Case Study: How a Regional Law Firm Cut Document Processing Time by 70%

Background: Midpoint & Associates is a 120-lawyer firm specializing in corporate litigation. They historically relied on manual scanning and paralegal review for discovery, averaging 6 weeks for initial document intake on complex cases. The firm selected DocScan Cloud to accelerate the intake, indexing, and initial review stages.

Objectives and constraints

The firm had three clear objectives:

1. Reduce time-to-first-review for discovery documents.
2. Ensure chain-of-custody and auditability for evidence handling.
3. Keep sensitive client documents within a controlled environment.

Constraints included strict confidentiality, the presence of handwritten annotations on many documents, and mixed data formats from clients.

Solution architecture

The deployment combined DocScan Cloud's on-prem connector (for sensitive casework) with cloud-based batch processing for non-sensitive archival materials. Key components:

• Secure intake: dedicated SFTP endpoints for clients, with automatic forwarding to a quarantined processing bucket.
• Preprocessing pipeline: automated image enhancement and de-duplication.
• Classification & extraction: DocScan Cloud auto-classified documents and extracted key entities (dates, parties, amounts).
• Review UI: validated outputs integrated into the firm's case management system with audit trails and redaction tools.

Implementation highlights

Implementation took nine weeks from kickoff to first production run, including pilot runs on two active cases. The firm's staff appreciated the validation UI that showed confidence scores and allowed batch corrections. The legal team used automated tagging to prioritize documents for attorney review (e.g., privileged communications, signatures).

Outcomes

• Time-to-first-review: Reduced from 6 weeks to under 2 weeks for similar case sizes.
• Paralegal effort: Manual triage time dropped by 70%, freeing staff for higher-value tasks.
• Accuracy: Field-level extraction accuracy for printed documents exceeded 95%. Handwritten annotations required human validation but were triaged effectively using confidence scores.
• Compliance: Full audit trails, chain-of-custody logs, and fine-grained access controls satisfied the firm's internal counsel and external compliance requirements.

Lessons learned

Key operational lessons from Midpoint & Associates include:

1. Start with high-volume, high-value document classes (e.g., contracts, invoices) where automated extraction delivers immediate ROI.
2. Use confidence thresholds to route documents intelligently between automated and manual review.
3. Invest in capture standards for client-provided documents: simple instructions about resolution and orientation significantly improved downstream accuracy.

"Automating the intake and initial triage freed our team to focus on legal analysis rather than paperwork." — Managing Partner

Final thoughts

This case demonstrates how targeted automation with a hybrid cloud approach can transform legal operations. DocScan Cloud's combination of on-prem capability, robust validation tooling, and integration into the case management system made the program both practical and defensible for the firm's privacy obligations.