Enterprise legal management (ELM) software comes in so many flavors now, that it can be a confusing job just finding the right match for your legal department. Worse yet, there are still ELM software providers out there that are simply regurgitating databases that look or feel better. But there’s so much more to ELM than that – systems of engagement are what you need to be looking for.
We’ve narrowed the field a bit in order to show you the solutions that many legal departments have chosen for their enterprise legal management platform. Some departments start with only one solution and add more as needed. Others feel just one solution is all they need. The point is that if the enterprise legal management platform is flexible to start with, then adding more solutions later or modifying existing ones is never a headache.
The most popular ELM solutions to solve legal departments’ needs are:
- Matter Management – A matter management solution gives you clarity about your overall matter portfolio, so you can make informed, strategic business decisions.
- E-Billing – An E-billing solution allows third parties such as law firms and other vendors to submit invoices securely to the corporate legal department for review and payment.
- Contract Administration – A contract administration solution lets you quickly manage contracts and business documents in one central location.
- Legal Service Requests – A legal service request solution simplifies the intake process and provides a simple portal, so business users can interact with the legal department.
- Legal Holds – A legal hold solution helps legal departments notify custodians of their duty to preserve information in a timely manner and guarantee compliance.
We should also mention that any enterprise legal management platform you choose should provide the benefits of cost savings, flexibility, easier collaboration and cutting-edge performance. Finally, watch out for solution providers that have long implementation times.
Your chosen provider should be able to promise an implementation time that’s a fraction of what the rest of the “pack” offer. This is the only proven way to start quickly driving the results you’re seeking and deserve.