Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

LJN NewslettersNewsSections

LawPort for SharePoint Provides Immediate Access to Information

By Mandi Turner
January 26, 2007

Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, PLLC, is a business and commercial law firm with eight offices nationwide with approximately 180 attorneys. There are six practice groups serving clients locally, nationally and internationally in numerous industries. Much of this is credited to the firm's commitment to facilitating the flow of information. The firm's standing priority has been to provide client benefits through efficient information management and the application of Web technologies and collaborative systems.

Technology-driven Information Management

With a focus on providing efficient client information management, the IT group and I, as the firm's Information Services Director, took a closer look at how we could best leverage technology to facilitate information distribution. Upon further review, our intranet, which is the firm's main repository for shared information, had become aged. We had a well-developed intranet for its time; however, it was static technology and had become very dated. We recognized that a better platform was necessary to distribute information dynamically.

To achieve our goal of seeking a product that consolidated information and provided a single point of information access, we sought out the best products available in the market. We spent a period of time reviewing several well-known applications. However, these products did not meet our selection criteria. Many of the products lacked the structure to support a wide distribution of legal information, and customizing these products to meet the firm's needs would require a great amount of time and resources that we did not have at our disposal.

LawPort and SharePoint

We came upon Microsoft's Share-Point portal and immediately recognized the array of tools that facilitate the distribution of information. More-over, Microsoft's dominance in the software industry ensured a reliable and quality product. However, SharePoint was not-legal specific.

After further investigation, we discovered SV Technology, Inc. and its LawPort for SharePoint product. SV Technology's LawPort is a Web-based portal and complete information management application suite. We liked LawPort for SharePoint because of its legal focus and the fact that it did not require us to tailor it for our legal environment. Coupled with the features inherent in Microsoft's SharePoint, we knew that LawPort for SharePoint would be a win-win solution providing us with the ability to consolidate data through a single access point and require very little setup time.

As we quickly discovered, LawPort for SharePoint combines a well-known legal portal and information management suite with its value-added legal functionality to the Microsoft Share-Point platform. As we discovered during the product review process, the SharePoint platform did not innately have legal-related Web parts, but LawPort represented a legal specific portal that integrated legal specific concepts such as clients and matters. In addition, LawPort seemingly would provide us with the solution for more effective client information management and distribution, by establishing a foundation and complete Web infrastructure, integrating the intranet, extranet and Internet sites so that critical firm data and information would be well organized and easily accessible.

Benefits Realized

Greenebaum rolled out LawPort for SharePoint at the beginning of July 2006. Since then, the framework has evolved into our Portal, centralizing all of our disparate data and directly integrating into our existing systems. It allows for greater collaboration through sites, improved search functionality, customizable views, and reports. Employees are given the ability to search for ' and retrieve ' relevant data from a single source, instead of searching through various data systems. The login is user-defined, which makes it easy to distribute news and information to groups and individuals within the firm. Once an employee logs in, the system automatically populates the information and news relevant to this individual's duties and interests. The ease of accessing information and data assists us greatly in our daily tasks, giving us access to a more relevant and broader range of information, enabling us to better meet the needs of our clients.

Since rolling out Greenebaum Portal about five months ago, the firm has realized many benefits that will lead to a more efficient and productive work environment. Below are several illustrative examples of the benefits of LawPort for SharePoint:

  • Legal Environment. The original design of LawPort was based on the concept of 'by law firms for law firms.' This has made it possible for the firm to avoid spending massive amounts of time and money modifying the software to its legal environment. LawPort's immense category system has also enabled us to share relevant data and information among the various audiences within our firm, including the different practice areas, offices, and more.
  • Data Consolidation. LawPort for SharePoint has become a centralized repository for integrating all of our critical business applications and information. We are able to present information in a very straightforward and concise manner to our legal professionals and support staff. This enhances Greenebaum's services to our clients, since our attorneys and support staff now have all of our firm's knowledge available. For instance, an attorney has at his fingertips the ability to search for all available information relevant to get a complete understanding of his current client, matter, or area of law.
  • Information Ease and Accessibility. Lawport for SharePoint has made the search, retrieval and sharing of information very efficient. Since it consolidates all of the firm's data and integrates directly with our existing systems. Firm employees now have the ability to search all of the firm's information systems and resources through one point of access. Employees no longer need to access and search the numerous data systems for the information relevant to a particular client, matter, or area of law. LawPort for Share-Point has allowed us to improve the process of data validation and the sharing of information.

Moving Forward

Greenebaum has launched the LawPort for SharePoint platform to all users in the firm. We have yet to leverage all of the benefits of LawPort for SharePoint, but the benefits realized to date have been tremendous. One notable benefit has been in the marked decline in the length of time it now takes our attorneys and support staff to search, access, retrieve and share relevant information. Greene-baum has only started to scratch the surface of our portal development and look forward to much more information sharing opportunities and the exploration of various technological benefits using LawPort for SharePoint.

Mandi Turner , Information Services Director for Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, has over 12 years experience in legal technology management. Turner has assisted the firm in technology development from the earliest stages to present, providing the firm with breakthrough technology and a competitive edge for legal practice. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of her colleagues at Greenebaum, D. Lynn Fogle, Manager of Library Services and Mary Hackworth, a Web and Reference Librarian, for their assistance in the preparation of this article.

Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, PLLC, is a business and commercial law firm with eight offices nationwide with approximately 180 attorneys. There are six practice groups serving clients locally, nationally and internationally in numerous industries. Much of this is credited to the firm's commitment to facilitating the flow of information. The firm's standing priority has been to provide client benefits through efficient information management and the application of Web technologies and collaborative systems.

Technology-driven Information Management

With a focus on providing efficient client information management, the IT group and I, as the firm's Information Services Director, took a closer look at how we could best leverage technology to facilitate information distribution. Upon further review, our intranet, which is the firm's main repository for shared information, had become aged. We had a well-developed intranet for its time; however, it was static technology and had become very dated. We recognized that a better platform was necessary to distribute information dynamically.

To achieve our goal of seeking a product that consolidated information and provided a single point of information access, we sought out the best products available in the market. We spent a period of time reviewing several well-known applications. However, these products did not meet our selection criteria. Many of the products lacked the structure to support a wide distribution of legal information, and customizing these products to meet the firm's needs would require a great amount of time and resources that we did not have at our disposal.

LawPort and SharePoint

We came upon Microsoft's Share-Point portal and immediately recognized the array of tools that facilitate the distribution of information. More-over, Microsoft's dominance in the software industry ensured a reliable and quality product. However, SharePoint was not-legal specific.

After further investigation, we discovered SV Technology, Inc. and its LawPort for SharePoint product. SV Technology's LawPort is a Web-based portal and complete information management application suite. We liked LawPort for SharePoint because of its legal focus and the fact that it did not require us to tailor it for our legal environment. Coupled with the features inherent in Microsoft's SharePoint, we knew that LawPort for SharePoint would be a win-win solution providing us with the ability to consolidate data through a single access point and require very little setup time.

As we quickly discovered, LawPort for SharePoint combines a well-known legal portal and information management suite with its value-added legal functionality to the Microsoft Share-Point platform. As we discovered during the product review process, the SharePoint platform did not innately have legal-related Web parts, but LawPort represented a legal specific portal that integrated legal specific concepts such as clients and matters. In addition, LawPort seemingly would provide us with the solution for more effective client information management and distribution, by establishing a foundation and complete Web infrastructure, integrating the intranet, extranet and Internet sites so that critical firm data and information would be well organized and easily accessible.

Benefits Realized

Greenebaum rolled out LawPort for SharePoint at the beginning of July 2006. Since then, the framework has evolved into our Portal, centralizing all of our disparate data and directly integrating into our existing systems. It allows for greater collaboration through sites, improved search functionality, customizable views, and reports. Employees are given the ability to search for ' and retrieve ' relevant data from a single source, instead of searching through various data systems. The login is user-defined, which makes it easy to distribute news and information to groups and individuals within the firm. Once an employee logs in, the system automatically populates the information and news relevant to this individual's duties and interests. The ease of accessing information and data assists us greatly in our daily tasks, giving us access to a more relevant and broader range of information, enabling us to better meet the needs of our clients.

Since rolling out Greenebaum Portal about five months ago, the firm has realized many benefits that will lead to a more efficient and productive work environment. Below are several illustrative examples of the benefits of LawPort for SharePoint:

  • Legal Environment. The original design of LawPort was based on the concept of 'by law firms for law firms.' This has made it possible for the firm to avoid spending massive amounts of time and money modifying the software to its legal environment. LawPort's immense category system has also enabled us to share relevant data and information among the various audiences within our firm, including the different practice areas, offices, and more.
  • Data Consolidation. LawPort for SharePoint has become a centralized repository for integrating all of our critical business applications and information. We are able to present information in a very straightforward and concise manner to our legal professionals and support staff. This enhances Greenebaum's services to our clients, since our attorneys and support staff now have all of our firm's knowledge available. For instance, an attorney has at his fingertips the ability to search for all available information relevant to get a complete understanding of his current client, matter, or area of law.
  • Information Ease and Accessibility. Lawport for SharePoint has made the search, retrieval and sharing of information very efficient. Since it consolidates all of the firm's data and integrates directly with our existing systems. Firm employees now have the ability to search all of the firm's information systems and resources through one point of access. Employees no longer need to access and search the numerous data systems for the information relevant to a particular client, matter, or area of law. LawPort for Share-Point has allowed us to improve the process of data validation and the sharing of information.

Moving Forward

Greenebaum has launched the LawPort for SharePoint platform to all users in the firm. We have yet to leverage all of the benefits of LawPort for SharePoint, but the benefits realized to date have been tremendous. One notable benefit has been in the marked decline in the length of time it now takes our attorneys and support staff to search, access, retrieve and share relevant information. Greene-baum has only started to scratch the surface of our portal development and look forward to much more information sharing opportunities and the exploration of various technological benefits using LawPort for SharePoint.

Mandi Turner , Information Services Director for Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, has over 12 years experience in legal technology management. Turner has assisted the firm in technology development from the earliest stages to present, providing the firm with breakthrough technology and a competitive edge for legal practice. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of her colleagues at Greenebaum, D. Lynn Fogle, Manager of Library Services and Mary Hackworth, a Web and Reference Librarian, for their assistance in the preparation of this article.
Read These Next
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.

Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York Image

In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?

The Cost of Making Partner Image

Making partner isn't cheap, and the cost is more than just the years of hard work and stress that associates put in as they reach for the brass ring.