Loyens & Loeff enables staff to work more efficiently with iManage in the cloud

Headquartered in Amsterdam, Loyens & Loeff is an independent law firm specializing in tax, civil, and notarial matters. The leading Dutch firm employs 1,500 professionals who serve customers around the world from offices in their home markets of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and New York. The award-winning firm puts people at the heart of its business and invests in the latest technology to enable staff to better serve their clients.

Taking document management to the next level

Loyens & Loeff is unlike any other law firm in the Netherlands. It is a leading firm of 1,500 employees that pride themselves on combining expertise with innovative, entrepreneurial approaches to ensure success. When it comes to technology, that means investing in the best solutions that free up lawyers to focus on what they do best.

“Technology shouldn’t slow down progress. Maintaining on-premises infrastructure lacked the agility and flexibility we needed to innovate at speed,” said Michel Hartogsveld, IT Director at Loyens & Loeff. “We need to give staff the best possible workplace tools, and the most innovative technologies are moving to the cloud.”

Loyens & Loeff is one of the few firms in Europe offering both tax and civil legal services under one roof. The team is made up of civil lawyers, tax specialists, and notaries, and each group has its own clients with unique needs. Civil cases are shorter, for example, while corporate clients seeking tax advice develop a long-term relationship with the firm.

But while the day-to-day business of Loyens & Loeff lawyers varies, the firm needs a consistent, reliable approach to document management to ensure data is secure and easy to find. When its existing on-premises document management system reached end-of-life, the firm decided to find a new solution that was high-performing, well supported, and would accelerate its cloud strategy.

Following an extensive competitive tender evaluating the legal cloud document management solutions on the market, the firm selected iManage Work 10 in the Cloud.

The move to the cloud went seamlessly with support from implementation partner, IRIS. In just three months, global offices across the world went live with a big bang roll out on the same day. The team made sure to replicate the existing document management
structure so staff could work in a solution with a similar look and feel to the previous interface. Loyens & Loeff also trained super-users to streamline user adoption, and today the firm’s entire team of 1,500 employees work in iManage.

“We completed the roll out right on time — so when COVID-19 hit we could pivot to remote working with no downtime,” recalled Hartogsveld. “iManage helped to ensure business continuity for a globally dispersed team with varying COVID-19 restrictions.”

Lawyers create matters or cases in iManage and can easily store all related documents in one place. Built-in security prevents unauthorized access to data while iManage Share makes it easier for staff to collaborate with clients.

The firm also uses iManage Threat Manager to ensure that client data stays secure within Loyens & Loeff’s protection.

An award-winning partnership

IRIS is known for its leading cloud expertise across EMEA and the team’s thorough understanding of Loyens & Loeff’s challenges and objectives were pivotal to the success of the migration.

“We’ve been recommending iManage for more than 20 years. It’s the most advanced cloud platform for document and email management on the market,” said Martijn Tekelenburg, Managing Director at IRIS. The company also won the iManage Cloud Excellence Partner award for two consecutive years, and its work with Loyens & Loeff was recognized as the biggest iManage cloud deal in EMEA.

Empowering lawyers to do what they do best

Implementing iManage document management in the cloud has enabled staff to be more efficient and deliver better services to clients, while keeping their sensitive data secure. “iManage makes life easier for lawyers every day. The powerful search function means we can find the right documents faster, and we can apply security on a matter-by-matter basis,” said Hartogsveld.

Accelerating the firm’s cloud strategy also reduces operating costs. This is particularly significant to Loyens & Loeff in maintaining its reputation as an innovative and technology-driven firm that offers practical solutions for clients.

“Having the right partner and the right technology is crucial for a successful move to cloud. IRIS brought the skills we needed to migrate seamlessly, and iManage brings all the functionality we need to fully support our lawyers and comply with data security regulations,” Hartogsveld concluded.