Stronachs moves work product management to iManage Cloud

The limited document management capabilities within an all-in-one practice management system presented a challenge for Stronachs, one of Scotland’s leading independent law firms. Low firmwide adoption of the system meant files weren’t all stored in one place. It was also difficult for their professionals to access files outside of the office. So when that solution reached its end of life, the firm saw a chance to go in a new direction. Most top 200 UK law firms were using iManage, with its high-performance cloud and features like sophisticated email management, mobility, and secure remote access. These factors helped persuade the firm to move its work product to the iManage Cloud.

Stronachs LLP is a leading independent law firm with a strong commercial focus. With offices in Aberdeen and Inverness, the firm is prominent in energy, commercial property, corporate, general commercial work, commercial dispute resolution, employment law, and agricultural and rural law. Their private client department offers particular expertise in estate planning, executries, and trusts. The firm provides the expertise, advice, and service required to meet the demands of a diverse client base.

The business challenge

We saw an opportunity to move in a new direction

Stronachs had long used an all-in-one practice management system (PMS) to support the firm’s activities, however, they were unsatisfied with the document and email management aspect of the system.

“Many professionals within the firm found the document and email management module within the PMS so cumbersome, they simply refused to use it,” said Ken Roberts, IT Manager, Stronachs. “As a result, they would store files on a Windows file share or just leave messages and attachments in Outlook.”

Additionally, the PMS system presented challenges for remote workers who wanted to access critical files when they were out of the office.

“The ability to work offsite was limited because our PMS was only available internally,” explained Roberts. “It was a very awkward system to try to access externally — it required dialing in through a VPN. Accessing the file share remotely was just as complicated, so people would often resort to storing important files locally on their laptops or thumb drives, which presents a potential security risk if they are misplaced or stolen.”

When an end-of-life announcement was made for their all-in-one PMS, Stronachs saw an opportunity to move in a new direction.

“The vast majority of the top 200 UK law firms use iManage and we want to be on the same level as those firms, in terms of the systems we use,” said Roberts. “All of my research on iManage showed they had all the key features we needed, including sophisticated email management, mobility, and remote access.”

The solution

Scalable, reliable performance and uninterrupted services

Stronachs selected iManage Work, the industry’s leading document and email management application, delivered in the iManage Cloud. Built on the key technologies adopted by the largest cloud vendors, iManage Cloud delivers scalable, reliable performance and uninterrupted services using a continuous delivery model.

“The goal, first and foremost, was to move to iManage,” said Roberts. “But the iManage Cloud will also help to future-proof our organization — we will always have the latest updates, features, and technology, without requiring a big project on our part.”

To assist with its move to iManage Cloud, Stronachs worked with iManage partner Tiger Eye Consulting, who helped plan the migration and ensure the transition went smoothly.

“According to our plan, closed matters stay in the PMS in read-only format,” said Roberts. “But we switched to iManage Work for active matters, so Tiger Eye migrated our active matters over from the PMS just prior to going live. After the cutover, all of our active files were ready to go in the corresponding workspaces in iManage. The entire process was seamless, with no downtime or hiccups to interrupt our daily work.”

Business outcomes

Search capabilities that are as easy as using Google

Since getting up and running on iManage Cloud, Stronachs has received enthusiastic feedback from its professionals.

“The overwhelming consensus is that iManage has been a vast improvement over what we had before,” said Roberts. “Our fee-earners and other professionals can instantly find what they’re looking for with search capabilities that are as easy as using Google, and there’s a huge advantage to seeing documents and emails side-by-side rather than having to jump around to different systems. As you can imagine, people have taken to it very quickly — user adoption is at 100% for the legal staff.”

More streamlined and secure remote working

Additionally, remote working has become a more streamlined and significantly more secure undertaking for Stronachs.

“Simply put, our professionals can access all of their important files a lot easier than they previously could,” said Roberts. “With the mobility and remote access features of iManage Work, our professionals don’t have to go through the hassle of locally storing files or using easily lost flash drives to gain access to their work product when they are on the go. All the files they need are securely governed and readily accessible in
iManage Work.”

No disruptions for our busy professionals

Accessing iManage Work through the iManage Cloud reduces the IT burden. “With iManage Cloud, any upgrades or other updates are done automatically, without any action required on my end,” said Roberts. “That means our users are always on the latest version of iManage Work and able to take advantage of the latest technology that’s available. There are no time-consuming upgrades, which is great from an admin perspective — it makes my job a lot easier. More importantly, not having to take the system offline to perform an upgrade means no disruptions for our busy professionals — they can continue to access all of their important files in iManage Work, without interruption, and get their work done.”