7 Signs Your Law Firm Is Outgrowing Its Current Document System
Your document management system may have served you well, but growth, complexity, and compliance demands can expose its limits. If your team is spending more time managing documents than practicing law, it’s time to rethink your approach. Here are seven signs your firm is ready for an upgrade and how Hive can help.
1. Manual Permission Changes Consume IT
When IT spends most of its time managing manual permissions changes, teams waste valuable resources. Automating these tasks can free up staff for higher-value work.
2. Access Tracked in Spreadsheets
Tracking access in spreadsheets increases the chance of errors and creates compliance risks. A modern system centralizes access management for better accuracy.
3. Inconsistent Retention Policies
Retention policies that are applied inconsistently leave gaps in governance. Consistent enforcement ensures that important information is preserved while outdated files are removed.
4. Difficulty Finding the Right File
Users often struggle to locate the correct version of a document, which slows productivity. Streamlined search and version control help teams work efficiently.
5. Email Archives Outside Your DMS
When email archives live outside your document management system, visibility suffers. Integrating legacy emails improves access and strengthens compliance.
6. Manual and Missed Legal Holds
Legal holds handled manually are prone to errors and can be missed entirely. Automating holds ensures compliance and protects sensitive information.
7. Stressful and Last-Minute Compliance Audits
Audits become stressful when preparation relies on outdated or scattered information. Automated tracking and reporting make audits predictable and efficient.
How Hive Solves It
Hive solves these challenges by adding a modern governance layer to your existing stack. For example, Hive Govern automates access controls and folder provisioning, removing the burden from IT teams. Hive Secure enforces policies consistently, sending alerts when violations occur, thereby keeping compliance on track. At the same time, Hive Mailpath integrates legacy email archives directly into NetDocuments, closing gaps that slow productivity. To add, Hive Discover ensures legal holds remain defensible across platforms. With Hive, firms gain smarter control and stronger governance without the headaches of replacing their entire system.
Upgrade Without the Overhaul
You don’t need to abandon your DMS; you need to enhance it. Hive helps law firms scale securely, automate governance, and reduce risk without disrupting daily workflows.
Trusted by +200 leading industry innovators.
