Posted 8 February 2019


The legal industry has changed. Slowing demand, diminishing budgets and a rise in new market entrants has made the legal landscape more competitive than ever. At the same time, today’s clients are seeking greater value and transparency from their legal providers.

These combined factors are motivating leading firms to find new ways to drive greater operational efficiencies and improve client service delivery. One way that firms are achieving this is through automation. Automation continues to redefine the tasks and functions lawyers perform, as well as service delivery models. As clients demand faster and consistently high-quality work, innovative firms are turning to automation to bring enhanced value and efficiency to the client relationship.

One firm that’s leading the way is Vinge, one of Sweden’s premier law firms. Vinge has long represented innovation in an industry heavily rooted in tradition by letting their clients lead the way forward. When Carolina Landys, Knowledge Manager, noticed that client needs were shifting, she turned to automation to help reinvent the way the firm delivers services to its clients.

Finding the Right Partner

At the time, Carolina was looking for a platform to host the firm’s automated documents, as well as a new knowledge management system. Sysero came up in her search, and after evaluating Sysero’s document automation capabilities, quality management and workflow features, as well as its integrated Microsoft Office client, Carolina quickly realised the opportunity to bring Vinge’s knowledge together in an integrated and automated way.

“Once we looked closer at Sysero, it had all of the functionality that we needed - and some more,” says Carolina. “It became a very easy choice to make.”

Rather than continuing the search for separate systems, Carolina decided to partner with Sysero to bring together Vinge’s knowledge management and automation into a single solution.

Launching Vinge Dox

Sysero worked alongside the team at Vinge to build a robust knowledge management system, which makes it easy for the firm’s lawyers to optimise knowledge across the firm. As part of the new system, Vinge also launched Vinge Dox, the firm’s document automation system.

“The best feature of Sysero is that it’s accessible from within Word,” says Carolina. “Lawyers have a list of available documents and they also have a list of Vinge Dox.”

Vinge Dox allows lawyers to quickly and easily create new documents directly from the knowledge library. To create a document, lawyers simply select the type of document they want and fill out a guided online questionnaire. Lawyers also can save more time and control quality by building document packs, which enable them to create a set of documents using the information input into a single form.

Transforming Client Service

The new system has transformed the way the firm’s lawyers work by making it easy for them to quickly search for and generate documents from directly within Microsoft Word. “The ease of access is the best part of Vinge Dox,” explains Carolina. “Lawyers love Word, and the closer you can bring the materials to them, the better.”

Using Vinge Dox, lawyers can also automatically save their final work product directly to the firm’s document management system, limiting the time required to produce quality work.

Most notable, however, is the impact the new system has on Vinge’s clients. “The clients benefit from this system by always having a very high standard and quality controlled work product,” explains Carolina.

True to its brand, Vinge continues to explore new opportunities to bring the benefits of automation closer to its clients. “We’ve realised that the more you can automate, the easier it goes, and the faster you can do the other things you now more or less have to spend time on,” says Carolina.

Watch the full interview below. 

Posted 21 September 2020

For law firms, knowledge management (KM) has been and will continue to be a key competitive advantage. However, changing market conditions, new ways of working and advanced technologies are forcing law firms to rethink the traditional view of KM. 

To prepare for the post-pandemic future, today’s law firms need to redefine how they create, share and manage knowledge to help drive differentiation and efficiency. Faced with leaner staffs, increased competition and hard-bargaining clients, today’s firms are incentivised to streamline processes, whilst finding new ways to stand out in the market.

The 2020 Law Firms in Transition survey by Altman Weil supports this notion

“Many law firms look the same to prospective clients - they do not project a distinct and compelling value that distinguishes them from similar firms. Differentiation is imperative in a highly competitive market like the one we can expect this year and next.”

Yet the survey found that only 55% of firms think their firm is clearly and specifically differentiated. Which begs the question: is having knowledgeable and experienced lawyers enough? The simple answer is no. Today’s firms must be able to promote and share knowledge to maximise lawyers’ potential, stand out in the market, and enable better client service. 

Evolving and innovating KM depends, among other factors, on designing the optimal processes and deploying the right technology solutions. Here, we look at five tips for powering technology-enabled KM to drive differentiation for your firm. 

Align KM to the Needs of the Business

Strategic KM needs to be aligned to your firm’s and your clients’ business objectives. This means, you need to establish a KM strategy that’s connected to your firm’s business strategy in order to provide the know-how and expertise that lawyers require to deliver the best client service. 

Take the time to craft a KM strategy, with input from across the firm, to better understand what knowledge the firm houses and how best to capitalise on it. Keep in mind, that whilst many ideas sound great on paper, they need to be practical to implement in order to have impact. Set goals and priorities for your KM programme, measure the results, and revise as necessary. 

Integrate Know-How and Information

Law firms hold an immense amount of internal knowledge and know-how, including precedents, opinions, documents, and expertise. With knowledge constantly evolving, it’s critical that firms be able to continually update, monitor and share the firm’s collective knowledge. However, it’s not just the knowledge your firm holds that differentiates it in the market; it’s how your lawyers put it into practice.

Technology plays a key role in bringing together disparate knowledge from across the firm and making it actionable for lawyers. Law firms typically have multiple knowledge repositories - including document management systems, customer relationship management systems, and practice management systems. Rather than adding yet another system to house information, strategic KM systems like Sysero enable firms to securely integrate information from their existing systems. For example, Finnish firm Castren & Snellman integrated its knowledge library and document automation systems to create a comprehensive knowledge management system that seamlessly integrates with the firm’s iManage instance. Streamlining and sharing information across systems not only speeds up processes, but also limits the risk of important information falling through the cracks.

Power Sophisticated Searching

Knowledge is only helpful if it can be found when needed. Make it easy for lawyers to uncover the knowledge they need with sophisticated searching capabilities. Modern KM systems, like Sysero, put relevant, up-to-date information at the fingertips of lawyers through a powerful combination of browsing and searching capabilities that deliver an eCommerce-like search experience.

Automate Processes

A proven way to boost operational efficiency is to bring together knowledge and process management to enable lawyers and clients to immediately access the know-how they need, whenever they need it. Many law firms are already using workflow automation to streamline traditionally time-consuming and manual transactional processes. 

Take for example, how Vinge, one of Sweden’s premier law firms, uses its Vinge Dox system to enable lawyers to quickly and easily create new documents directly from the firm’s knowledge library. To create a document, lawyers simply select the type of document they want and fill out a guided online questionnaire. Lawyers also can save more time and control quality by building document packs, which enable them to create a set of documents using the information input into a single form.

As well as maintaining a speedy, consistent approach, Vinge’s KM system supports effective compliance and risk management by embedding data security practices into process workflows.

Select the Right Technology Partner

Strategic KM requires the right technology to connect people, processes and knowledge. It’s about providing lawyers with the ability to quickly locate expertise across the firm, whilst embedding compliance and best practices into every-day processes. 

Sysero’s robust knowledge management system coupled with workflow automation provides a strong framework for capturing, managing and sharing collective know-how and expertise across the firm - wherever lawyers may be working. With remote work on the rise, a modern KM solution needs to work for the mobile workforce, whilst mitigating risk through secure practices. 

With Sysero, you can easily embed compliance and data protection best practices into workflows and processes, effectively standardising data security across the firm. Additionally, Sysero’s cloud-based system makes it easy for lawyers to access know-how, wherever they may be working.

Strategic KM Drives Client Value

A decade ago, KM focussed on work product retrieval and reuse. However, today KM may just be the key to creating a true competitive advantage in the legal market. Modern, technology-enabled KM systems have moved KM from beyond simply searching for information to applying knowledge to deliver quicker, higher quality legal services and increased value for legal clients. 

For more information about how Sysero can help your firm elevate KM, please get in touch with us.

Posted 15 February 2021

Legal contract management - which refers to the processes that law firms use to manage the negotiation, execution and termination of contracts - is one of the most crucial activities of any successful business arrangement. The number of contracts a law firm or legal team must process are endless and include those with vendors, clients, partners, and other business entities. However, many law firms struggle to implement an effective contract management process, putting their business relationships at risk. 

With so many firms using ineffective contract management processes, it’s clear that there’s room for improvement.  Previously, we’ve written about how to select the right contract management tool, but an effective legal contract management process extends beyond just using the right technology. Here, we look at five key elements to ensuring you have an effective contract management process.

Centralise your Contracts

At the core of effective contract management is a centralised contract database. Storing all of your contracts in a single, centralised location significantly improves your staff’s ability to find the documents they need at any step of the contract process. 

For example, many law firms store their documents under a client folder or workspace in a Document Management System (DMS), such as iManage or NetDocuments. Contract management tools like Sysero can integrate with your DMS to make it easy for lawyers to create contracts directly from a client workspace, and then automatically file executed contracts as PDFs in the DMS. Assuming your law firm is using a modern DMS system, such as iManage Work 10, lawyers can then easily access their contracts, from anywhere on any device. 

Simplify Contract Creation

With the sheer number of contracts that law firms and legal teams manage, there’s simply no way to produce every contract manually. Not only does drafting contracts take precious time away from more value-added work, it also increases the risk of inaccuracy and non-compliance. 

Having the ability to quickly generate new contracts, whilst ensuring quality is a cornerstone of successful contract management. Using a document automation tool like Sysero, you can enable lawyers and staff to convert past contracts into reusable and editable contract templates - all within Microsoft Word. Once a template has been created, it can be stored in a web-based Knowledge Library from which lawyers can create new contracts using only a web browser - making it widely accessible. 

When lawyers need to create a new contract, they can simply access the template required, complete a guided online questionnaire, and generate their customised contract.  This can be done on a PC, tablet or even a smartphone without the need for any software or app to be installed on the lawyers devices.

By simplifying contract creation through document automation, you can greatly increase the number of contracts and transactions your firm produces, whilst significantly reducing associated risks.

Obtain Signatures Digitally

The contract signing process can be an unexpected bottleneck for law firms, especially with more staff, lawyers and clients working remotely these days. The ability to obtain digital signatures is now a vital part of effective contract management.

By adopting an e-signing tool, you can make your contracts more accessible and signable from nearly anywhere. And the less time it takes to execute a contract, the faster you can start realising its value.  

Take for example, how law firms use Syerso’s E-Sign tool to effortlessly obtain multiple electronic signatures on contracts via Outlook. Using Sysero E-Sign, lawyers can route contracts to signatories directly from Microsoft Word by entering email addresses for each signatory. Signatories receive the contract as a PDF document and can easily sign by clicking on automatically generated colour-coded links and typing their name - there’s no need for them to download software or create an account. Once all parties have signed the contract, a signed PDF is created, e-notarized and emailed to all parties.  

For those firms who have already implemented DocuSign, Sysero can be configured so that documents are created in Sysero and routed through DocuSign.

Mitigate and Manage Risk

With increasingly complex regulations, directives and cybersecurity challenges, today’s law firms face much greater accountability in demonstrating security and compliance. Even more importantly, failure to comply or properly secure your data can greatly damage your firm’s reputation and lead to significant loss of business. 

That’s why contract security should be a top priority in your contract management process. A secure contract management process will embed compliance at every step of the contract lifecycle - from contract creation through to approval and review. 

With technology like Sysero, security and compliance can be tightly ingrained throughout the contract lifecycle. For example, Sysero allows you to create risk-based profiles for each new client; embed compliance into the contract generation process; encrypt and hide sensitive data whilst allowing non-compliance staff access to non-sensitive data; and employ a quality review workflow to automatically flag contracts for review at specific intervals. 

Taking a cloud-based, automated approach to contract management allows you to gain greater visibility into potential risks associated with contracts and greatly reduce your risk exposure. 

Bringing it All Togethe

A modern approach to contract management requires firms to think of contract management as a comprehensive process. Relying on a single, automated contract management solution that integrates with your internal systems can help you quickly create legally binding contracts, minimise risk and improve client satisfaction. 

With Sysero, you can streamline the entire contract management lifecycle with automated contract generation, secure e-signatures, centralised storage and archiving, and enhanced compliance and security features.

To learn more about how Sysero’s can help you develop an effective contract management process, get in touch with our team. 

It’s not surprising that lawyers work such long hours, when you consider they spend an average of almost 3 hours a day on administrative tasks. A large portion of lawyers’ time is spent reviewing legal requests and documents, completing repetitive transactional paperwork, and going through endless follow up cycles with clients. All of which take valuable time away from building better relationships with existing clients and pursuing new work. 

The good news is that there is a better way to work. The answer lies in easy-to-use self-service portals that capture information directly from clients. This approach allows for transitions to be started at any time and completed much quicker than traditional processes. Clients enter the information directly, greatly reducing the potential for misunderstandings. Additionally, a transaction history is created providing complete transparency into the process. 

By employing a series of automated workflows, a self-service portal can route information to relevant staff, and even create sets of customised documents using the data. The result is greater productivity, flexibility and transparency for both firms and their clients. 

What is Legal Self-Service? 

While the concept of self-service is far from new, it’s paving a new way of working within the legal industry. For years, other industries have tapped into self-service to provide customers with instant access to information or services, allow personalisation, and save valuable time and resources. Take for example, how almost all of your banking needs today can be done via an online portal or app.

When it comes to the legal sector, firms are turning to self-service portals to allow  clients to initiate transactions and meet regulatory requirements. Legal self-service portals present law firm clients with a clean dashboard-type interface, which features a list of forms that can be used to start a new transaction, collect compliance information or provide access to basic legal documents. 

Once a client selects the appropriate form, they are guided through a dynamic questionnaire, which automatically tailors questions based on the client’s previous answers. The information captured on the form can then be used to create tailored sets of documents, which are routed to the firm’s lawyers. From there, lawyers can produce the initial set of transactional documents and continue work on them or save them into a matter folder in a Document Management System. 

The Benefits of Legal Self-Service Portals

The unique benefits of a legal self-service portal lie in the way they leverage workflow automation. Unlike collaboration sites, self-service portals employ customisable workflows to enable lawyers to create transaction-specific documents and make them immediately available to clients through a branded portal.

Automation tools make it easy for lawyers to directly create and update content on the portal using Microsoft Word - without any need for programming. The online forms are created automatically, but can be tailored and adjusted by anyone with a solid understanding of Word and a basic knowledge of websites. 

Individual clients can log into their firm’s portal and be provided with a customised list of forms designed for them, which can be accessed on any device. On completion of a form, the workflow can email a link to the information entered by the users to a lawyer and a pack of customised documents is available for instant use.

Workflows can ensure that only specific, customised questions that are relevant to the transaction, appear on the online form. These are also automatically updated based on the answers clients provide as they progress through the form. If there are exceptions that pop up, they can automatically be routed to a review process, ensuring compliance, speed and accuracy

As well as the workflows that are used to create and route information from clients, the underlying template documents themselves need to be managed and kept up-to-date by the firm. This is done using content creation and management workflows that ensure clients are working with only the most relevant and up-to-date documents.

Creating a Legal Self-Service Portal 

A legal self-service portal can help your firm drive greater efficiency, transparency, and enhanced service for your clients. At Sysero, we leverage our document production and self-service workflow capabilities to help firms develop uniquely branded self-service portals that suit their individualised needs and requirements. We understand that each firm works with their clients differently, so our experts can also help you consider other key factors, including mapping out the workflow journey, creating a consistent client experience, and the desired next steps once a transaction has been completed. 

Want to see Sysero’s self-service workflow in action? You can try your hand at creating an NDA here. Ready to get started? Get in touch with our team to learn more about and discuss creating a self-service portal for your firm.