At echo.legal, we want to bring legal technology to a wider audience by showing how we work with our clients using document automation to create business results.
We partner with Hogan Lovell’s expert document automation team - led by Sarah Houghton in the Knowledge function - as it continues its journey to embed Contract Express within the firm and for its clients.
This is their story.
A global law firm solving complex issues
Hogan Lovells is well known for being a leading global law firm that solves complex legal issues. It has been on a continual digital transformation journey for the past few years and was one of the early adopters of Contract Express. Since 2017 its document automation team has been delivering against a large remit to increase usage beyond internal adoption, embed the platform fully throughout the firm and extend use to its clients.
echo.legal has partnered with the team over the past two years to support them on this.
Supporting teams with expert coding knowledge
When Hogan Lovells started out on its document automation journey, the team comprised of just three expert automators. To support overflow work and fill resource gaps, Hogan Lovells started working with echo.legal in 2021. Sarah Houghton, Senior Knowledge Manager, said:
“The team at echo.legal has the experience we need. They have all run similar projects and so know how to navigate internal challenges when it comes to getting content finalised. Having echo.legal’s practice support lawyers on tap who can give an extremely quick turn around on mark-ups is such a huge value add.”
An important consideration for Hogan Lovells is to ensure they keep control of the templates:
"echo.legal works in a collaborative way, submitting well thought-out submission notes with each draft to ensure our knowledge lawyers have full control over the automation. Once a project is complete, the templates are handed back to Hogan Lovells to update and maintain going forward. In this way the practice groups are able to retain complete control over their templates."
Bulk Generation, Contract Express and HighQ Collaborate
Over the past two years, Hogan Lovells’ Contract Express project has moved on rapidly. From focussing on model documents, the document automation team - working directly with KLs and lawyers in the practice - has now moved on to more complex document automation and usage stats continue to grow.
The document automation team has also been working on iSheet integration projects and whole workflows. It is increasingly using bulk generation for practices such as employment and developing client portals where clients can answer questionnaires and generate their own documents. echo.legal has greatly assisted with the automation on these projects.
Hogan Lovells are not just streamlining automation processes but creating workflows which will reduce email traffic and provide status updates and dashboards, utilising both Contract Express and HighQ Collaborate. As echo.legal is familiar with both platforms, they can help when it comes to adapting the code for them.
Sarah said:
“echo.legal "gets" law firms. They know how we work, they know what a knowledge lawyer’s day looks like. When it is an especially complex document, they will join us on a call with our KLs and lawyers, as we know they are such a quality extension of our team.
Quality is first-rate and we never have to worry. echo.legal’s automation is always a high standard. We also appreciate how the team manages our expectations and sets boundaries. They empower us to plan in a realistic way. They will always say the level of automation that is appropriate and will always be ethical around this and never automate where not necessary.
echo.legal really feels like an extension of the team, not an external vendor.”
We continue to partner with Hogan Lovells as they continue automation and integrated workflows across the firm and with their clients to fully leverage the power of their legal technology stack.
If you are a law firm looking for support with your legal technology and document automation projects, from Contract Express to HighQ to Avvoka, Contact Us to see how we are able to partner with you.