At a Glance
Industry: Financial Services (Banking)
Department: Legal Department
Challenge: Hours-long document searches, scattered files, no audit trails
Solution: MaxFiles document management + automated workflows
Results: 85% faster retrieval, zero compliance issues, same-day audit responses
Highlights
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- 85% reduction in document retrieval time: Lawyers locate any contract or filing in under a minute instead of hours
- Complete audit trail capability: Every document action tracked automatically for regulatory compliance
- Digital approval workflows: Replaced physical signatures and email routing with automated processes
- Metadata-driven search: Find documents by matter, client, date, or document type instantly
- Cross-functional access: Finance, compliance, and operations access legal documents with proper controls
About GTBank Legal Department
As the legal arm of one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, GTBank’s Legal Department handles thousands of contracts, regulatory filings, litigation documents, and compliance records annually. The team provides legal counsel across all bank operations like commercial lending and corporate transactions to regulatory compliance and risk management.
With multiple practice groups serving different business units across GTBank’s extensive branch network, the Legal Department must maintain documentation standards while responding quickly to business needs. In an industry where regulatory compliance isn’t optional and audit readiness is critical, document management is critical because it protects the institution.
Key Challenges Before MaxFiles
Document Searches took hours, not minutes
Locating a specific contract meant opening filing cabinets, scrolling through shared drives with inconsistent folder names, checking email threads from months ago, and often just asking around the department to see if anyone remembered handling that particular file.
“You’d get a request for a three-year-old loan agreement, and then you’d have to check old email, look through archived folders, hoping the person who worked on it is still with the team and remembers where they saved it.”
GTBank Legal team member
For urgent requests like needing immediate contract verification, or a litigation matter requiring historical files, these searches created real operational friction. Legal work got delayed not because of legal complexity, but because finding the relevant documents took longer than reviewing them.
No Clear Record of Document History
Without a central system tracking document access and changes, the department operated in a documentation blind spot. The department had no systematic way to track who accessed which document, when changes were made, or which version was current.
“During audits, we couldn’t demonstrate who approved what or when. If a compliance question arose about a three-year-old transaction, we’d spend days trying to reconstruct the approval chain from memory email threads and paper files.”
GTBank Legal compliance officer
For a department that must demonstrate regulatory compliance and maintain attorney-client privilege, this lack of documentation control was a liability.
Manual Paper-Based Processes
Despite being a digital-forward bank, the Legal Department still relied heavily on physical documents that had to be manually routed for signatures and approvals. A contract requiring three lawyer approvals meant printing, physically walking it between offices, scanning, and re-emailing.
“Cross-departmental collaboration was painful. If Finance needed to see a vendor contract or Operations needed contract expiration dates, we’d have to locate the physical file, make copies, or scan and email. And if someone needed something while you were out of office, they were stuck.”
GTBank Legal operations manager
This manual routing created delays in legal approvals that affected the entire bank’s operations.
MaxFiles Solution
GTBank Legal chose MaxFiles for its bank-grade security, straightforward implementation process, and local support that understood Nigerian regulatory requirements without disrupting ongoing legal operations..
Single Repository for All Legal Documents
Every legal document, regardless of type, age, or business unit, now lives in one secure, searchable location. Contracts from five years ago sit alongside documents created yesterday, all organized using consistent metadata rather than arbitrary folder structures.
Documents are tagged with specific legal information like:
- Client name
- Matter number
- Document category (contract, memo, filing, correspondence)
- Business unit and practice group
- Key dates (execution, expiration, filing deadlines)
- Approval status and responsible attorney
This means anyone in the Legal Department can find what they need in seconds using MaxFiles powerful search, without knowing where the file is stored.
Automated Workflows for Contract Review and Approvals
MaxFiles workflow automation eliminated manual document routing. Now, when a business unit submits a contract for legal review, MaxFiles automatically:
- Routes the document to the appropriate practice group attorney
- Notifies reviewers via email
- Tracks review status in real-time
- Sends reminders for pending approvals
- Archives the complete approval trail for compliance
“Contract reviews that used to require physical signatures and manual routing now happen digitally. Everyone can see exactly where a document is in the approval process. No more chasing people down.”
GTBank Legal operations manager
Attorneys review documents digitally, add their comments directly in the system, and route to the next reviewer with one click. Everyone sees the same version, and the complete review trail is preserved automatically.
Complete Audit Trails for Every Document
MaxFiles automatically logs every document interaction: who accessed it, when, what changes were made, and why. For compliance-critical documents, the system provides granular permission controls, ensuring only authorized personnel can approve final versions or access privileged materials.
“Every action is tracked. If compliance or audit asks who approved a particular contract three years ago, we can pull the complete history in seconds. That level of documentation was impossible before.”
GTBank Legal compliance officer
Integration with Existing Bank Systems
MaxFiles integrated seamlessly with GTBank’s existing Microsoft Office environment, so lawyers didn’t have to abandon familiar tools. Contracts can be edited in Word, with changes automatically synced back to MaxFiles and tracked in the version history.
For added security, MaxFiles deployed role-based access controls that ensure sensitive legal documents are only visible to authorized personnel, with full audit trails of every access.
The Results
85% Faster Document Retrieval
The impact was immediate and measurable. Document searches that previously took hours now take minutes, or even seconds in most cases.
“We’ve cut document retrieval time by 85%. A lawyer can search for any contract, filing, or memo and have it on screen in seconds. That time savings adds up to hours every day across our entire team.”
GTBank Legal team member
During a recent regulatory audit, the team produced all requested documentation in under 30 minutes, a process that previously would have taken days.
Zero Compliance Issues
With MaxFiles as the system of record, GTBank Legal now has complete audit trails for every document. Every access, edit, and approval is logged automatically.
“We’ve eliminated compliance gaps. When auditors or regulators request documentation, we demonstrate complete control, who approved what, when, and why. Since implementing MaxFiles, we’ve passed every audit with zero document-related findings.”
GTBank Legal compliance officer
The automated retention policies ensure documents are kept for required periods and disposed of properly when retention periods expire, eliminating manual tracking.
Seamless Cross-Departmental Collaboration
Legal documents now flow efficiently between the Legal Department and other bank units. Finance can access approved contracts when needed. Compliance can review regulatory filings in real-time. Operations can track contract expirations. All with proper access controls and full audit trails.
“For example, when Finance needs to verify vendor contract terms for payment processing, they access the approved contract directly from MaxFiles, no need to email Legal and wait for someone to find and forward the file. That level of coordination wasn’t possible before.”
GTBank Legal operations manager
Reclaimed Time for Strategic Legal Work
By eliminating the document management burden, GTBank’s legal team now spends significantly more time on high-value legal work, advising business units, negotiating deals, managing risk, rather than hunting for files.
“MaxFiles has given our lawyers hours back every week. Instead of searching for documents, they’re providing strategic counsel. That’s the work we want our legal team focused on.”
GTBank Legal executive
Foundation for Continued Growth
As GTBank grows and regulatory requirements evolve, the Legal Department’s document infrastructure scales without requiring proportional increases in administrative support.
“MaxFiles handles volume effortlessly. Whether we’re managing 500 active matters or 5,000, the search works the same, the workflows run the same, and nothing falls through the cracks. That scalability matters as the bank continues growing.”
GTBank Legal executive
About MaxFiles
MaxFiles is Nigeria’s leading document management and business process automation platform, helping organizations digitize documents, streamline approvals, and manage records securely. Priced in Naira and built for African businesses, MaxFiles serves companies across manufacturing, finance, real estate, healthcare, and government sectors.
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