Macpherson Kelley uses pdfDocs for paperless review and filing of court documents electronically
Client Challenge
- Continue towards a PaperLite environment by offering flexible ways of working
- Better service clients in an increasingly digital and mobile world
- Reduce reliance on hardcopy documents
- Find a more efficient way for the client to review evidence as part of the submissions process
pdfDocs as a solution
- Submissions are completed predominantly in electronic form
- The process of creating and submitting court filings is now digital
- pdfDocs binder bundles all evidence submitted as exhibits into a single file
- Electronic file transfer to clients is secure
- The document editing and review process is done digitally to reduce paper usage
- The Organizer mode in pdfDocs allows new and amended documents to be added to a single file
- The electronic PDF binder created by pdfDocs can be uploaded for submission to IP Australia
Business Value
- Using pdfDocs saved support staff hours of printing and scanning
- A more efficient process allows the firm to service clients faster
- The client now has a far more efficient way to review the evidence
- Significantly fewer hardcopy pages are being printed
Macpherson Kelley is a hands-on commercial law firm that works in partnership with business owners and professionals in commercial ventures of every shape and size. While the industries they work in differ, the climate varies and the footy code changes from state to state their lawyers remain dedicated to local clients, backed by the support of a national firm. As Australia’s only member of Multilaw – a global association of over 80 law firms worldwide providing clients access to lawyers in the UK, Europe, Asia, USA, and Africa and the sub-continent – Macpherson Kelley takes the worry out of cross-border deals or disputes.
Challenge: Offer flexible ways of working and servicing clients who are increasingly digital
Macpherson Kelley is on a path to a PaperLite environment in which they offer flexible ways of working and servicing their clients in an increasingly digital and mobile world. Part of the firm’s reason for needing new PDF software was to make the evidence review, approval, and filing process a digital one. In doing so, they sought to make the process more efficient and less reliant on paper. In the past a hardcopy of a court submission – which could be thousands of pages – would need to be sent to the client, marked up or signed, and sent back to the firm for the changes to be applied before filing. As a manual process, it was slow and cumbersome, often relying on support staff to complete hours of printing and scanning.
Macpherson Kelley wanted to align their services with the way their clients were working, which was digitally and, often, remotely. Relying on sending hard copies in the mail was significantly slowing down the review and approval process for each of the many thousands of important cases they handle each year.
Solution: pdfDocs enabled digital document review and approval, making the submission process more efficient
pdfDocs became an integral part of Macpherson Kelley’s journey to an efficient PaperLite environment. The PDF creation, editing, and review solution is an important tool in assisting the firm to achieve many outcomes, one of which was to make client interactions easier through digital workflows.
A key example is filing an Evidence of Use submission in relation to a Trade Mark Opposition – which is now completed predominantly in electronic form. Principal, Belinda Sigismundi, and Lawyer, Georgia Davies-Jackson at the firm used pdfDocs binder to make the process more efficient and less reliant on paper.
Of the 2,356 pages that made up one such submission, only 36 pages constituted the Statutory Declaration and exhibit sheets that needed to be signed by the Applicant. The documents containing all the evidence being submitted as exhibits were bundled together into a single file using pdfDocs binder and sent securely to the Applicant using a large file send. Before signing the Declaration and exhibit sheets, the Applicant and Lawyer reviewed the electronic file together onscreen using pdfDocs. The signed Declaration and exhibit sheets were then scanned and added to the binder for uploading and submission to IP Australia.
Conclusion
pdfDocs has not only sped up the client review and approval process, but it has also saved many hours of printing and scanning for the firm’s support staff. Significantly fewer hardcopy pages are being used since pdfDocs enables on-screen editing, digital signatures, and secure electronic distribution. Thanks to pdfDocs Macpherson Kelley is now able to service the clients the same way they work – quickly, efficiently, and digitally.