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Will Law Firms Love SharePoint 2010?

Ease of use, strong document management and a powerful search have combined to make SharePoint popular with law firms. But will law firms be fond of SharePoint 2010?

Mark Gerow tackles this question in an informative article for law.com. Given the costs and potential disruption in upgrading, Gerow runs through the new features that might compel law firms to move.

Among the features he lists:

• Large Document Library Support - Of critical big importance to law firms, SharePoint 2010 can now support millions of documents. The new version also features enhanced tagging and reporting capabilities.

• Improved Records Management - Records in SharePoint 2010 can be listed in multiple repositories. These documents  can be accessed by designated users on the network for reference but not edited.

• Improved Search - With the purchase of an additional license, SharePoint administrators can power their searches with FAST, a search technology acquired by Microsoft in 2009. FAST search features the ability to index billions of documents, search by client name, industry or area of law, and a thumbnail preview that allows users to see relevance at a glance.

• Easy to Use Workflows - With a new interface, workflows (automated processes for opening a new client case, adding a new employee, etc.) are more easily created by non-programmers.

• Improved Document Editing - Users of SharePoint 2010 can more easily edit documents without the help of IT. Gerow points out this feature may be a double-edged sword, "As more users assume responsibility for authoring their own pages, increased governance around style and content will be required." 

• Offline Access - SharePoint 2010 documents can be taken offline, edited and synchronized later. This may be of good use for traveling attorneys.