Gowlings Adopts RFID and Unifies Practice Management
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, one of Canada's Largest Law firms, has implemented a FileTrail RFID solution for file tracking and physical records management. The firm has leveraged FileTrail Web Services to integrate physical records management into their existing Practice Management System, and distribute functionality to the Firm's 2,000 employees.
San Jose, CA (PRWEB) November 15, 2008
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP has implemented a FileTrail RFID solution for file tracking and physical records management. The firm has leveraged FileTrail Web Services to integrate physical records management into their existing Practice Management System, and distribute functionality to the Firm's 2,000 employees.
As one of Canada's largest national law firms, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Gowlings) has offices in all major business and technology centres across Canada. The 2,000 professionals and staff support the three pillars of Gowlings practice: business law, intellectual property and advocacy.
For many years, the Firm's IT staff have been providing strategic technology to ensure quality service to clients, ensure efficiency of staff, and standardize practices. The core component of this is REx Online.
REx Online is a browser application developed in-house that provides Gowlings professionals and staff with access to all matter-related information from a single interface. Since the initial rollout in 2001, REx has provided access to time & billing, task management, and document management information in a single matter-centric web platform.
In developing the REx platform, Gowlings leveraged its core software investments. Various software components provide key services that are unified in the REx GUI. For example, an OpenText DM engine and repository store all electronic documents, but these documents are served up within the user-friendly REx interface.
This year, Gowlings added another component to REx from San Jose, CA-based FileTrail. FileTrail provides complete physical records management automation, from labeling and tracking through archiving and disposition.
"In our search for an RM solution, it was critical for Gowlings to find a company whose vision and solution allowed us to leverage existing investments, but yet could take us to the next step in tracking technology," said Jason Mervyn, Director of IT Business Solutions.
FileTrail automates file tracking and records management in a highly configurable, browser-based GUI. FileTrail Web Services allowed Gowlings' IT staff to integrate tracking information into the REx interface in a matter of a few hours. In addition, FileTrail services were easily distributed via REx to professionals and staff, allowing them to view details and location history, and even request retrieval of files.
"With FileTrail, we have found a vendor that took the time to understand our vision, a product that was easy to integrate with our market-leading Practice Management System (REx Online) and a partner to guide us into RFID tracking technology," said Mervyn.
Gowlings stepped easily into RFID technology because of FileTrail's leadership in the RFID industry. FileTrail RFID (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_RFID/index. asp) automates check-in and check-out of files in both staffed and un-staffed file rooms. The security badge worn by staff and the RFID tag (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_RFID/rfsmarttag. asp) on each file support rapid check-out.
Gowlings is also implementing FileTrail's portable RFMobile™ (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_RFID/rfmobile. asp). The FileDetector™ (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_Clients/Quotes. asp#ID64) feature helps locate missing files from a distance without the need to thumb through stacks of files in every office. RFID commonly cuts the labor in periodic audits (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_Clients/Quotes. asp#ID79) by up to 85%.
About Gowlings
Gowlings is a leading Canadian law firm offering a diverse range of services to help domestic and international organizations achieve their business objectives. Recognized for excellence in business, advocacy and intellectual property law, Gowlings provides dedicated industry expertise in a number of sectors including energy, infrastructure, life sciences, financial services, technology and manufacturing. The Firm combines traditional legal services with innovative solutions in areas such as transfer pricing and tax, government relations and occupational health and safety, to provide business entities with a competitive advantage. Characterized by national strength and regional focus, Gowlings has 750 professionals across offices in Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Waterloo Region, Calgary and Vancouver. The Firm also provides intellectual property services in Russia and the CIS through its office in Moscow and provides strategic global advice to energy, resource and infrastructure clients from its office in London, England. Visit us at gowlings. com (http://www. gowlings. com).
About FileTrail
FileTrail, Inc., is the leading provider of web-based business records automation, including file tracking and records management solutions. FileTrail helps organizations implement and enforce standardized processes in handling paperwork, documenting compliance, and managing workflow, providing a fast-track to "best practices". With FileTrail your organization responds faster and more reliably to internal and external clients, contributing to higher customer retention that is important in today's economy. FileTrail is the leader in UHF RFID for records handling and tracking. FileTrail's RFID technology (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_Solutions/solution. asp? ID=4) brings additional time-savings to managing paperwork including passive tracking, securing exits, and locating critical files using the FileDetector™. FileTrail's clients span over forty industries on three continents, including Law Firms (http://www. filetrail. com/WS_Solutions/industry. asp? ind=6), and range from local companies to the Fortune 100, and from city government to Federal agencies. Headquartered in San Jose, California, FileTrail has been providing solutions for records management since 2001. Visit us at FileTrail. com (http://www. FileTrail. com).
© 2008, FileTrail, Inc. FileTrail is a registered trademark, and FileDetector and RFMobile are trademarks of FileTrail, Inc.
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