Driving Innovation in Legal Services: Part 3

This is my third post in which I am highlighting a case history focused on how implementing new processes and workflows enabled a major law firm (Chapman and Cutler LLP) to better focus on what it does best: practice law. In this column I will continue to highlight the solution we implemented.

Litigation support is another important area in which Canon provides services. Chapman leverages Canon’s CaseData® cloud-based discovery platform. CaseData enables legal teams to collaboratively process, search, review and produce documents for legal discovery. Currently Chapman has 10 active users managing document review for five active matters hosted in the CaseData system. One associate stated that a review for the firm’s largest client would not have been possible without utilizing CaseData. This included seven attorneys reviewing over 125,000 documents in 400 hours versus the 800 hours the attorneys estimated it would have required using traditional document review methods. Cost savings to date have been over $50,000.

In addition to driving efficiency and cost benefits in Chapman’s print and litigation processes, Canon has also helped enhance Chapman’s mail management operation. Leveraging its change management expertise, Canon implemented a plan that reduced nine daily mail runs down to five —all with zero service disruptions.

A key part of the success of this initiative was due to internal communications efforts. Canon staff kept Chapman employees up to date via articles in the firm’s newsletter and by informing Chapman staff directly about developments during visits to the Canon Service Center. Looking ahead, Canon plans to implement a digital intake center for the firm, currently targeted for next year. The solution involves opening select types of mail and scanning and emailing the documents to the recipients. This approach will make accessing mail faster and more efficient, and also significantly cut physical mail costs, including UPS and other courier service fees.

Canon also plans to launch a customized web-based print job submission system. Attorneys and legal staff will be able to submit projects and complete them more easily, quickly and cost-effectively. The digital intake center and web-based print job submission system are just two examples of Canon’s commitment to providing new ideas to help Chapman realize its vision of innovation and continuous improvement.

In my next post I’ll focus on some of the key results we have achieved to date. In the meantime, feel free to visit the Legal Services page of our website where you’ll find insights on industry trends and best practices. You can also download white papers, case histories and more.