Let’s say your attorneys are defending a patent. Requiring major contact and document sharing between in-house attorneys, outside counsel, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Every patent search, interaction with the USPTO, and claims will have to be saved and made available to all project parties. The deeper you go into the task, the more difficult it is to keep track of document revisions, locate filings, and create a file history in case of future disputes. We can avoid these issues with the correct in-house legal document software and a system that streamlines locating and maintaining papers.
Legal Document Management Could Help your Business
If you require legal document management, Tab Service Company can help you improve your task abilities through automated solutions. They can assist your company with all of its processing and data collection requirements. Their data capture and forms processing methods are efficient, precise, and cost-effective, lowering your back-office and workflow responsibilities.
The Risks of Not Having a Legal Document Management System
Jumbled documents are bound to generate problems without a legal document management system. Your staff will not only risk making costly mistakes by studying outdated versions of documents but will waste valuable time searching for the files and data they require. Before using any process, learn more about what legal document management software and solutions can do for your in-house legal team.
Document Management Differs from Document Storage
Although the terms “document storage” and “document management” may appear identical, there is a significant difference between the two.
General storage might be as simple as a folder on your PC or as complex as a cloud-based solution such as Google Drive. With basic file-sharing capabilities and few options for document organization, these storage systems can become messy and unpleasant.
Document management, however, is more complex and includes aspects such as:
- Audit trails and version control
- Search by full text
- Protect user permissions
While document storage and document management keep your data in one place, document management is a better and more usable option.
Document Management Versus Legal Document Management
Document management systems are vital in many industries. But legal document management software takes it further by catering to the nuances of legal work. To reap benefits from legal document management, it helps to know how these systems provide much-needed order for legal departments.
Legal Document Management Has Many Advantages
Matter Administration
When selecting a legal document management system, the ability to link documents to matters is critical. Joining relevant papers ensures users can readily locate information when it is needed.
You may even attach documents to specific steps inside a set workflow with legal document management software.
Sorting and Categorization of Documents
As you work on a legal problem, you frequently need to refer to several documents. Tagging papers by type — petition, motion, order, deposition, exhibit, etc. — ensures that the information you need is always accessible. Sorting files by category is not only a time saver in such a document-heavy industry, but it is also a crucial aspect of teamwork.
Audit Trails and Versioning
Tracking changes to papers is crucial in a field where something as basic as a carefully placed comma can spark a debate. Versioning and audit trails in legal document management software allow you to see which users accessed each document when accessed and if they made any changes.
Safe Collaboration
Your legal document management solution must go beyond simple user rights to ensure compliance with local laws, attorney-client privacy, and document access protection.
You can grant several access levels to legal document management software, deciding how in-house employees and outside vendors interact with each file. Different degrees of access can protect your clients, the legal department, and partners.
A Legal DMS Can Transform Chaos into Order
A legal DMS can transform how your legal team works, connects, and accesses information. It will bring order to the chaos of legal documents by creating a safe and searchable library that will provide your team with quick and easy access to the documents required. It will help manage whole document lifecycles and make your legal team more productive with tools and features if you have the correct interfaces and features.
Your Legal Document Management Solutions Company
With the help of legal document management solutions, you can centralize your papers, and ease communication, by obtaining additional insight into the lifespan of each subject. Explore how integrating your matter management and document management with the Tab Service Company may save your team time, money, and headaches. Contact us today!