Recommendation - Google Docs

The law firm currently uses the word processing program Microsoft Word and is considering switching to Google Docs.

The advantage of using Google Docs is that it allows a team of attorneys to collaborate on a document at the same time.  Attorneys that are working together on different parts of a brief or affidavit, can work in a document at the same time.  This would save time and supplies.  Partners can see what changes associates and other partners are making in the document without creating and saving multiple versions of the same document and then printing it to make written changes and notes to add to another version.  This method of preparing a document and making revisions could take approximately 7 hours.  Utilizing Google Docs could cut billable hours in document preparation, by 20 – 50% which will lower client bills.  Lower client bills will make our clients happy and will be appealing to potential clients.  However, it should be noted that lower client bills could adversely affect the firm’s profits. 

The disadvantage of utilizing Google Docs is lack of protection for Privileged and Confidential documents as well as Attorney Work Product.  Since a Google Doc is a program that not only allows for collaboration but allows an individual to see changes as they are being made, the document cannot be submitted to an adversary without further protection to ensure nothing confidential between the client and attorney is shared.

Staff and attorneys are familiar and, for the most part, well versed in using Microsoft Word.  Switching to Google Docs would require training for the new word processing program, installation of a new document management system, and training for the new system.  

Average training time for word processing programs at the firm is 2 hours/day for 2 days.  The cost to the firm of training attorneys and administrative staff is listed below:

Training for 600 attorneys at an average non-billable hourly rate of $300/hour for 2 days = $720,000.00

Training for the administrative staff of 150 Legal Administrative Assistants, Paralegals and other staff = $21,000 (150 employees x $35 x 2 hours x 2 days)

To train the entire firm on Google Docs would cost approximately $741,000.00

The firm’s current document management system, WorkSite, is not compatible with Google Docs.  With the current system, a Google Doc would be saved as a Word document to the hard drive or the desktop then saved to WorkSite.  This will work in the short term but the hard drive and the desktop are not stable enough places to save documents.  The documents would be susceptible to being lost via PC crashes or loss of functionality of a server(s).  

For a new document management system, the average cost per user is $500.  For 750 employees, it would cost the firm $375,000 for a new document management system.  The training cost would be approximately the same as training for Google Docs - $741,000.

The firm’s Training & Development team would need to travel to the firm’s 21 offices to train the attorneys and staff on the new program and document management system.  Travel costs would average:  $11,020 ($40 x 8 hours (time in each office) x 6 hours (travel) + $700 (airfare) + $400 (hotel) x 21 offices)

The total cost for switching to Google Docs would be $ $1,868,020.

  

For the reasons stated above, I advise that the firm should not switch to Google Docs and continue to use Microsoft Word.