Choosing a Legal Document Management System -- Top Considerations

With large volumes of case files, both past and present, law firms and legal department need to have efficient strategies in place to manage their documents. Legal transcription companies convert audio and video material into well-formatted legal records, but these have to be stored to meet accessibility, security, and document retention requirements. The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing has led to lawyers working from home, which means they also need proper systems to manage remote teams. Legal document management software comes with built-in solutions for file management and storage, but with the many products on the market, choosing the right system can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help:

• Choose legal-specific document management software: Legal document management software is different from consumer-focused software and even practice management software. Document management systems helps law firms manage documents which includes everything from case files and transcripts to correspondence, notes and other types of material. Legal document management software provides a central repository to store different types of legal documents and other content and also comes with tools to help law firms manage their data and documents. While solo or small firms may depend on simple systems to hold their files and documents, large law firms need robust solutions to manage, organize, and quickly access their electronically stored data. That’s where legal document management software comes in.

• Make sure the system’s capabilities meet your needs: Legal firms need to choose a document management system that meets their specific needs. So before choosing a system, they should assess their requirements. A basic document management system allows you to organize your files and store them with access permissions. More advanced systems come with capabilities such as document versioning, audit trails that track user access, document collaboration and sharing features including external sharing with clients, experts, and more. Some software converts scanned documents into searchable, indexed PDFs. Based on their requirements, LexWorkplace lists the key features that law firms can look for when choosing legal document management software as:

o Matter-centric document storage and organization.

o Microsoft Office integration

o Email management

o Document check-out / check-in

o Document version management

o Document tagging and profiling

o Indexing and searchability

o Document metadata

o Audit trails

o Security and permissions management

Law firms should identify their needs and choose the software that best meets them.

• Secure cloud-based repository: Effective remote team collaboration from anywhere is the need of the hour. The document management system must provide a secure contract repository to centralize document management and version control, promote accountability, and improve productivity. As teams work away from the office, trusted contract management software is essential to store and organize contracts, quickly locate important legacy contracts, track approval statuses, and collaborate (www.lexicology.com). So law firms need to make sure that the document management software.

• Cost: It’s important to have an idea of what the system will cost to set up and operate. This includes the cost of the software and integration as well as training your staff to use it. Some software systems come at a single price and you can add in features at no additional costs. On the other hand, some companies offer advanced features only for higher-priced systems. In any case, a document management system is a worthwhile investment that can improve workflow and client support.

Leading Legal Document Management Systems

Here are four top-rated document management systems that law firms can choose from:

 Worldox – On-Premise or Hosted: This innovative software allows you to save and retrieve documents and emails efficiently and effortlessly. Law firms can control, organize, and manage all their information coherently, and authorized employees can access whatever content they need, whenever they need it, no matter where or how that content was created. It also comes with tools that allow effective email management as well as speedy response to compliance and document retention challenges.

 iManage – On-Premise or Hosted: This document management application provides allows lawyers to manage client content and communication in integrated electronic matter files with reusable project templates. It provide online collaborative workspaces for secure sharing of information with clients and coworkers, improves governances and security, and allows mobile access for lawyers from anywhere in the world.

 NetDocuments – Web-based: This cloud-based document storage and management system is suitable for many types of businesses, not only law firms. Built-in artificial intelligence helps users quickly file emails and integrated Outlook folder mapping ensures that every attachment is matter-centric. NetDocuments integrates with applications like Office 365 and Clio. Users can work anywhere, on any device while taking advantage of the software’s powerful enterprise search.

 LexWorkplace – Web-based: LexWorkplace is the only legal document management application that delivers both native Mac OS and Windows support. It provides secure centralized storage and management of documents, to email, video, and audio. Advanced features include Document check-in/check-out, version control, powerful full-text search, tagging & profiling, and one-click open and save. Scanned documents are automatically converted to OCR using state-of-the-art imaging technology.

While legal transcription services can ensure that legal documents are prepared accurately and in a timely manner, a good software application can keep the files in order. And in the current work-at-home situation, legal document management software is not just a convenient option, but a necessity.