At Gordon, Feinblatt, we ask four questions before investing in any technology.
1. Will the new technology help us deliver better services and results to our clients?
2. Will the new technology help make our lawyers more efficient and/or effective?
3. Is the new technology a cost-effective investment?
4. Is the new technology a proven system?
Answers to these questions direct the timing of our investments. As a result, we tend to lead in the use of proven technology in law rather than running with the pack. Through technology and other qualities we are often able to give our clients better results at lower costs than law firms many times our size.
The following is a brief overview of our current technology.
The Basics
Communications with others is imperative, so we use the Microsoft Windows operating system, Microsoft Office Suite for word processing, e-mail and other basic office needs and Cisco for networking. We have a recent version of Interwoven’s document management system that allows us to manage client and case files in electronic form, including e-mails, scanned images and voice mails. Our copiers also serve as scanners to support this electronic approach to filing. We use digital dictation equipment, and in some cases, voice recognition software as well.
Off-Site
The ability to work from anywhere gives our lawyers improved efficiency and accessibility, even in the event of an emergency or other potential business disruption. Our lawyers are able to work from home, on the road or at a client site using home, laptop or tablet computers in combination with their Treo smartphones. We were one of the first law firms to use Treos instead of Blackberries, giving our lawyers an edge in keeping in contact with our clients.
Our new Avaya IP phone system allows our lawyers to access voice mails in their e-mail boxes, initiate conference calls, dial contacts from Outlook, all from inside and outside the office.
We are now installing a duplicate computer center (“hot site”) located in Ohio, that will allow our lawyers to continue working during a disaster, power outage or other business disruption.
Security
We are necessarily security conscious, using advanced techniques to protect our clients’ and our own information, including firewalls, encryption, passwords, and virus/malware scanning and protection.
Billing
Our CMS accounting and billing systems allow our lawyers to stay abreast of a case’s economics, and to keep our clients informed. We issue electronic bills to clients whenever requested.
Litigation Support
Our litigation practice includes national litigation involving multiple jurisdictions, and large volumes of data. These require coordination and communication with numerous co-counsel, including many of the world’s largest law firms. We use a variety of litigation technology products to better support our clients’ litigation cases, including Summation, Concordance, Trial Director, IPro, Litigators Notebook and Access.
Extranets
We maintain extranets for many clients using our Interwoven document management system. We use extranets for storing key documents, case management and document collaboration. We also use electronic “deal rooms” to assist in business transactions.
Conference Center
Our Conference Center is equipped with state-of-the-art wireless internet access.
Intranet
We were one of the first law firms to develop an intranet. Ours has a focus on research and practice support. Through this portal, our lawyers can easily access the most relevant electronic data bases as well as our own extensive Library. Our Library staff is especially skilled at performing online research for both legal and non-legal issues.
Electronic Discovery
We practice what we preach. Our Electronic Discovery Practice Group provides our clients with advice on changes in the law relating to Electronic Data Discovery (EDD) and assists them in developing cost-effective policies for complying with the emerging standards in this area. We also assist clients to avoid expensive discovery battles and costly, yet inappropriate, production burdens. We apply these same standards to our own practice and have the ability to gather information in various ways from our clients’ electronic data stored in our document management system.