Indonesian start-up invests in efficiency from day one with the iManage Cloud

The trail-blazing founders of summA Law Firm were not taking any chances on the success of their firm; they knew professionalism would be key to enabling their ambitious start-up to compete with international players. The partners made security, efficiency, and accessibility a top priority, implementing the same world-class document management as the prestigious firms they had worked in and alongside, prior to founding their own firm. To lay the foundation, they enlisted the services of iManage partner, Business Network Solutions (BNS) almost immediately after the firm’s launch. BNS helped summA set up a centralized platform that provided effective version control and data governance, from the beginning, with Work 10 in the iManage Cloud. summA attributes its rapid growth to giving its clients a distinctively pleasant experience for clients — both in deals and beyond. 

summA Law Firm was established by two seasoned lawyers with a native understanding of Indonesia’s dynamic legal landscape. Headquartered in Jakarta, summA provides legal services spanning Debt Finance, Corporate M&A, Disputes, and Restructuring & Insolvency. The firm has since grown to three partners, bringing around 45 years of combined experience, including shared tenure at the Indonesian office of a leading global firm. summA’s mission is to remain at the summit of legal excellence, delivering exceptional legal services with a focus on clarity and precision. Blending international standards with local knowledge, summA makes top-tier legal counsel accessible to a broader range of clients.

The business challenge

Compete with international law firms from day one

summA Law Firm (summA) founders Rivan Supriadi and Risnan Yosal “cut their teeth” at a large and prestigious international law firm. They envisioned bringing that same level of legal excellence to an array of clients by making services more affordable and accessible, and they went out on their own to make that happen. Rather than spending their startup resources on luxury office space to impress their peers, the founders focused on the client experience. They reasoned that investing in the world’s leading document management platform would be a quicker route to leveling the playing field between themselves and their better-known competitors.

“We work with Magic Circle firms, who all use iManage. We can work together more efficiently if we’re all using the same platform,” says Risnan Yosal, Founding Partner at summA. “We believe providing familiar tools and technologies that make work easier makes us more attractive to prospective hires; we’ve grown from two to six employees in less than a year.”

Beyond familiarity, the firm needed a platform that supports hybrid working, version control, and access management. Yosal explains, “Even at a small firm, we don’t all need to be privy to every matter. Upholding client confidentiality is non-negotiable.”

summA used Microsoft OneDrive for the first few weeks of business, until the iManage platform was up and running.

“Using OneDrive underlined our need for proper document management,” recalls Rivan Supriadi, summA’s co-Founding Partner. “We had to save a new version every time we edited something, manually add a version number, and clutter up the drive with numerous iterations of the same document.”

The partners spent valuable time searching the shared drive for documents, with no guarantee they’d found the latest version. “A common directory and standard naming convention makes life so much easier,” Supriadi adds. Our decision to invest in the right infrastructure from the get-go has facilitated a smooth transition for all partners and team members, all of whom come from the same international firm that has used iManage for years. As a group of iManage experts, we are now rediscovering the ease of working with iManage — enhanced by a summA-tailored setup.”

The solution

Make productivity easy for everyone 

With support from their partner, Business Network Solutions (BNS), summA was up and running on the iManage Cloud platform just two months after they launched. 

"When we decided to start a business together, after spending nearly a decade at the Jakarta office of a Magic Circle firm, our number one priority was to equip ourselves with an IT infrastructure that we were both familiar with. iManage was at the top of that list. So, when we looked for an implementation partner, we checked out their iManage
credentials first,” says Supriadi. Business Network Solutions has a strong history and partnership with iManage.

To reduce the learning curve, summA replicated the folder structure used at their previous firm, adapting as needed to meet the needs of a lean start-up. Folders are automatically created at the click of a button to ensure they follow the standard format. It also gives lawyers and associates the freedom to focus on other tasks.

BNS used native iManage integration to connect Microsoft 365. The partners established a new document naming convention, which they explained adds credibility when they interact with clients.

summA recruited new associates and an office manager, who are all familiar with iManage. “We’re a firm of iManage experts, but everyone has their own way of navigating the platform,” says Supriadi. “While no two colleagues use iManage in exactly the same way, we’re all more productive than we’d be without it.”

When the firm works on financial deals for clients, everyone collaborates in iManage, from participants and banks to syndicates and borrowers. Changes to documents are clearly tracked with who changed what, and it’s easy to find the latest version in the client’s folder. Associates are responsible for making sure relevant documents are moved to what they call the “bible directory” and shared with the rest of the team. When a matter progresses through the tiered billing system, that’s clearly reflected in the folder structure for easy billing. This international-standard practice not only distinguishes summA from local firms but also ensures accountability in the work process.