Luce Forward Implements Innovative Intranet Portal using XMLAW SharePoint Technology

Luce Forward

With more than 180 attorneys working in six offices throughout California, Luce Forward needed to find a way to effectively collaborate and share information across its offices, practice groups, departments, and committees to provide the best possible service to clients.

Luce Forward made it a top priority to find an efficient way for attorneys and staff to access and share timely information, including client and firm financials, client contact information, and important client documents.

However, all of this important data resided in separate applications and databases at the firm. Luce Forward used InterAction for contact management, Interwoven for document management, and Rippe Kingston for financial information. The firm had shared folders on its servers and relied heavily on email to exchange information. So, Luce Forward set out to implement a comprehensive intranet solution using Microsoft SharePoint

Why Firm Chose Hubbard One

Luce Forward chose XMLAW’s OneView Connect because it offered a solution that was user-friendly and configurable. Additionally, the XMLAW team understood the SharePoint technology inside and out, and XMLAW consultants were able to help set up intranet templates to meet the firm’s needs.

“OneView easily connects to everything to everything, including random SQL databases, and pulls that information into an interface that is very user-friendly and configurable, so anyone can make necessary updates without hassle or time-intensive training,” explained Todd Noetzel, SharePoint administrator at Luce Forward.

Process

• Noetzel outlined several requirements for the new portal:
  • Work with multiple, disparate databases and easily pull information from the firm’s existing systems into one easy-to-read format in a centralized portal
  • Be simple to access and update
  • Have on interface with access to multiple in-depth internal sites for all of the different practice groups, committees and departments in the firm
  • Include privacy features that would allow only attorneys to access their clients’ financial information
• Luce Forward worked closely with the XMLAW team to set up the firm’s intranet site called LuceNet
• To rollout LuceNet out to the firm, Noetzel and a tech committee showed a preview demo of the OneView solution to attorneys, and then conducted two firm-wide training sessions for everyone and one-on-one breakout sessions with those that would make updates to the portal
• Because the intranet was so easy to use, it did not require any extensive or ongoing training sessions
• Within a month of soft launching the new portal, Luce Forward launched LuceNet as everyone’s homepage

Results

• LuceNet has been an important step in helping Luce Forward save time, improve efficiencies and collaborate as one firm
• Attorneys can easily navigate Lucenet to find critical client documents and research instantly through one search, instead of multiple searches across various databases
• The firm’s practice groups each have their own sites and are better able to work as a cohesive team across offices
• Luce Forward is getting more use out of its existing technology investments by making information more accessible and shareable to everyone in the firm
• The improved internal efficiencies and better access to information enable Luce Forward to provide better client service