Never underestimate the importance of precedent in the legal profession. This axiom holds true not only for legal practice but also for the adoption of legal technology. When embarking on a new technology rollout, examining a company’s previous successes can streamline the implementation process within any firm.
In a recent CLE webinar, sponsored by iManage, panelists from Holland & Knight and Gunderson Dettmer detailed their experiences with successful tech adoption. iManage’s tool, Closing Folders, a cloud-based transaction management solution, was highlighted for its ability to automate and optimize the closing process, from creating checklists to managing document versions, capturing signatures, and compiling final closing books.
Brett Young from iManage discussed the advantages of a gradual, piecemeal implementation approach, such as starting with just the closing book or signature pages. This method allows lawyers and paralegals to gradually recognize the benefits of a centralized system, reducing the challenges associated with managing multiple fragments such as static documents, DocuSign accounts, document management systems, and various file formats.
Once fully operational, such systems can help minimize errors and enhance efficiency, leading to greater client satisfaction. Brett Young noted, “I think eventually there’s a lightbulb that goes off and it’s like, ‘Oh, I can do all of this right here.’”
(Register to view the full presentation on-demand here. CLE credit is available.)
Defining Success
Determining success in tech rollouts within law firms can be multi-faceted. For iManage’s Brett Young, success means stepping back to assess the holistic impact: How is the firm benefiting from the software? How are the lawyers and staff utilizing it? How is it shaping the final work product? From this broad perspective, it’s possible to delve into more specific metrics within each category.
Naveen Pai, Chief Knowledge Officer at Gunderson Dettmer, identified subtler indicators of success: receiving immediate complaints when the tool goes offline and observing lawyers who understand the tool better than the IT department. “When they’re telling us how things work,” Pai noted, “that’s when we know we’re onto something.”