This is the latest article in a series discussing what is possible to achieve by using the Microsoft 365 platform for legal matter management in conjunction with the OnePlace Solutions products. Over the coming weeks the following articles will be published, revisit the blog:
Microsoft 365 provides the ultimate platform for legal matter management, with document management, collaboration, workflow, and records compliance at its core. However, for the matter management to be successful, organizations must secure user engagement and trust that content is managed in one place.
The first step is to deliver legal matters where people work within Microsoft Outlook, Office, and Teams. Removing the noise and inherent complexity of presenting irrelevant matters by personalizing the system to the individual and their job function is the next critical step for achieving system engagement.
With a personalized experience and familiar interface, OnePlace Solutions delivers the information people need right where they work, when they need it.
This means that even employees who have only recently joined the organization can be productive without needing to understand Microsoft 365 and how the platform’s legal matter management system has been designed.
The value of personalization
Organizations deal with numerous legal matters at any one time. However, it’s rarely essential for an employee to be across all the legal matters underway. Instead, they are likely to work on a handful of matters that suit their experience level, expertise, and capacity. Personalization, delivered by OnePlace Solutions, means that employees only see the matters that are directly relevant to them, eliminating the distraction and confusion created when confronted with every matter in the business.
By streamlining the employee experience with personalization, those employees can focus on what’s important. They can get to the documents and information they need, share, collaborate effectively, and maintain accurate records without any confusion or interference.
Managing different perspectives
Each legal matter management system user has a different requirement for information. They come from a unique perspective. For example, the head of a department or practice will need to see all the matters currently underway within that department. At the same time, a junior lawyer may only require direct access to the matters they’re working on. Managing these perspectives or personas is essential to ensuring that one legal matter management system meets the needs of all employees.
Systems should be designed to make it simpler and easier for employees to do their best work. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Complex and bloated systems can get in the way of good work and slow employees down, frustrating and confusing them. It can also harm the business by restricting employees from delivering excellent client experiences. Therefore, it’s important that the legal matter management system drive simplicity for employees.
OnePlace Solutions delivers legal matters to Outlook and Office, where people work in a personalized way to minimise change and drive productivity. For organizations, this lowers risks with information captured, classified, and managed better from a records and compliance perspective. This central storage capability also facilitates greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing, which can help employees engage productively and remain motivated.
Microsoft 365 is a powerful platform, delivering enterprise-wide consistency for better collaboration, information management and governance; however, it is not an out-of-the-box, dedicated legal matter management solution.
For most law firms and corporate legal departments, the key barrier to using Microsoft 365 as a legal matter management platform is simply a lack of inherent know-how. This blog series will provide information and guidance on how to use Microsoft 365 for modern legal matter management to deliver workflow efficiencies, cost savings, and greater productivity.
OnePlace Solutions enables people in business to do more simply. To learn more about how OnePlace Solutions can help your law firm or legal department work more effectively without investing in expensive bespoke solutions, or help your organization leverage Microsoft 365 as a platform for legal matter management contact the team today.
