The decision regarding which system to select for your law department and law firms is one that will have long-term consequences for the management of your legal work. It is therefore prudent to take the time necessary to conduct thorough due diligence to ensure that:

• The system that you select is a good fit for what you want to accomplish today;
• The priorities of the vendor and the other law departments using the system are similar to yours, ensuring that the system will continue to evolve in directions that will meet your future needs; and
• The vendor is profitable, experiencing healthy growth, and not subject to decisions of outside parties (venture capitalists, parent companies, banks, etc.) who might choose to discontinue an underperforming platform.

Typically, the law department leads the due diligence effort, verifying the following: that the system works in practice as represented; that similar law departments using the system are satisfied with functionality, training, upgrades, and support; and that the vendor is qualified to continue to provide a high level of ongoing service for the foreseeable future. In addition, the IT group supporting the law department is often involved in assessing the security and reliability of the vendor’s infrastructure. Finally, the accounts payable group may want to verify that the system will work smoothly with whatever system(s) the company uses to pay approved legal bills.

View  the due diligence resources to the right for more information.