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Mattern Establishes Information Governance Program and Restructures Off-site Records Storage Contracts to Ease Destruction and Improve Costs for a 28% Savings

Headquartered in the Midwest, this 193-attorney law firm with 9 offices had just completed a
conversion to Thomson Reuters’ 3E. The next hurdle for firm leadership was the deployment of an
Information Governance (IG) program addressing both their paper and electronic records as well as
improving the firm’s off-site records storage contract. After meeting Rob Mattern at an industry
show and attending a number of Mattern information sessions focusing on implementable IG
polices and retention schedules, the firm selected Mattern to lead the analysis.

BACKGROUND
Headquartered in the Midwest, this 193-attorney law firm with 9 offices had just completed a
conversion to Thomson Reuters’ 3E. The next hurdle for firm leadership was the deployment of an
Information Governance (IG) program addressing both their paper and electronic records as well as
improving the firm’s off-site records storage contract. After meeting Rob Mattern at an industry
show and attending a number of Mattern information sessions focusing on implementable IG
polices and retention schedules, the firm selected Mattern to lead the analysis.

PROCESS
Mattern began the project by assessing the firm’s current workflow, document management system
(DMS), and gathering locations of both paper and electronic records. In addition, Mattern
consultants conducted interviews with a cross-section of roles across the firm from top leadership to
legal administrative assistants to office managers.

Also, as part of the initial evaluation, the firm’s off-site holdings and annual spend were
benchmarked against the market with the aim of reducing their overall spend in off-site records
storage and improving the terms and conditions, while consolidating their contracts.
Here, Mattern recommended a competitive RFP process to the three incumbent service providers to
drive the best overall pricing and terms, and to include shredding in the RFP.

RESULTS
Using Mattern’s experience and knowledge of information governance (IG) best practices, current
data regulations, and risk mitigation, Mattern consultants made the following recommendations
based upon the thorough analysis of the firm’s IG needs:
• Identify IG Steering Committee members to review, fine-tune, and endorse IG policy
components.
• Appoint an Executive Sponsor to approve the policy with information retention and
compliance measures
• Consider 3rd party retention schedule research/subscription services
• Update language in client engagement and matter close letters
• Assign file naming convention project to select Steering Committee members and/or practice
group representatives to standardize nomenclature
• Update end user resources in support of IG policies and sanctioned use of firm systems in
training collateral
• Formally market and launch new IG framework, expectations, and incentive program

For the firm’s off-site holdings, after reviewing responses and conducting interviews with all the
service providers, the firm elected to renew its off-site storage agreement with the incumbent for a
10-year term and expand this partnership to include inventory in two of their satellite locations.

The results were an overall reduction in costs of 28%, fixed pricing, minimum storage requirements
that allow for destruction and a defined account termination process.

The firm’s Information Governance Manager gave Mattern an NPS score of 10 and commented:
"The review and recommendations that Mattern provided are very helpful and will help my
firm drastically improve our information governance policies, procedures and practices. I
look forward to continuing to work with Mattern on the actual implementation of those
recommendations."

A prominent Texas-based law firm with over 260 attorneys and a 70+ year history enlisted Mattern’s expertise to address escalating offsite records storage costs. The firm sought a strategic solution to manage its paper records efficiently, aiming to reduce storage expenses and ultimately eliminate the need for offsite storage altogether.

Mattern Assists Texas-Based Law Firm in Consolidating Offsite Records Storage, Securing a 16% Cost Reduction Through Strategic Contract Negotiations

Mattern Assists Texas-Based Law Firm in Consolidating Offsite Records Storage, Securing a 16% Cost Reduction Through Strategic Contract Negotiations

Headquartered in Charlotte, this well-established 275-attorney firm with 8 offices serves clients throughout the southeast and Washington, DC.  The firm had multiple offsite records providers serving location-specific offices.  In an all-too-familiar scenario, a larger provider which housed a significant portion of the firm’s records had recently been purchased by another provider, the result of which had caused the firm’s service to go from bad to worse - including missing boxes - raising serious doubts as to the accuracy of the firm’s inventory.

Mattern Helps Regional Firm Consolidate Vendors, Increase Destruction Limits, and Win a Significant 31% Savings in Offsite Records Costs

Mattern Helps Regional Firm Consolidate Vendors, Increase Destruction Limits, and Win a Significant 31% Savings in Offsite Records Costs

With more than 80 attorneys, Woods Rogers PLC is one of the largest law firms in Virginia.

In 2020, the firm’s offsite records storage contract with their national provider was coming up for renewal.  After a complimentary benchmark by Mattern, Woods Rogers’ leadership knew their pricing and terms could be dramatically improved.

Mattern Helps Woods Rogers Find a Way Out of Prohibitive Offsite Storage Contract at No Cost to the Firm

Mattern Helps Woods Rogers Find a Way Out of Prohibitive Offsite Storage Contract at No Cost to the Firm

Pierce Atwood LLP is a multi-service law firm based in New England with over 160 attorneys in six offices in the northeast U.S. The firm utilized Mattern in the past to complete a competitive request for proposal process for their outsourcing services.

Pierce Atwood Turns Again to Mattern to Assist with Incumbent Outsourcing Renewal and Achieves 17% Savings

Pierce Atwood Turns Again to Mattern to Assist with Incumbent Outsourcing Renewal and Achieves 17% Savings

With nearly 400 attorneys across 24 domestic offices, this Southeast-based Am Law 200 firm had a firm-wide initiative to examine and strategically reduce back-office expenses.

Southeast-based Am Law 200 Firm Leverages Mattern to Find Savings and Improved Services in Office Supplies

Southeast-based Am Law 200 Firm Leverages Mattern to Find Savings and Improved Services in Office Supplies

This 350 attorney, New York-based firm is one of the leading law firms serving the financial services sector.

Mattern’s Contract Compliance Delivers Savings, Captures Headcount Reduction of 27% for Am Law 200 Firm

Mattern’s Contract Compliance Delivers Savings, Captures Headcount Reduction of 27% for Am Law 200 Firm

This 45-attorney, Northern California firm sought to improve costs and contract terms and conditions for its offsite records storage as well as on-site services including thousands of square feet of basement records storage, shredding services and also address an overall need to develop an information governance (IG) program that would allow for the defensible destruction of decades worth of records.

Northern California Firm Improves Information Governance Program and Reduces Offsite Records Storage Costs, Achieving High 6-Figure Savings

Northern California Firm Improves Information Governance Program and Reduces Offsite Records Storage Costs, Achieving High 6-Figure Savings

Marshall Dennehey is a highly regarded Am Law 200 firm with 500 attorneys across seven states. They have been practicing law for over 60 years and are one of the nation’s largest law firms devoted to civil defense litigation.

Mattern Helps Marshall Dennehey Reduce Office Supplies Spend by 33%

Mattern Helps Marshall Dennehey Reduce Office Supplies Spend by 33%

This Am Law 200 firm with 312 attorneys in 18 offices engaged Mattern in 2014 to analyze and make recommendations to improve the firm’s offsite records and ultimately lead a Request for Proposal (RFP) process and contract negotiation.

Mattern Helps Am Law 200 Firm Enhance Value of Offsite Records Contract with Ongoing Contract Compliance

Mattern Helps Am Law 200 Firm Enhance Value of Offsite Records Contract with Ongoing Contract Compliance

This Boston-based firm had approximately 3,000 cubic feet of files in storage with a national off-site records storage vendor the firm had targeted for destruction prior to the pandemic.

Mattern Reduces Records Destruction Costs by 62.5% for Boston Firm

Mattern Reduces Records Destruction Costs by 62.5% for Boston Firm

In 2022, Mattern was selected to evaluate traditional outsourcing services in 4 of its 19 offices for this Michigan-based Am Law 200 firm with more than 450 attorneys.

Mattern Helps Am Law 200 Firm Reshape Outsourcing Strategy for Substantial Savings and Wins Six-Figure Signing Incentive

Mattern Helps Am Law 200 Firm Reshape Outsourcing Strategy for Substantial Savings and Wins Six-Figure Signing Incentive

This Global 100/Am Law 100 firm has 700 attorneys and 13 domestic offices and had previously engaged Mattern to negotiate the firm’s offsite records contract, achieving solid results; however, when it came to renewal time, the firm’s long-standing provider proposed an increase in storage and service costs of up to 13% each year of the new term—an offer leadership felt could be better.

Mattern Turns Offsite Records Contract Renewal Into Significant Win for Global 100/Am Law 100 Firm, Incumbent Pays Fees

Mattern Turns Offsite Records Contract Renewal Into Significant Win for Global 100/Am Law 100 Firm, Incumbent Pays Fees

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