Case Studies

With offices throughout the UK and more than 1,400 staff, Mills & Reeve are one of the UK’s leading full-service law firms.  Having made the decision to migrate their DMS to the iManage Cloud, they needed to replace their macro-based template management system with a cloud-based solution that uses the latest web technologies.  The implementation of the project which started in March 2023 needed to hit a hard deadline of October 2023 and had to run in parallel with the DMS migration.  The goals of the project were to achieve:

1.     Increased efficiency when producing documents: Mills & Reeve wanted a document production process that amalgamated information from various systems to enable users to quickly produce documents that met the firm’s standards for content and appearance.

2.     Robustness, performance and flexibility:  Mills & Reeve sought a system that would provide greater flexibility than their legacy macro-based system.

3.     Maintainability:  The firm wanted the new system to allow non-technical users to be able to maintain the source content allowing the documents to be easily updated as their needs and the legal landscape changes.

As with all large law firms, Mills & Reeve utilise industry-leading PMS and CRM systems which needed to integrate with the new document production process.  As these systems were managed in-house, Sysero needed to work with Mills & Reeve’s Development Manager Nik Louch to create a secure mechanism of communicating between the AWS hosted Sysero Cloud, the Azure hosted iManage Cloud, Microsoft’s Entra ID and systems behind the firewall.  Sysero and Nik’s team utilised Sysero’s low-code features to develop a secure REST-based API that provides the firm’s users with an environment where they can select filing locations in (Cloud-based) iManage, add contacts from the CRM system using security integrated with Microsoft Entra.

To provide the most flexible system, Mills & Reeve wanted to be able to instigate document creation from 5 different applications: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, iManage Cloud, Matter Management software and Microsoft SharePoint.

Mills & Reeve spent a considerable amount of time evaluating the market before selecting Sysero.  According to Nik, he was impressed, not only with Sysero’s integration potential, but also that fact that documents could be produced from multiple environments using a single template.  Each template can also be maintained by in-house staff without the need for coding skills.

Running the document creation project was Mills & Reeve’s Helen Turner who was responsible for coordinating the project with dozens of other sub-projects all with the hard end date of October.  As Sysero was to be the jumping-off point for the document creation process, it was vital that the implementation went well. According to Helen: “We all really enjoyed working with the Sysero Team who were extremely knowledgeable and flexible throughout the project”.

Sysero’s iManage expert, Paul Upton created 30 workflows that not only produce customised documents in real-time, but also respond to the users’ environment. “We were asked to create templates that could create documents in iManage as well as being re-directed into SharePoint under certain circumstances,” Paul explained. “We also had to allow the workflow to be aware of the status of the iManage server to allow users to save documents locally should the DMS ever become unavailable.”

Paul worked extensively with Head of Legal Technology Emma Jackson to ensure that the functionality met the expectations of the firm. Although Mills & Reeve had been using templates for many years, the process was re-evaluated to ensure it was as efficient as possible.   Whilst working with Paul, Emma said: “Paul has taught me how Sysero works allowing me to create new templates myself that handle variations of the same document.  The questionnaires react depending on how users answer questions ensuring that they are only offered choices relevant to their situation.  We are now relatively self-sufficient and can create templates without help which is great as we wish to add more automations over time as we expand the team”.

As part of the project Sysero designed a number of new features to help larger law firms implement document-based workflows. One of these is now called “Smart Clauses” which is now in use by Mills & Reeve to maintain an automated staff list which includes full details and a photograph of each member of staff.  This list is populated directly from Active Directory ensuring the employee details are correct.   Details of staff can be added at the click of a button to any relevant document but automatically appear in the HR and Marketing documents where needed.

After several months of full-time use by 1,000+ active staff members, Mills & Reeve have shown the potential benefits of migrating from a macro-based to a cloud-based document production system. The success of this migration underscores the importance of selecting a system that is not only robust and reliable but also user-friendly and flexible. With the right system and a well-planned migration process, law firms can significantly enhance their template management processes, ultimately leading to improved efficiency and productivity.

Wedlake Bell is a contemporary London-based UK Top-100 law firm, which offers a wide-range of bespoke legal services to clients of all sizes in the UK and abroad. With 70 partners supported by more than 170 lawyers and support staff, Wedlake Bell operates on a four practice group model: private client, business services, real estate, and disputes. As part of its business services practice, Wedlake Bell’s IP & Commercial team combines technical expertise with commercial insight to deliver a full spectrum of legal services to its clients, working with them to achieve their commercial objectives.

Applying an Innovative Solution to Supply Chain Management

As part of these services, the IP & Commercial team partners with major retailers to audit the supply chain of specific batches of products sold in their nationwide stores to mitigate reputational, quality, and compliance risk. These audits require the firm’s lawyers to conduct extensive due diligence on complex supply chains and provide timely reports to clients to ensure the integrity of the supply chain.

Opting for a Modernised Solution

Previously, supply chain management services were supported by a custom application developed for Wedlake Bell nearly 15 years prior. The firm wanted to modernise the legacy system to gain operational efficiencies, address technology constraints, and ensure the latest security standards.

To bring the application up to date, Wedlake Bell had three options:

• Budget to build a new custom application leveraging the latest technology;
• Re-architect the current application to include the required functionality; or
• Leverage a proven no-code/low-code platform to modernise the process.

After careful consideration, Wedlake Bell opted for a no-code/low-code solution to optimise and modernise the application. Having already partnered with Sysero to develop over a dozen internal applications for the firm, including client onboarding (KYC/AML), knowledge management, and records management, Wedlake Bell selected Sysero’s no-code/low-code platform to design an improved application.

This had a number of benefits including

• Re-use of the existing investment in software
• Rapid development and deployment of the new app (< 4 weeks)
• Ability to expand functionality as needed
• Meets current quality, security and data protection standards

“It was important for us to work with a technology partner that understood our unique needs and would be able to support us throughout the process,” explains Riana Nel, IT Projects and Implementation Specialist at Wedlake Bell. “Sysero’s flexible technology combined with their supportive team made them the ideal partner for our project.”

By partnering with Sysero, Wedlake Bell was able to leverage its existing software investment, and rapidly develop and deploy the new application, which was delivered in under four weeks. Sysero’s built-in security features ensure that Wedlake Bell’s application meets current quality, security and data protection standards. Additionally, Sysero’s flexible technology provides the firm with a scalable solution that can be expanded and modified as and when required.

Designing a No-Code Supply Chain Workflow

Sysero worked closely with Wedlake Bell to design, develop and deploy a new no-code application to automate and streamline the process of managing complex supply chain audits for the firm’s retail clients. The application significantly decreases the time and complexity associated with managing multiple audits simultaneously, by allowing lawyers to:

• Manage multiple deal sheets from multiple retailers
• Automatically supply chain inspection reports
• Collate all evidence and related documentation into a single case file

As lawyers complete due diligence research, they’re able to access the system and start creating an Inspection Report for their clients using the application’s document workflow automation. The document workflow enables lawyers to provide information via an easy-to-use online form, which is then used to generate a dynamic Inspection Report for the client. At any point, lawyers can save their forms and return at a later date to input more information. The ability to build multiple reports as they go, makes it much easier for lawyers to manage numerous complex reports concurrently.

“The Sysero system is a useful platform, which enables Wedlake Bell to process large amounts of data and efficiently carry out important legal checks on the supply chain,” says Sam Efiong, Paralegal at Wedlake Bell. “The automation and speed with which information can be uploaded and accessed helps us provide a valuable service to our clients.”

Since launching, the Sysero system has greatly improved the way lawyers manage and communicate with their clients about supply chain audits. At any one time, a lawyer may be working on dozens of Inspection Reports. Using Sysero, they can easily check the status and make updates to the reports, which can be regenerated and sent to the client as required. Sysero also allows for filtering to enable lawyers to see certain types of deal or the deals for one supplier, providing clients with useful information that can be analysed.

Given the success of the new application, Wedlake Bell plans on adding further stages and incorporating a higher level of automation to increase efficiency and provide clients with greater visibility into the status of each deal.

iManage is the leading provider of work product management solutions for law firms, corporate legal departments, and other professional services organisations. More than 3,500 organisations around the world rely on iManage to serve their clients more effectively by improving productivity and governance throughout the creation, sharing and security of work product.

A key part of iManage’s growing success is its global network of technology and implementation partners. The iManage partner network plays an important role in delivering solutions to iManage’s expanding customer base, including providing support services, managed service and data security.

The Challenge

For years, iManage’s Professional Services team has partnered with leading companies in various industries to provide implementation support and customised iManage solutions. Over time, the team has defined processes and best practices, as well created a plethora of product information, sales tools, marketing programmes and other documents for successfully managing iManage implementations and customisations.

With an expanding partner network, iManage wanted to find a way to easily enable partners to replicate the success of its own Professional Services team. To achieve this, it needed to find a way to make it easy for partners to access the information relevant to their projects, whilst also streamlining the interaction between partners and iManage’s internal teams.

The Solution

iManage began evaluating potential solutions and soon landed on Sysero. Sysero’s workflow features and customisable solution offered the company the ability to solve a number of challenges within a single technology solution. After several training sessions, iManage mapped out how they would use Sysero to elevate the partner experience through three key portals: Partner Portal, Implementation Portal and Cloud Services Portal.

Partner Portal

With so much information at hand, iManage needed to find a way to effectively share its internal knowledge with its partner network. Previously, it had tried to distribute documents through websites and even .zip files. However, many partners felt overwhelmed by the information and not quite sure how to apply it in their day-to-day work.

To make it easier for partners to discover relevant information and guidance, iManage worked with Sysero to build a custom portal, where webinars, data sheets, marketing resources, and other educational tools are housed within a single knowledge-base system. Partners can search for specific information or browse the database for relevant information based on predefined topics, eliminating the need to dig through dozens of files to find what’s needed.

Implementation Portal

iManage maintains a global network of implementation partners, who tailor and implement iManage solutions for customers around the globe. Seamless configuration and onboarding are a huge part of iManage’s success, and the company wanted to find a way to empower partners to mirror its proven approach and methodology.

To this end, Sysero technology was used to build the iManage Implementation Portal, powered by Sysero’s workflow automation technology. Designed from the ground up to meet the needs of partners, the Implementation Portal enables partners to quickly and easily access the information and documents required for their projects, including PowerPoint presentations, Excel files and Word documents. Partners simply log into the portal, provide information about their project via an online form, and customised documentation is generated which matches the individual project requirements for the partner to download.

The relevant documents are organised by implementation stage and pre-populated with customer and project details, where available. With a quick, simple solution for accessing and generating the required documents, partners can now quickly get to work on projects in accordance with the guidelines set by iManage and whilst ensuring all of the required information is provided at every step of the way.

Cloud Services Portal

As more organisations embrace a cloud-first digital strategy, an increasing number of iManage customers are making the move to iManage Cloud. To make it easier for partners to initiate these cloud projects, iManage used Sysero to implement a Cloud Services Portal.

The Cloud Services Portal provides a centralised platform for submitting and validating new iManage Cloud projects. Partners can initiate a new project by completing an online form with the project details, which is then directly routed to the iManage Cloud Services team.

Previously, project details were gathered piecemeal via email, phone conversations or meetings, resulting in inefficient onboarding and slow project starts. However, with the new system, the iManage Cloud Services Team can ensure that they gather all of the necessary information upfront by requiring fields to be completed before submission. Partners can start filling out a project form, save it, and come back to ensure all necessary information is provided, without having to start over each time.

The Benefits 

Since launching its Sysero portals almost two years ago, iManage and its partners have experienced numerous benefits.

Partners can now quickly uncover relevant information, access critical implementation-related documentation and initiate new projects all from within a single, centralised location. Accessing project documents and materials has also been greatly simplified, as partners can access and download documents via their mobile devices.

From iManage’s perspective, it’s now easier than ever to ensure consistent onboarding for its customers around the world and extend its expertise to its ever-expanding partner network. By fostering improved knowledge sharing and streamlining once-cumbersome processes, iManage has enabled its partners to get to work quicker, whilst creating a more consistent experience for everyone involved.

Whilst iManage has enhanced the way it works with its partner network, the company is always evolving and growing and needs its solutions to grow with it. Fortunately, with Sysero, iManage can continue to build out new services or modify existing ones to continue to serve the needs of its partners and customers.

Carolina Landys, Knowledge Manager at Vinge, one of Sweden’s premier law firms, shares insight into how the firm is successfully using automation to re-invent the way firm delivers services to its clients

Founded in 1888, Castrén & Snellman is Finland’s oldest law firm. For decades, the firm has supported Finnish and international clients in transactions, dispute resolution and a wide range of other specialised facets of business law. Today, the firm has offices in Helsinki, Moscow and St. Petersburg and employs more than 250 people.

The Challenge: Doing More with Less

Castrén & Snellman (C&S) prides itself on helping clients succeed in a rapidly changing world. So, when the firm noticed a trend of clients wanting greater value and predictive control over their legal spend, they sought to improve the efficiency of legal service delivery. The Knowledge Management Team, headed by Paula Aura, gathered a project team and began looking for technology that would enable the firm to streamline document drafting, reduce risk and ultimately transform the firm’s way of working. C&S also needed to implement a knowledge management system that would enable them to easily capture and manage the firm’s collective know-how.

Aura explains: “We wanted a partner who had a deep understanding of the legal market and was willing to closely work with us to implement our vision. Sysero offered an innovative solution and a knowledgeable and collaborative team.”

The Solution: Driving Firm-Wide Efficiency 

Sysero collaborated with C&S to develop a comprehensive knowledge management system aptly named “Transformer.” The firm’s model, example and know-how documents were imported into Transformer using the iManage Workflow connector that links Sysero to the iManage document management system. Once in Transformer, the project team organised and categorised the documents by practice, work type and sector.

The team was mindful of the importance of including lawyers early in the planning process, and as such, piloted its programme with the firm’s Mergers & Acquisition team (M&A). “The M&A team are under a lot of pressure to deliver documents to clients in a more efficient manner,” says Carola Lindholm, the project owner and M&A partner.

The firm officially launched Transformer in summer 2016. The project team hosted several training events for its lawyers and used service categories’ weekly meetings as an opportunity to provide further training. Additionally, the team offered lawyers a series of on-demand training tools, including easy instructional guides and videos.

Transformer leverages a customised document automation process to help ease the workload of the firm’s lawyers. Instructed by a lawyer, a project trainee automates each document, which is then routed back to the lawyer for input and feedback. Once a document has been automated, lawyers can search Transformer for the appropriate document and complete it by answering a series of questions displayed within a user-friendly form. The final work product is filed under the client matter record in iManage, where lawyers can access it, along with other matter related files, from anywhere on any device. 

The Result: Transforming the Way Lawyers Work

The introduction of Transformer has “transformed” the way C&S lawyers approach drafting. “By automating some of the most-used documents within the firm, we´ll be able to shift lawyers’ focus from drafting to clients´ special needs and concentrate on producing added value to clients from the start,” Lindholm says.

To date, the firm has automated a number of high-profile documents, including its Share Purchase Agreement, Legal Due Diligence Report template, and Corporate Meeting Minutes to name a few. New documents continue to be automated, and the pipeline for automation keeps growing by request from the lawyers. “The best thing about Sysero’s document automation is that we can merge different model versions, such as languages or buyer and seller side, into one single automated model document,” Lindholm says. “This increases efficiency in our drafting significantly.”

Moving forward, C&S hopes to bring the advantages of automation closer to their clients. The firm already is exploring how knowledge automation can enhance the firm’s collaboration with in-house counsel and help its business clients drive greater efficiency within their own firms.