Since 2014, Pinnacle has had a dedicated risk practice. Alongside new business intake, this team has been consulting on matter security and Intapp’s Walls product. Because of the continuing growth of electronic data and the increasing risks associated with this growth, we have also sought new partners to help firms manage their risk and maintain robust information governance.

Introducing FileTrail

We have partnered with FileTrail to launch and enable information governance programmes that improve information management for physical files and both structured and unstructured electronic information. Many law firms have a policy to keep everything. However, with the right technologies and thinking it is possible to run a ‘Keep to Delete’ process that reduces your risk of data loss and cuts your storage costs. We also help IT, risk and information governance professionals manage compliance more effectively, even as more people are working remotely and governance rules are increasing.

The FileTrail solution centralises information management. It allows the firm’s electronic stores and physical records to be visible. And it automates workflows for retention and ‘defensible disposal’ so you never keep data longer than necessary, while capturing an audit trail of activity and approvals.

Technology that Integrates

FileTrail GPS applies governance ‘in place’ wherever your documents are located. Without moving any content, declaring a record or moving files, it simply overlays governance through integration with mission-critical applications and your information stores.

The system can be deployed from the cloud or on-premises. Users can access their secure, unified platform from either a web browser or mobile app, while a powerful search functionality means the information users need is always to hand.

Because FileTrail is built on an open architecture, it is easy to integrate, extend and customise to meet your firm’s specific needs. And its configuration tools mean you can easily make changes with little training or the need for IT support.
Application Suite

A Suite of Applications

FileTrail GPS enables compliance with information governance policies by allowing organisations to:

  • Centralise information governance policies and guidelines
  • Classify and apply retention policies and records automatically
  • Manage reviews and monitor progress in real-time on an actionable dashboard
  • Capture an audit trail of past activity

Electronic documents have become more prevalent across every sector. The global pandemic has triggered an unprecedented shift toward paperless processes but the reality is that most organisations still have archives of physical records that are very costly to store and difficult to track.

As companies evolve over time — with mergers and acquisitions, expansion and restructuring physical records typically become increasingly difficult to manage. In many industries, they also pose significant risks if information is not protected and destroyed in a timely manner.

Relying on legacy records management systems such as LegalKEY is inefficient and can further compound security and compliance risks.

FileTrail GPS Records Manager is the leading records management solution for large- and mid-sized enterprises in heavily regulated industries. FileTrail provides a modern approach to physical records management, providing visibility into both your physical and electronic records through a single intuitive web-based system.

A Unified Workspace

FileTrail GPS – Records Manager makes it easy to manage and track your physical records alongside your electronic files. Authorised users can access a comprehensive, actionable dashboard via desktop, tablet or smartphone.

  • Advanced Search & Locate — Quickly find the exact document you need, regardless of how many thousands of records you’re searching; bar codes and RFID help you to track and view items from the folder level to the box level, so you can respond quickly to requests for retrieval and pickup
  • Streamlined Search — Easily configure search forms and results using unlimited user defined fields; create saved searches for routine searches to maximize efficiency
  • Ranked Results — Use full-text Amazon-style search and get back ranked results; metadata fields and imaged documents included
  • Off-Site Storage — Submit requests and view pending orders to off-site storage facilities via close integration with Access, Iron Mountain and other major vendors
  • Labels — Design and print bar-coded labels and color-coded labels from any workstation
  • Mobile Access — Simplify tracking, auditing and pulling for request fulfilment and destruction on Android devices
  • Custom Reporting Engine — Generate custom reports and download search results as a .csv or .pdf file as needed

Law firms have been slow to address the retention and destruction of physical and electronic records. Ironically, the path of least resistance “keeping everything just in case” is fraught with risk of future litigation and fines for non-compliance, as well as spiralling storage costs.

The hesitation to act is understandable. Firms that have accumulated thousands of boxes of physical records over the last 20+ years, stored in multiple offsite storage facilities, find it difficult to know where to begin. Manually retrieving and reviewing the contents of each box would require a significant number of man-hours.

Electronic documents present a similar challenge. Most firms have no efficient way to identify all electronic records that are due for disposal and continue to incur unnecessary storage costs.

A Proactive Approach

FileTrail GPS Policy Manager provides one central place to manage retention policies and apply them to all information repositories across the firm. With Policy Manager, firms can take a more proactive approach to information governance:

  •  Search across all physical and electronic repositories to identify records that are due for disposal
  •  Apply retention policies across all files related to a specific client or matter
  •  Automatically trigger workflows alerting lawyers, staff and other stakeholders when files related to specific client matters are due for disposition, and when review and approval is required

When new laterals are hired bringing new clients with them, is your firm equipped to accept their client files quickly and efficiently while obtaining the required approvals? And when partners leave the firm or when clients request copies of their files, is your firm prepared to quickly assemble and review the transfer of client matter information?

Most firms today struggle to handle client file transfer requests quickly and efficiently, falling back on manually intensive and unstructured processes which could result in omitting documents or including the wrong files.

With FileTrail GPS Mobility Manager, we are enabling law firms to automate and manage the process of gathering, evaluating and approving client files reducing operational costs and risks for the firm while ensuring that clients receive efficient service.

Automate the Process

FileTrail Mobility Manager streamlines the process of gathering and reviewing client files for transfer by automating workflows:

  •  Capturing a record of each request (lawyer onboarding, lawyer departure, or a client-initiated request)
  •  Tracking every action associated with each request and displaying status updates
  •  Identifying relevant documents across multiple information repositories and gathering them in a central location for reviews
  •  Identifying timekeepers associated with specific client matters as well as partners and other stakeholders
  •  Sending notifications and reminders to reviewers who are required to act, tracking progress, and capturing a clear record of approvals
  •  Providing tools to perform tasks against individual documents or en masse

Migration from Legacy Systems

The extreme configurability of FileTrail  unlimited user-defined fields and user-defined screens for different types of records makes it straightforward to migrate legacy data. And the quality of data collected moving forward can be improved by defining new screens with different fields and stricter validation.

FileTrail has experience migrating data from legacy systems including LegalKEY, ARM/FileSurf, iRIMS, Accutrac, Elite RM, Aderant RM, Access, FileTrack, Infolinx, Tab.

FileTrail Explained

 


To gain control of your all your documents and records in one place contact

Christopher Young