It's vitally important that law firms keep close tabs on how attorneys and staff treat client information. At an organizational level, firms must comply with several professional duties including confidentiality and records management obligations. At the level of individual attorneys, unusually high document check out volume is often a warning sign of an impending lateral departure.
Attorney departures create significant expense and risk for a law firm. According to a Pricewaterhouse Coopers study, attorney turnover costs the average law firm $35 million annually in direct costs and lost opportunities. And in these cases, the risks can actually exceed the cost of a transferred book of business. Competitive and even malpractice dangers are fueled when client information is transported prior to official consent, or when attorneys take work product from non-migrating clients or the firm's knowledge management library.
In the past, it was easy to see the warning signs, as attorneys worked only with physical files. Today, the combination of electronic storage and thumb drives mean that tens of thousands of documents can leave the firm in someone's pocket.
Abnormal Document Activity Monitoring (ADAM) from IntApp is a radar for problems. It watches for unusual activity and gives management an early warning so they can investigate and address any concerns before they become serious crises.
ADAM works with existing firm applications and is transparent to attorneys and staff. It doesn't obstruct routine activity. Instead, it sends regular email reports and detailed alerts when configurable activity thresholds are crossed. Best of all, in most environments, the solution can be implemented within one business day.
