Orrick
Practicing Innovation
What If a global law firm could redefine how it solves complex internal matters to efficiently deliver results?
A Firm Versed in Technology and Innovation Finds New Ways to Deliver Gold-Standard Service Internally
Due to increased business demand, Orrick’s intranet experienced tremendous growth as it expanded to include thousands of pages, reports, and business applications. The firm didn’t have a centralized content management system or a modern search platform, and needed a quicker and more efficient way of managing and distributing information to meet its clients’ needs.
We partnered with Orrick on a new content management system that would allow the firm to create more value for attorneys and employees through an integrated, personalized experience. The firm had previously used Sitecore to build its public-facing website and chose to use the platform for its new intranet as well.
A Reimagined Homepage
Orrick’s new intranet homepage, dubbed “Orrick Today,” presents a visually appealing welcome page that gives each user a continuously updated view into news and insights at the firm including recent wins, news mentions, and a firm-wide calendar. Users can also use the new homepage to catch up on the most recent posts from Orrick’s internal blog, which showcases the latest news and happenings relevant to lawyers and employees.
A personalized “Your Page” varies based on the employee’s role, office, and department. “We wanted to deliver impactful information to users in as few clicks as possible,” explained Scott Mortenson, Orrick’s intranet owner. “We’ve had great initial success in splitting firm information and personal information, but we wanted to make sure we give users quick and easy access to both.”
Driving Value Based on Role
To improve efficiency and provide each employee the information they need, Orrick developed “personas” based on the way team members work. Each user falls into one of these detailed personas, which were derived through interviews with users to determine their needs, then evolved based on job titles and other parameters specific to each person.
“We took a huge step forward by discovering what information was most important to people, and then making sure to deliver it at the right time they need it,” said Mortenson. “We understand our users have varying responsibilities and workflows, and now we have a platform that allows us to intelligently predict, tweak, and deliver information.”
With the personas now in place, Orrick team members are now provided with a personalized view of the information they need. Orrick’s new intranet integrates information from multiple systems such as billing, time management, and document management, and surfaces data from those systems in visually appealing dashboards.
Real-time Access to Insights
Client and matter pages now aggregate information from a range of business-critical systems and are customized so that partners, associates, administrative and support staff can obtain real-time information regarding a client or matter.
The goal was to provide a single location to find information and access knowledge about matters or clients, with the ultimate goal of providing the highest possible level of quality client service for Orrick.
These new pages have boosted efficiency across the firm. A partner can quickly bring up a client page, jump on a call with that client, and be prepared to update the client or respond to questions or challenges in a quick and intelligent manner.
Intelligent Search
Prior to re-building the intranet, content management and enterprise search were siloed and not intuitive, requiring users to first select which repository they wanted to search.
The new platform can handle all the firm’s internal search needs search, and search functionality is fully integrated with all pages of the site. The results are delivered within the same page templates, with the same look, feel, and navigation as the rest of the site.
One significant addition is a predictive search, which provides users results as they type. Top hits are shown by people, clients, matters, and intranet pages, and employees can easily choose to limit the search to specific buckets, such as clients or matters, or see the results in one view.
Mobile-Responsive for 24/7 Access
To support Orrick’s mobile-first strategy and support 24/7 client service, all intranet pages are mobile-responsive and allow users to access the site using a range of devices.
Results
Orrick has elevated its game with a more visually appealing intranet that is easy to use on desktop and mobile; a content management system that can support a wide array of workflows and department and practice needs; and a type-ahead search experience fully integrated into the intranet experience. Perficient and Orrick received a 2019 WebAward for outstanding achievement in web development.
