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Prestigious Law Firm Adopts New Knowledge Management Solution
A merger between two prestigious Montreal law firms created a need to combine the vast vault of knowledge from each firm into one cohesive data mart for use across the organization. Teaming up with PensEra Knowledge Technologies, a legal systems integration firm and Microsoft Certified Solutions Provider, McMaster Gervais implemented a new Knowledge Management solution, called MGénie. The solution has improved communication and knowledge transfer within the firm while promoting easy access to the company's knowledge assets. This has enabled the firm to greatly maximize productivity - all through the use of a Knowledge Management solution based on Microsoft technologies.
Situational Analysis
Overview
A member of a national legal association with two other leading Canadian law firms, McMaster Gervais has developed an extensive network of correspondents and clientele from around the world. It has a Canada-wide and international presence with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal and London, England. Whether their clients are looking to engage services, acquire expertise abroad or to build business relationships beyond its borders, the lawyers at McMaster Gervais have the expertise, services and advice of over 400 lawyers practicing in every area of the law, at their disposal.
McMaster Gervais has a very discerning customer base that expects high-quality professional services. In the service of their clients, the firm provides a comprehensive range of legal services and maintains a consistently high level of professionalism through its adherence to a customer service policy.
Challenges
Document work constitutes about 70 per cent of a law firm's activities. Sifting through the mounds of information, such as different cases, clients, and laws, is mind-boggling at best. By channeling McMaster Gervais' document production through the knowledge center, it allows users to tap into a vast pool of knowledge-sharing tools. The accelerated and timely flow of information helps boost productivity.
To that end, McMaster Gervais developed a clear set of criteria for its ideal Knowledge Management solution. Key elements in its strategy included ready-accessibility by lawyers and staff, Internet-based remote access to a wide range of information, and multi-lingual access and operation. The firm wanted a seamless integration of their various data sources and applications that was not only easy to use, but also easily managed and seamlessly integrated with the firm's day-to-day operations. In a business where privacy is paramount, McMaster Gervais knew that secure and reliable access was a vital component of the solution. The user-interface was also important, the firm demanded a system with characteristics that included customizable information delivery and a consistent look-and-feel.
Technical Roadmap
Partner Biography
In collaboration with McMaster Gervais, PensEra developed a unique intranet-based knowledge centre designed to meet the law firm's objectives, and thereby improve productivity and enhance client service.
"To build a knowledge centre in a law firm, you need more than just practical and technical expertise," explains Dan Felean, PensEra consultant and former lawyer. "You need a good understanding of the business and practice processes - how decisions are made and how people access information in the dynamic, sometimes chaotic, environment of a law firm." PensEra Knowledge Technologies brought to the table its team of Microsoft Certified Professionals, skilled in developing Knowledge Management and other Microsoft solutions, and employees with extensive knowledge of law firm operations.
Implementation
Microsoft SNA and SQL servers provided easy access and robust database replication features so that McMaster Gervais could extract data from a legacy AS/400 system. These products enabled changes in data to be synchronized automatically between databases that were being constantly accessed by the firm's employees.
Existing applications for word-processing, billing and accounting were not replaced, but were simply channeled to the Intranet middleware. The integrated suite of Microsoft software and PensEra's customized solutions built with Microsoft technologies made for a robust and reliable environment.
Leveraging Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), the integrated web server in the Windows NT operating system, system security is maintained at McMaster Gervais. All information is securely protected behind the organization's firewall to prevent unauthorized access.
Development
"After researching our options, we concluded that Microsoft had all the components to meet the firm's needs," Felean explained. "As developers, we knew there were greater efficiencies and lower risks involved in working through an integrated environment. It makes system management easier, reduces maintenance and simplifies troubleshooting."
Although each component was designed to specifically address McMaster Gervais' needs, many of the knowledge center components are fully developed products available from PensEra . They have become part of PensEra 's inventory of tools used as the basis for rapid development at other law firms and legal departments.
PensEra 's customized intranet knowledge center solution for McMaster Gervais was dubbed "MGénie." (The MGénie name was the result of an internal contest designed to generate firm wide interest in the knowledge center. The winning entry is a bilingual word play on the "M.G." logo of the firm.)
The knowledge center has individual sections dedicated to documents, the library, conference room schedules, client information, internal directories, etc. "All members of the firm visit MGénie because it is the central point for business information," Zver says. The knowledge center is completely bilingual so all information and functions are available in English or French according to user selections.
Mgénie's most innovative feature is a Web-based document management facility where users can create, classify, index and retrieve any firm documents through a central intranet site. "PensEra built a hybrid system that seamlessly layers the Web-based document facility over the regular word-processing functions," Felean said. "This helps secretaries, paralegals and lawyers classify and retrieve documents without interfering with the normal document production processes."
Benefits
Peter Zver, President of PensEra Knowledge Technologies thinks that the solution's quality is demonstrated by its immediate impact on the users. "The scope of an intranet knowledge management solution is virtually unlimited and the payback can be substantial," he said. "Not only is the knowledge center worth its development cost, but it actually helps recoup prior investments by making information that was previously hidden in other application systems more accessible."
Since most of the firm's popular line of business applications remained unchanged, McMaster Gervais employees needed only brief training sessions. Most were already familiar with Internet Explorer's search and browse features, which they would use to access information off the corporate intranet.
From McMaster Gervais' perspective, the rollout offered all the advantages of continuity, with the added flexibility of the all-new quick and easy access to a vast array of information and resources at the users' fingertips. In addition, lawyers and staff benefited from more fluid, hassle-free communications, boosting business productivity
"Why did PensEra and McMaster Gervais select Microsoft? Quite simply, no other vendor offered such a powerful, consistent combination of development tools, infrastructure and desktop integration," said Zver. "And Microsoft products and knowledge management technologies provided all of the answers for us. They provided the products, scalability and reliability that were essential to delivering and sharing information across the firm.
"It's been a pretty painless process for everyone at the firm," said Marie-Claire Garneau, director of information technology at McMaster Gervais. "Lawyers working at home now have access to documents from their laptop and it's much easier to keep track of who is using what conference room at any given time."
Garneau said she is particularly impressed with the community center aspect of MGénie's homepage, which allows everyone in the firm to access shared news and ongoing developments. This aspect of the solution automated previously irksome duties such as conference room scheduling, and reduced many administrative tasks. Communications among all members of the firm has also been strengthened.
The unique makeup of the Knowledge Management solution allows the firm to customize the way information is delivered to each person, based on their needs and responsibilities. Instead of spending countless hours pouring through endless reports, a lawyer can now pick and choose what information he or she needs and have that instantly delivered. Through this filtering and personalization, McMaster Gervais has actually tightened its security of sensitive information, while benefiting from increased access to knowledge assets throughout the firm.
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