Sherman & Sterling delivers secure access on “any device, anywhere, anytime”

Sherman & Sterling is a multinational law firm with a long and distinguished 150-year history of supporting their clients wherever they do business, from major financial centers to emerging and growth markets. They represent many of the world’s leading corporations and major financial institutions, as well as emerging growth companies, governments, and state-owned enterprises, often working on ground-breaking, precedent-setting
matters. With a deep understanding of their clients’ businesses and the industries they operate in, their work is driven by their clients’ need for outstanding legal and commercial advice.

The firm wanted to replace their outdated legacy document management tool with a modern, comprehensive solution that would give their lawyers data mobility and a single source of truth. Security was a strong motivating factor in their decision to move to the cloud. iManage met Sherman & Sterling’s requirements for fast and intuitive search, secure mobile access, and advanced cloud security — resulting in greater productivity, service, and value.

The business challenge

A modern, agile solution for knowledge management

Shearman & Sterling faced several challenges with knowledge management, beginning with more than a billion documents stored in multiple locations. Approximately four percent were housed in a legacy, on-premises system, while the rest were stored in disparate repositories throughout the firm.

They knew they wanted to replace their outdated legacy document management tool with a modern, comprehensive solution that would consolidate files stored across a variety of libraries and systems into a single, centralized repository, without having significant infrastructure to manage.

Security was critical, and a strong motivating factor when Shearman & Sterling chose to move to the cloud. Their lawyers needed a modern, agile solution that would provide broader access to information with market-leading security and governance — secure access on any device, at any time.

The solution

Fast, intuitive, and secure: the journey to data mobility and a single source of truth

First and foremost, the firm wanted to give their lawyers data mobility and a single source of truth — the right information in its most recent iteration, accessed quickly and easily.

And, as a firm that does a lot of M&A work, very tight data classification was essential. This demanded a security model that would enable them to manage security at a client matter level, across practice groups, to apply different security policies, and to ensure that the right people get eyes on the right document.

Having a single system for information management as a whole — including iManage Security Policy Manager and iManage Threat Manager — was therefore a key factor in the firm’s selection of iManage.

Virtualized deployment amid a global pandemic

Shearman & Sterling went live with iManage Cloud in August 2020, after the world had shut down the previous March due to COVID-19 concerns. Aware that thoughtful, planned, end-user adoption is crucial to success, the firm wanted to ensure that everyone attended training, learned how the system worked, and used iManage during implementation.

A full iManage Cloud rollout with 2200 users and 23 global offices, all working remotely amid a worldwide pandemic, meant a virtualized deployment — but the firm launched with a Star Wars game theme, producing healthy lawyerly competition instead of complaints. They gave swag to high performers. Different practice groups competed against one another as well as individuals, and it got people engaged.

Business outcomes

Secure, accessible knowledge adds to client service and value

The firm knew that transforming 150 years of information into accessible knowledge that their lawyers could view at any time, on any device would improve the already high level of client service and value they provide.

With iManage, Sherman & Sterling was able to realize their vision of a system with fast and intuitive search, secure mobile access, and advanced cloud security, resulting in greater productivity and outcomes. This enables them to better comply with fast-evolving client and regulatory demands.

As a progressive leader in their field, Shearman & Sterling also appreciates the vision that iManage has for the future development of its platform. Having iManage Work 10 at the center of an overall knowledge and information ecosystem in the cloud is compatible with the firm’s own goals.

Embracing the cloud, the future, and iManage

iManage was launched with a clear folder structure that mimicked the way the users worked, regardless of the matter. This helped users hit the ground running, from day one. Shearman estimates that about 85% of the firm is loving using iManage Cloud.

“At Shearman & Sterling, client service is paramount. With iManage Work 10, we have an accurate single source of information for our professionals to quickly find and access whatever documents and data they need, saving valuable time. We see this as key to enabling our professionals to confidently service our clients, at any time, from anywhere, on any device,” said Lawrence Baxter, CTO, Shearman & Sterling LLP.