The Legal Information Access Center (CAIJ) is a non-profit organization that facilitates access to legal information in Quebec. Its legal team is responsible for managing and tracking the organization's contracts. To optimize its contractual processes, the CAIJ uses the Contract Management module from Septeo Legal Suite.
Our team recently had the pleasure of speaking with Maude Cormier, Legal Technician at Executive Management for the Legal Information Access Center (CAIJ). Working within a small team managing nearly 500 contracts, she explained why CAIJ chose Septeo Legal Suite's Contract Management module, the key benefits achieved, and the features that make a world of difference in their daily operations
"We are a small team dedicated primarily to contract management. For me, it is the core of my job: I manage the tracking of all our agreements and act as the institutional memory for our contracts. My colleagues focus more on negotiations and drafting, while I handle the operational follow-up alongside them. We also work very closely with Human Resources, Accounting, and many other departments. Our scope of work is very diverse."
"Previously, management was extremely manual. We used Excel spreadsheets and an old, unintuitive software. It was impossible for us to have a global view of our contract portfolio, and the reports generated never reflected the reality on the ground. We were wasting a considerable amount of time on duplicate data entry; it was a particularly cumbersome process."
We consulted several vendors, but Legal Suite clearly stood out for two major reasons: its excellent value for money and, above all, its high level of modularity. We had very specific processes within our organization and we absolutely wanted a tool capable of adapting to our way of working, rather than the other way around. That is precisely what made the difference for us.
"The single biggest benefit is time savings. Previously, we spent an enormous amount of time filling out Excel spreadsheets and manually entering data. Today, everything is far more automated and intuitive. Time savings and efficiency go hand in hand. The reports are fully customizable, allowing us to adapt them to our exact needs, and all information is centralized. For us, that makes a massive difference"
"Yes. Before, I had to pull a spreadsheet of all the agreements up for renewal every single week, write to each manager individually, and follow up by email. It often took me a half-day. Today, thanks to automated notifications, managers receive their reminders directly, handle their follow-ups within the software, and only contact me if there is something specific. I no longer have to do all that work manually. In addition, I used to have to calculate renewal dates by hand—a tedious process highly prone to human error. Now, once information is logged in the system, tracking happens automatically. A huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We know deadlines will be met, giving us real peace of mind."
"For us, it's a real game-changer. They completely automate renewal follow-ups and allow managers to be autonomous."
"During our financial audits, we have to produce reports on all our agreements with royalties. Before, we built these spreadsheets entirely by hand. Today, we simply extract the report, add a little information if needed, and we're done. Plus, the data is always up to date."
"We make heavy use of emails sent directly from contract records. When a manager wants to notify us about a change, negotiation, or special case, they write to us directly from the relevant contract record. This dramatically improves tracking, ensuring all communication remains attached to the correct agreement."
"We had a very specific requirement regarding emails sent from contract files. We wanted the contract reference number to automatically populate in the email subject line so we could instantly identify which agreement was being referenced.
The Septeo eam heled us configure this custom rule. Today, it operates automatically and seamlessly. It was a very specific request tailored to our workflow, but they found a solution that truly simplified our lives."
"Every organization has its own way of doing things. For us, what truly made the difference was choosing software capable of adapting to our work methods, rather than the other way around.Legal Suite allowed us to automate numerous administrative tasks, save time, and operate far more efficiently. Today, we can dedicate significantly more time to high-value projects rather than administrative follow-ups.”
