DocSolid and Ricoh Partner with Am Law 50 Firm to Deliver Large-Scale Digital Transformation
Digitizing 2 Million Pages Onsite, Reducing File Room Footprint for HQ Office Move, and Enabling Hybrid Work
A leading Am Law 50 law firm digitized more than 2 million pages of active paper records onsite in just four months, partnering with DocSolid and Ricoh to reduce its central file room from over 3,000 linear feet to 1,200 ahead of an HQ office move — all while giving its hybrid attorneys secure digital access through iManage.
Rethinking Records in the Hybrid Era
As law firms continue to adapt to hybrid work models and re-evaluate their real estate footprints, traditional paper records management practices are quickly becoming a liability. For this leading international law firm with over 1,000 attorneys across 20+ offices, the challenge was especially pressing at its U.S.-based headquarters.
Optimize Office Space
With more than 3,000 linear feet of active paper files stored onsite and a planned 40–50% reduction in overall square footage, the firm needed a modern digitization solution executed securely, efficiently, and entirely in-house — in partnership with DocSolid and Ricoh.
The Barriers to Going Digital
With a major office relocation looming, the firm faced intense pressure to reduce its physical records footprint without compromising access, compliance, or attorney productivity. Offsite scanning was off the table due to strict security policies — so the challenge became multi-faceted, demanding speed, precision, and control.
- 1Real estate reduction: Required cutting onsite paper storage by more than 60% during an office move.
- 2Hybrid workforce: Attorneys needed seamless, secure access to records wherever they worked.
- 3Limited tolerance for offsite solutions: Due to policy and security concerns, files could not be sent offsite for scanning.
- 4Complexity of physical inventory: Active files required precise handling, variable workflows based on file types, matter profiling, and quality controls connected to secure disposition.
- 5Urgent timeline: The firm had a hard deadline tied to the relocation project and a vast volume of documents to process.
Building a Legal-Grade Scanning Factory — Onsite and On Schedule
The firm engaged DocSolid and Ricoh in a strategic partnership that combined best-in-class legal technology with agile onsite staffing, delivering a turnkey operation.
Purpose-Built Software
DocSolid's Airmail2® Digital Records Room platform enabled barcoded document profiling, stack scanning, automated routing to iManage, and comprehensive QC workflows — all necessary for the digitization process.
Onsite Scalability
Ricoh's experienced legal service team scaled up to 8 cross-trained staff members onsite to manage preparation, scanning, and quality control, flexing as needed based on volume.
Project Leadership
The firm's dedicated project manager and business analyst worked hand-in-hand with vendors to document workflows, gain stakeholder buy-in, and monitor productivity in real time.
Data-Driven Optimization
By analyzing throughput data from the Airmail2 system, the team quickly identified bottlenecks and adjusted people and processing resources as the project flowed forward.
“It really was a collaborative effort between Ricoh and DocSolid. We had a large project team, and I really can't emphasize enough the importance of having a project manager and a business analyst. That was necessary for success.”
— Director of Information Governance, Am Law 50 FirmThe 4-Month Transformation
In just four months, the firm digitized more than 2 million pages of active records — equivalent to 200 filing cabinets — entirely onsite. This effort reduced the firm's central file room footprint from over 3,000 linear feet to just 1,200, aligning with real estate reduction goals tied to their Pacific Northwest headquarters move.
“People are working hybrid and the paper file is just sitting there. They want it in the DMS as part of the actual file.”
— Director of Information Governance, Am Law 50 FirmA Scalable Blueprint for Hybrid-Ready Digital Records Management
The success of the firm's Paper2Digital® transformation provides a new standard for how law firms can modernize records operations without compromising on security, quality, or attorney access. With DocSolid's purpose-built technology and Ricoh's flexible onsite support, the firm met aggressive real estate goals, enabled hybrid legal workflows, and established a repeatable model for future digital initiatives.
“The collaboration between our firm, DocSolid, and Ricoh illustrates what's possible when the right technology, staffing, and leadership converge in a law firm setting. By executing a paper-to-digital transformation onsite and at scale, the firm not only met its space reduction and hybrid work goals, but also laid the foundation for a more secure, agile, and efficient approach to records management.”
Integration Advantages
- iManage logins are not required, allowing outsourced labor
- Fast directory / folder lookup with secure DMS delivery
- Works with reusable cover sheets or barcode labels — including existing IRM barcodes
- Scan stacks of documents at once, press one button
- Hardware agnostic — works with any scanning device
- Automated notifications
- Built-in quality controls
- Day-forward paper scanning option for all iManage users
What's Next
The firm is now completing its Airmail2 Digital Mailroom project, ensuring it stays digital and compliant by capturing inbound legal mail directly to iManage.
For law firms facing similar pressures — shrinking office footprints, evolving hybrid workstyles, and mounting governance expectations — this project offers a proven path forward. When digital transformation is grounded in thoughtful leadership, legal-grade tools, and adaptable staffing, the result is not just operational efficiency. It's future-readiness.
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