eRoom Legal Use Cases

Transactions
Focusing on transactions, deals or administrative filings, we can show you how to create an eRoom that may involve large numbers of third parties (banks, underwriters, etc). Content in this type of eRoom may include documents (with versioning and access control), archives, matter status updates, feedback delivery and contact lists. If you open up your eRoom to outside parties, you can apply access control lists to items in the room and even make some hidden, only for your internal team to see.

Litigation
Focusing on one or more litigation matters, this type of eRoom can be designed for use by multiple parties (client, co-counsel, opposing counsel, experts) and would likely include pleadings, hard-copy and e-mail correspondence, transcripts, relevant document, calendar of events and ongoing case status. With the eRoom plug-in, users can simply drag and drop documents and files from their desktop directly onto the browser, automatically uploading the files into the eRoom repository and appearing within the eRoom.

Screen shot of a sample Litigation eRoom with Time Tracking
database hidden from all users except within the Law Firm.

Screen shot of a sample Time Tracking database. The records may be
grouped by any column, but are grouped by Date in this case. You can
build a custom database with a few easy clicks, adding any columns
necessary. Approval steps may be added as well. Additionally, a dashboard
summary can be added, as seen at the top, summarizing data
appearing in database.

Screen shot of a sample dashboard can be placed within "My eRooms"
giving users summaries of various items and databases in one central location.
Users can click on the summary information within the dashboard to drill
down to the underlying data. For instance, by click on the "2" in "not approved"
in the Time Tracking DB from the James Sweeney matter eRoom, the user will
see then see the 2 records in that database that have not been approved.
Dashboards can be a big time saver.

Lawyer-Client Relationships
This type of eRoom would be designed to serve long-term lawyer-client relationships. It can be used to collaborate on current matters, provide an archive of documents and forms from past matters and share pertinent and frequently used information about both the client and the firm. It can include data related to billing, budgeting and accounting of disbursements. eRoom can be used from a one-sided perspective, with access only to the firm, allowing the attorney to track "institutional knowledge" about each client and matter. Conversely, clients may be given access with certain items and documents restricted from viewing or opening by the client.

In addition, lawyers can post recent client-development materials of interest to each type of client, such as labor and employment information, venture capital or REIT industry newsletters, industry white papers or briefings on late-breaking legal developments. Also, firms can schedule meetings and post PowerPoint shows or demonstraitons used during the meeting within the eRoom.

Managing Communications
eRoom can be used in a myriad of ways to help improve communications. Lawyers and paralegals can drag and drop email messages right onto the browser and into an eRoom, keeping a record of each communication. Anyone can easily create a database on the fly, say for correspondence tracking, easily adding the necessary columns and data types, without the need for IT support. The new database can track the matter, client, recipient, sender, subject, body, priority, actions necessary and status. We can show you how easy it is to do yourself. Users of the eRoom can setup notification so that they are either sent an email each time someone changes an item in the room, or just a nightly summary.

Law firm users can also pro-actively send an alert from within any eRoom item (eRoom, folder, database, calendar, poll, etc) and select any current eRoom members who have access to that item, notifying them via email with an editable message and a link back to the item. This is especially helpful when working together as a team on a time-sensitive project.

Take the next step

Make collaboration a sustainable competitive advantage for your law firm. To learn more about EMC | Documentum eRoom, contact Scot Hardy at 1-410-798-7034 or Scot.Hardy@ForeFrontPartners.com