to improve and speed up the process, and give a value add to their clients?

An extranet is a perfect solution for sharing electronic files with clients, a professional platform, for a professional firm. Many firms upload documents to an extranet, which is the part of the process that is far too often manual. Some might say it needs to be manual to avoid wrongly sharing a document or information, however having tight integration with your DMS (Document Management System) and your extranet solution is key to improving and speeding up the process. It doesn't need to be 100% automated, but it doesn't need to be 100% manual either.

A DMS allows lawyers to keep all documents regarding a matter in one place. For a want of a better term, it is an electronic library. Getting documents from the DMS to an extranet could be as simple as right clicking on the document or folder in the matter, and sending or synchronising it with your extranet. This allows firms to share all of the matter from their DMS with their client in one secure place at the click of a button. Simple hey!

Let’s not stop at document exchange when improving the ‘less paper’ process. With the ever changing laws and constant development of solutions to increase business efficiency and present analytics, law firms are under more pressure now than ever to report this to their clients and keep them informed. Having a place where law firms can display this information relevant to each client would go a long way to improving the law firm to client relationship, the overall perception of professionalism and care a law firm gives their client, which in turn is seen as value for money.

Given what we have already mentioned about file sharing and extranets being on the increase, wouldn’t it make sense to integrate these two processes? So when a client accessed their documents they could also access reporting information such as WIP (work in progress) all in one place. Clients have high expectations and want data on demand at anytime and anywhere, therefore some extranets are built with this in mind, allowing the user to integrate all their desired systems into one place. The ability to present clients with data on demand, along with their documents helps build a good relationship with them by developing trust and reliability. And guess what? This also improves your internal processes and saves you time and money when trying to keep your client informed.

It should be a priority for any law firm to have one place to share documents and reporting data with their clients. Not only does it make it easier for clients to access information about their case, it also frees up more time internally by improving and speeding up the process. This integration will help assist with a firm’s transparency to its clients, and not only help retain the client, but it should also help expand your business with your clients by upselling other services.

If you are a law firm reading this and you don’t have a solution that delivers this, you should be worried. If you aren’t doing it, someone else is, and it won’t take long for your clients to realise that!

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

Nikec Hub is a powerful file sharing and collaboration platform that allows integration with your document and practice management system do seamlessly present documents and reporting to your clients in one portal.

Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page

  

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

How secure are your documents?

It seems like cybercrime is in the news every other week with stories of security issues and sensitive data getting hacked or accessed by the wrong person. Therefore it is questionable where is it safe for lawyers to store and transmit files containing information about cases, now that most firms are ‘less-paper’? Some perceptions of cloud technology however are that they fall to the risk of security breaches, but is this just a perception and how much safer is it than moving physical documents?

When law firms rely on paper based system such as the post or carrying files in taxis, they are in danger of threatening the security of these files, as they could be mislaid or intercepted by someone who does not have a legal right to see those documents. Clearly moving to an electronic document makes sense, but does it come with risk?

Over the last few weeks there have been news reports surrounding the hacking of Talk Talk, and the fact the personal data they were storing was unencrypted which has meant that millions of people around the UK could have been affected by this. With sensitive data such as; names, addresses and bank details being stolen, this type of theft leaves their customers in danger of fraudulent crime. Despite the fact this is the third time this year that they have been hacked, Talk Talk have stated that legally the data protection act does not require them to encrypt this type of data. 
 

So you can see why there is a security fear around transferring sensitive documents within law firms, therefore encryption is a must. In addition, many systems that lawyers often rely on to share files and collaborate on documents often do not provide encryption, posing a threat to the security of the highly sensitive data they deal with every day. Extranets protect data when stored on server or during transfer through the use of encryption technology. Granular permission settings of extranets means that there is greater security over important documents, different permissions can be set for different users, so that files are only seen by those who have permission. This gives greater control for the firm, as well giving the firm, its lawyers and its clients reassurance, as reporting functions can be set so that the system tracks when users look at or edit files and reports it. Furthermore, some extranets give you the option of using cloud or on premise solutions to fit a firm’s requirements and security needs. 

The recent attack on Talk Talk demonstrates how important it is that sensitive data is stored and shared securely. So the reliance on old forms of sharing documents and files, leaves firms at risk of documents and sensitive files getting in the wrong hands. Extranets work to resolve these problems traditional methods pose, by creating a secure place to store and share data, giving greater control to firms over who can see and edit different documents.

 

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

Nikec Hub is a powerful secure file sharing and collaboration platform that makes sharing data between colleagues and clients simple.

Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

 

Knowledge sharing - 'A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers' *

 

Fundamentally knowledge management is about making the right knowledge available to the right people at the right time. So why is it many employees and employers fail to share valuable information that could save someone else time or win someone else new business. Also, I strongly believe what goes around comes around, so share knowledge how you would like knowledge to be shared with you, don’t hoard it away like a squirrel stashing nuts. 

 

 

 

Many would say the purpose of knowledge sharing is to help your company meet its business objectives. However, knowledge is often seen as information, but I read a great article recently that is spot on. It used a cake as a metaphor. It stated that the ingredients was the information. It then stated a good cook would probably be able to make the cake and a good cake, however a not so experienced cook may not. The reason is there is no recipe. The knowledge is the recipe. Now the good cook will make an excellent cake.

There is also a lot of information on the internet today, however they say 70% of statistics are made up, so what do you believe? Therefore the success of knowledge sharing between peers is crucial, but it can depend on the habit and willingness of you and your employees to seek out, and be receptive to, these knowledge sources. It also relies heavily on implementing and using the right tools to share knowledge.

Here are some key areas where knowledge sharing can aid the business;

• Staff turnover. Knowledge doesn't walk out the door when staff leave and when new staff join, knowledge gives your new employees a much better chance to get into the flow of day to day work at a quicker rate. Think how much time you spend training new staff the same subject matter over and over.
• Knowledge sharing can save time. Think how much time you spend searching for information in many systems, and how many times do you find nothing relevant or you question the validity. Knowledge sharing by the people you know and work with should build trust in the information.
• Competitive advantage. If you aren't doing it you can be damn sure one of your competitors are. Why would you turn down the chance to gain competitive edge?

One point to note. We are in a world of accelerated change these days, so keeping knowledge up to date is just as key as starting it in the first place.

In conclusion, you need to be creating the right knowledge sharing culture. To do that, the right knowledge tool can make all the difference, and companies that centrally collaborate are far more successful than their not so open counterparts.

*Plato

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

Nikec Hub is a powerful file sharing and collaboration platform that makes sharing knowledge between colleagues and clients simple.

Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page

  

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

 

Making an extranet your own – the importance of brand in a law firm

You would like to think most, if not all, your lawyers understand the importance of your company identity. Your brand is more than a logo or a slogan, it’s about your customer’s experience. Every touch point from your website to the way you answer the phone is key. Ultimately your brand is the way your customers perceive you.

 

Many law firms have spent a lot of time and money creating a brand, but then fall short when it comes to exchanging documents. Having an extranet in place is a first step of many, to providing a better customer experience. It’s only my opinion, but for law firms I don’t necessarily think uploading documents onto an unbranded free consumer file sharing platform and sending your client a link, really reflects a law firm image or reflects the company brand.

We’ve all walked into the grand reception areas of law firms where, given real estate is often at a premium, space is seen to be important in the reflecting the company image. So why when it comes to sharing documents in this digital age, why do many law firms not make the same effort? I am not saying spend a fortune on a solution, but at least make an effort. Can you imagine the customer experience your client would have if they walked into your reception area and they were asked to take a seat on a sofa you’d just purchased off Gumtree? You get my point.

There are many file sharing tools out there. Some do the basics well, but most don’t allow you to personalise and brand. By personalise I mean having a separate area/site for each of your clients that has your branding, but personalised to your customer. Adding your and your clients logo and corporate branding, keeps your brand message alive and using an extranet solution rather than a basic file sharing solution, extends your brand and gives your client another touch point.

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

Nikec Hub is a powerful file sharing and collaboration platform that allows you to personalise and brand each and every extranet.

Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page

  

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

 

 

Why should users care how big the file they send is?

With the move to a less paper office, the increase in sending documents via email, rather than via post,  is on the constant increase. The size of the attachments is also ever increasing due to the powerful document creation technologies out there today.

There are many ways to share files in today’s world, be it a file sharing or a dedicated transfer solution (some consumer and some not), but many have the same flaw – the user has to do something different from the normal email sending process they are used to, to accomplish the large file send. Why should they? File sharing is more for collaboration with longevity than a one off exchange of an important document. I am all for less emails and more collaboration but not everyone is and you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole.

Also, most people probably never even realise they can’t send large files via email until they hit the roadblock. Most mail servers (both incoming and outgoing) restrict attachment sizes to a maximum of 10MB, and often it can be less than that. I’ve heard stories of IT managers getting calls from their users (lawyers in this case) at the weekend because the important attachment they sent late Friday has just bounced and their client needs it now. I’ve also heard stories of users switching to a consumer email system to exchange emails as often the maximum attachments limits are higher (Yahoo and Gmail allow 20-25MB respectively).

What you want to happen is that your user does nothing different in their process to how they normally send emails, regardless of the size of email and pertaining attachments. Why should the user have to upload a document to a file sharing solution, create a link and embed it into their email? Some users, regardless of the letters after their name,  are just not tech savvy and want something more user friendly and intuitive.

Back to the question in the title ‘Why should users care how big the file they send is?’ – The answer is they shouldn’t. And, the process for doing so should be the norm. So next time you look at a file sharing and collaboration solution to answer the large file send needs, think about the user experience and the process they will go through to achieve this goal and whether the solution has this feature.

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

Nikec Hub is a powerful file sharing and collaboration platform with in built email large file send, so your user doesn't need to change their process or waste time with blocked attachments.

Nikec Hub provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal. Visit Nikec Hub page

  

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

 

Why are we not all using enterprise collaboration platforms?

 How many times this week have you sent out an email to more than one person and the replies come back thick and fast, and before you know it you have many replies all in different emails and getting this back into one string is near on impossible. Then add attachments to the mix and this potentially multiplies the problem.

Am I saying stop using email now? Not yet I’m not, but there is obviously a problem that needs solving. There are solutions out there that solve this exact issue, but why are we not all using them? (I am not saying this is the only problem these solutions solve too)

I have spoken to many clients that say in 5 years no one will be using email in their firm. I disagree; I just don’t think that will happen. What I think will happen is, it will become like faxing is now – very limited. There is always someone that has to send/receive a fax, but faxing has dropped off a cliff in the last 5 or so years (just ask the law firms that used to charge for a lot of faxing). So for me it will be ‘less email’ rather than ‘email-less’.

The younger generations of today are already moving away from email and using social media and messaging services instead. I very rarely receive an email from my younger cousins, but you can’t keep them off WhatsApp or Facebook.

One of the main problems is email is so widely used today and by so many people that stopping using it could affect your business. I’ve read about the firms that ban internal email and only use email for external. I think this is a good idea, but has serious flaws. Asking staff to switch from email (from a client that you would normally forward on for comment) to say, an enterprise collaboration platform, is putting up a barrier that some staff will struggle with.

Enterprise collaboration platforms generally refer to the system that combines tools and processes to ensure employees can connect and collaborate with the people, information and the resources they
require at any given time.

I have used firm owned enterprise collaboration platforms with clients for managing projects and so many times I hear…’can you not just email it to me’ from their own staff. There is nothing wrong essentially with the platforms they are using, staff just don’t buy into it.

And there is another problem. I heard these words the other day ‘there are loads of collaboration platforms used today and so many passwords to remember, it’s just not as easy as email’. I’m sure most people would say email systems are simple and easy to use, however is that because we are used to using one platform every day that rarely changes. If you jump between Outlook 2010, 2013, Yahoo and Gmail every day for a week, the user experience is so different it’s enough to put you off using email.

My conclusion is, like with many projects and implementations, it’s very much about buy in and leadership. There is an answer and a better solution to the problem and maybe this will evolve with time as the younger generation grow into the business world, but it is not widely adopted enough yet, and are the leaders in businesses using them enough and in the right way and leading from the front? Enterprise collaboration platforms give you not only a way to improve the flow of information between employees and customers, but also a way to facilitate interaction with employees internally. I believe the successful businesses of tomorrow are already using enterprise collaboration platforms internally and externally.

So will I stop using email tomorrow? No, but we are using our own collaboration platform (Nikec Hub) and Salesforce Chatter to cut down on internal email…. Oh and using the old fashioned option of speaking to someone directly. Plus I got my dad using email last year, after countless times of trying, but he swears he’ll never get on social media so I’ll keep my Yahoo account live a bit longer.

Damian Jeal [    ]

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]




Nikec Hub is a powerful extranet for all your firms collaboration, communication and document security needs.

Nikec Hub is an extranet that provides firms with a secure and efficient way of managing information, while enhancing communications and collaboration with colleague and clients. It integrates seamlessly with your document management system allowing users to create their own extranet in a few quick steps. It also integrates with many practice management systems enabling firms to provide up-to-date management information to their clients all from within a single, powerful portal.

Need more information or want to test drive Nikec Hub? Contact us as info@nikecsolutions.com

 

ALA 2015 Report – Less Paper, Paperless or Paper-Lite?

  Last week I went to the ALA Expo, to exhibit and find out what law firms are doing in their effort to be paperless.

ALA, The Association of Legal Administrators, is tagged as the undisputed leader for the business of law and law practice management. ALA provides law office advice and resources for all aspects of legal management with one aspect being their Annual Conference & Expo, which this year was in Nashville. For the delegates the expo is an excellent resource for information and education, as well as for networking with and learning from peers.

Having been in Nashville 9 months earlier for ILTA 2014, I knew what to expect from the city – music, music and music. If you haven’t been lucky enough to visit Nashville, you should add it to your list of must go to cities in the US. The ALA Expo was held in the Music City Center, which is a brand new facility with over 350,000 square feet of hall space and the largest Grand Ballroom in the state. Whilst many exhibitors attend both ILTA and ALA, ALA has a very different attendee list that gives vendors a chance to get involved in discussions from a different angle to those at ILTA.

Music Center - Nashville

At Nikec we are very much focused on the less-paper office and client engagement. From our digital binder (Nikec Binder) and extranet (Nikec Hub) solutions through to our outlook email printing reduction tool (ThreadPrint). We had a busy 3 days at our exhibition booth. Whilst the terminology - less paper, paperless or paper-lite – changed per delegate, the theme is the same. They all have a focus on reducing paper in their firms. However, many are at different stages and it’s not always the big well known firms that are leading the way.

Aside from the exhibition area, there were many seminars running for all to attend. The one that really caught my eye pre event, was one led by Deborah Novachick of Strategic Automation Consulting. I set off on my long walk from the exhibition area, in the far corner on level 3, to room 104 where 200 or so delegates were sat. The 1 hour 45 minutes seminar flew by, as Deborah delivered a very engaging talk titled – ‘The paperless office - 20 years in the making and counting’. It was very much focused on a case study of a San Francisco law firm and the role of the Administrator in this project.

There were some great takeaways from the talk and too many for this blog, but here are some key ones:

· It’s hard to change the culture in the law firm to be paperless, so engage the right people in the firm to help gain support with your paperless project. This case study was put on hold originally due to lack of budget and support.

· Think about the generation of staff. It’s not one size fits all, so focus on how you approach this.

· Build a mixed team, and to do that focus on their strengths. In this case study they reflected on the Amazon best seller of 2013 Strength Finders to help with this. And to quote “people who focus on strengths are 9 times more likely to be engaged in their jobs”. Also people involved in paperless projects feel good about saving the environment. They are often paperless type people at home, so get them onside.

· Lawyers and clients are the ones that create the most paper. So there is a need to engage with the client and your lawyers on how and why you are going paperless. Lawyers using tablets are often pushing for paperless, but sometimes they are not thinking where to store the data (e.g. consumer file sharing). There is an education needed here. Also if lawyers can retrieve and access the documents easily there will be a stronger buy in.

· Create a general policy to stop paper coming into the firm then refine to handle internal points such as reducing email printing. And STOP maintaining both hard copy and paper files.

· Start by scanning incoming mail as an early task in your paperless project. Make new matter intakes paperless. Make sure users have confidence in the DMS, not just to save and store documents, but to find them and use them regularly like you would the paper file.

· OCR your documents and get your naming convention right and sell it within the firm.

· Dual monitors were used by most in the room, but many lawyers still don’t. You need to help lawyers take what was on their desk space real estate onto their screens and dual screens will help this along with the right applications.

· Print without cover page and double sided - make sure you have the correct technology in place (at least 15% of the room still use cover pages).

· You can't manage what you can't measure – you need tools in place to measure your paper output over time to show you are reducing paper and in what areas, which will allow you to constantly improve.

The consensus from the room was printing and scanning is going up and copying is reducing, which is a good sign everyone is moving in the right direction.

My big take away from this event was everyone is trying, and some trying very hard, to move to the paperless office. However, they all still have issues which are not always the same. Users still remain the key to your success and it’s about finding the right technology to help, as it can’t be achieved on persistence alone.

Until next year, see you in Los Angeles for ALA 2016.


Damian Jeal
VP Global Sales @ Nikec Solutions

 

Damian Jeal [    ]

Nikec Solutions [ www.nikecsolutions.com ]

7 ways in which extranets will boost firm-wide productivity and efficiency

Project management and collaboration forms a large part of a law firm’s operations with lawyers having to constantly share, collaborate and communicate information with internal teams and clients.  Subsequently, project management and collaboration tools are fast becoming an important platform to drive competitiveness and efficiencies. In fact a recent survey shows that 43% of top 100 law firms are looking to use or adopt legal project management technologies in the next 5 years.* 

Whereas in the past client extranets were only for large firms with big budgets, primarily due to cost and site management, this no longer holds true.  Secure, encrypted, easy to use extranets can be set up by users in a few quick steps, offering teams a private and secure network for all their workflow requirements. 

7 ways in which extranets enhance productivity and efficiency

Collaborate

With law firms becoming global and with workers increasingly mobile, the need for collaboration is more important than ever to remain productive. Users require access to information immediately both inside and out of the office.  To accommodate their needs, workers frequently use tools such as emails, consumer file sharing solutions and centrally shared folders as a means to store, share and edit these.  However this means that documents are saved in disparate and insecure locations outside making these hard to find.  Then there is the issue of document versioning and determining which document contains the latest updates.

Extranets provide a central area for team members and clients to store, share, edit and view matter or project related documents and folders – a place where ideas can be exchanged and where documents can be stored, accessed and reviewed in an efficient and streamlined manner. Document updates can be tracked enhancing accountability and productivity.  Ultimately it allows teams to stay focused throughout the entirety of the project or matter.

Share

Large documents and case files need to be shared between teams and clients.  With email accounts having file size limits, lawyers often resort to using consumer based file sharing solutions which are not developed with document security in mind.  Searching for relevant information within emails is also time-consuming.

Extranets allow teams to store and share all the information for any given project or team – including all versions of relevant uploaded documents – is in one, single place.  It also allows the seamless and secure transfer of documents from their Document Management System, be it single documents, a set of documents in a folder or the whole matter which in turn makes the workflow processes smoother. 

Communicate

With documents and information constantly changing, teams and clients need to keep up to date with the latest updates. Emails and telephone conversations can be inefficient as team members are left out of the loop with certain messages which could lead to vital updates being missed.  There is also a certain amount of time lag involved - not good for clients who want access to their information fast. 

Extranets provides users with a strong forum to exchange information, resources, comments, announcements, ideas and group feedback with colleagues, clients, counsel and suppliers from within a centralised area.  It reduces miscommunications as messages are communicated to all members of the team, simultaneously.  At the same time, extranets allow teams to communicate up-to-date management information to clients about their matter, enhancing trust and improving the overall customer experience.

Knowledge

As lawyers work on a case or project, a great deal of knowledge can be amassed.  Often firms lack the means to capture this essential information which could be valuable for current or future use.
 

Extranets ensure that all essential knowledge about a matter or project is captured centrally for teams and clients to tap into and access at all times. This helps leverage a firm’s existing experience and expertise and even help set benchmarks to provide the highest levels of services to clients.

Integrate

Information contained in silos is no longer efficient.  Systems need to be integrated to provide a holistic view of pertinent information relating to a case of project or else firms risk losing information or may not have access to all the relevant information to make the best decisions.

Extranets provide the ability to integrate with various systems within a firm’s existing work environment.  For instance integrating an extranet with a document management system allows for a pain free creation of sites and easy document sending. Integrating with finance systems enables firms to give up-to-date management information to their clients – all of this, from within one single location. 

Security

With the huge volumes of digital data now transmitted or stored electronically across the globe, we have seen a proliferation in cybercrime and industrial espionage. In fact one in four European companies reported at least one case of information theft in 2013, up from 18% in 2012**.  Given that lawyers deal with highly sensitive information on a daily basis and with this rising risks of hacking and cybercrime it is imperative that data is kept secure. 

Extranets help alleviate the use of unauthorised applications to store and share sensitive documents as only those individuals in any given group who need access to any particular document have the relevant permissions. Encryption technology is used to protect data when stored on the server or during transfer and the reporting function also allows firms to track documents for auditing purposes and manage any compliance risks.  Furthermore, extranets can be cloud based or on premise to suit a firm’s security requirements.

Personalise

In the competitive legal environment, having a seamless and professional corporate image is an increasingly important differentiating factor and can give your company an edge over your rivals. 

Certain extranets allow for full branding so that the portal is seen as an integrated part of the firm’s technology through the use of customisable templates and through the use of colours, logos images and ‘widget’ placements.  Not only does this flexibility help build a working environment that teams are comfortable with but it also increases user uptake which is key to the successful implementation of any technology.
 

Although many technologies exist for lawyers and clients to collaborate, communicate and share documents, extranets offer a powerful means to bring all these elements together.  By offering a single, centralised ‘hub’, productivity can be streamlined and enriched through better communications and efficient document and knowledge sharing.  Additionally, through the integration of other systems and processes, it ensures that users gain a holistic view of all the information related a project or matter.  Not only does this help improve client relationship overall, but it also helps cut overheads, improve workflow efficiencies while maintaining high level security over sensitive documents.

*LSN Research Legal IT Landscapes 2015 - http://www.legalsupportnetwork.co.uk/sites/default/files/Legal_IT_Landscapes_2015.pdf

** White & Black corporate technology lawyers - http://www.wablegal.com/e-bulletins/trade-secrets-european-commission-adopts-proposal-harmonising-eu-law