Clifford Chance, one of the world’s leading law firms, has centralised its database search platform by using Recommind’s MindServer Search.
The law firm formerly used multiple systems to locate information such as documents, knowledge experts and previous client engagements, but now access a single search function from within the company-wide intranet. The platform, called CC Search, has been rolled out to over 6,000 workers.
As well as a central search portal, search results have also been improved at the firm. Users are now presented with results that are individually tailored to a lawyer’s location and can be expanded to include other information related to a user’s role, specialisation, client and sector focus.
In addition to Clifford Chance’s intranet and knowledge collection, CC Search is also capable of trawling through client transaction bibles, publications and transactions databases. Users can also pinpoint other lawyers within the organisation that may hold specialised knowledge about a certain subject.
“Our lawyers can now access much of the knowledge they need from one single search box, rather than having to search in multiple different databases. By simplifying the process in this way and integrating all our knowledge systems, our lawyers can find the right information at the right time,” said Paul Greenwood, global CIO at Clifford Chance.
“With so much data being created and stored, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for lawyers to accurately pinpoint the information they need, and firms need a solution that can help ease this pressure,” said Simon Price, European director at Recommind. “To work effectively, disparate knowledge systems and databases need to be tied together or some resources will simply go unused; the same goes for all the valuable information they might hold.”
The firm went through a trial period at its Amsterdam office, where more than 75% of users accessed the new system with 97% of them agreeing that it was a significant improvement on the previous system.
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The system has been installed at 23 Clifford Chance offices around the world, and will now be rolled out to the rest of its offices. Clifford Chance has 29 offices in 20 countries with around 3,600 legal advisers. It focuses on areas such as finance and banking, real estate, tax, pensions and employment.
