Beyond the Tools: What Actually Works in Law Firm Collaboration

Thomas Hawkins – April 11, 2025  – 6 mins read

If you’ve ever tried convincing a group of seasoned litigators to stop emailing Word docs back and forth and use a centralised collaboration platform, you already know: the challenge isn’t technology — it’s culture, consistency, and sometimes just fatigue.

Over the last few years, my role has evolved from “IT problem solver” to something closer to “digital shepherd.” We’re not just keeping systems running — we’re navigating shifting user expectations, tightening compliance rules, and managing vendors who promise the world but forget we work in law, not marketing.

So, I won’t tell you what you already know about Slack vs Teams or which DMS has the slickest UX. Instead, here’s a snapshot of what we’ve actually done recently, what worked (and didn’t), and what I’d do differently if I could hit reset.

Retiring Slack: The Right Call for the Wrong Reasons?

Two years ago, I made the call to retire Slack.

We’d introduced it during lockdown — quick win, agile rollout, and honestly, it was great for what it was. But it quickly became a digital island. No real integration with our DMS. No structured permission model. And worst of all, two versions of the same conversation: one in Slack, one in Outlook.

The final straw? A partner forwarded me a screen grab of a Slack thread asking, “Is this official?” That was enough. We phased Slack out over three months and migrated everyone onto Microsoft Teams — not because it was better UX, but because it fit our stack.

Looking back, the move was right — but it taught me a lesson: don’t choose tools for speed of rollout alone. Choose them for sustainability and alignment with your long-term architecture.

What’s Actually Working for Us Right Now

Microsoft Teams (Reluctantly, but Successfully):
We’ve finally found our rhythm. Teams is clunky in places, yes — but once we got the governance right (naming conventions, private vs public channels, user onboarding templates), it started working with us instead of against us.

The turning point? Embedding Teams directly into our case workflows. Channels are now created automatically when a new matter is opened in the PMS. Standard folder structure, relevant parties pre-invited. No more ad hoc chaos.

Email Is Still King (But Less So):
I won’t pretend we’ve “ditched email.” That’s fiction. But we’ve trained teams to shift internal back-and-forth into Teams chats, and we use shared mailboxes far more intentionally. It’s about volume control, not elimination.

Collaboration with Clients? Still a Work in Progress.
This is our biggest sticking point. External collaboration tools like HighQ and SharePoint have promise, but adoption is uneven. Clients want simplicity, and often, that means email + PDF. We’re experimenting with secure Teams guest access for certain corporate clients, and early feedback is encouraging — but it requires heavy hand-holding.

Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way

• Never roll out a tool without a decommission plan. If you don’t clearly phase out the old way of working, users will just do both — and your support inbox will suffer.
• Adoption starts with workflow, not training. If a tool doesn’t map to how your fee earners actually work, no amount of training will save it.
• Change management is 70% of the job. You can spec the perfect stack on paper — but if you don’t get partner buy-in and admin champions early, expect friction.

What I’m Exploring Next

• Teams Phone System + Call Recording: We’re actively piloting Teams as a replacement for our ageing VoIP solution. So far, call quality is solid and the integration with Outlook calendars is saving time.
• Matter-centric collaboration templates: Think auto-generated Teams setups based on matter type — with pinned tabs for DMS access, timelines, and key contacts.
• Reducing tool sprawl: We’ve started consolidating overlapping tools. No more “one tool per department” — it’s time to think firm-wide again.

Final Thought: You’re Not Alone

If you’re also juggling multiple collaboration platforms, user complaints, budget limitations, and a to-do list that never shrinks — you’re not alone. We’re all solving the same problems with slightly different constraints.

My advice? Build for sustainability, not just speed. Listen to your users — but don’t let them dictate the architecture. And remember, sometimes doing less, better, is the smartest thing you can do for your tech stack.

Always up for a chat about tech, so grab me at the next Legal Digital Tools meet-up – I promise I am friendly (haha).