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PROJECT: DEAL MANAGEMENT PORTAL
ROLE: PRODUCT DESIGNER
CHALLENGE
The current process for managing deal documents between JPMC, end clients, and Outside Counsel (external legal professionals who manage and monitor deal-related paperwork) was outdated and inefficient. Relying on email and physical mail to share critical documents exposed the firm to unnecessary risks and delays.
RESULTS
We launched the Outside Counsel Portal: a centralized, secure platform that allows users to submit, manage, and track deal documents. The result was a measurable reduction in risk, faster deal completion, and a drastically improved experience for both internal teams and external legal partners.
OC USER FLOWS + JPMC DOC REVIEWER FLOWS
Through intensive research, we did a deep dive into the end-to-end user flow of the deal life cycle from deal creation to document submission and review.
FROM PAPER TO DIGITAL
Currently users manually fill out a transaction intake form (TIF) for submission. We digitized this form and initially maintained a process that was consistent with their mental model.
Interviewed 7 OC users over 6 sessions on:
Conducted user testing with:
In the application itself for the deal process, we broke it down into different stages according to the paper (TIF) transaction intake form process. After learning more in detail and getting feedback, we simplified and consolidated the stages even more.
TRANSACTION DETAILS
Details of the transaction provides an overview of each aspect of the deal. Users can fill out the transaction information here.
We streamlined the digital process to ensure transaction details persist throughout the deal, eliminating the need for users to repeatedly enter the same information.
DOCUMENT TAXONOMY AND STATUSES
Previously, the paper TIF process was divided up into 3 stages: pre-closing, post-closing, and sending hard copies to JPMC document review team. Pre and post-closing stages each required documents. We simplified the process by having a single location for users to upload documents for all stages.
Each document uploaded needed to be associated with a document title for reviewers to track and a review status for users to monitor and re-upload any necessary documents.
FORMS
Previously with the TIF, forms were required across both pre and post-closing stages. Because of the complexity of each deal, some forms were prioritized higher than others due to different timings and requirements.
We digitized and consolidated all forms in one place. We tailored the forms section to their specific deal, showing required forms at the right time for users to focus only on what is needed.
PHYSICAL DOCUMENT COLLECTION
Once documents are uploaded, certain documents still need to be sent as hard copies. Before, there was no way to track mailed documents and delivery statuses as everything was handled via email.
We created a central place for users to see what documents they have completed and can send as hard copies. Users are able to see their tracking history for each package and statuses for each document.
REVIEW
For the deal summary page, we developed a review screen that enables users to view and assess all deal information, uploaded documents along with their statuses, and associated forms.
Users are able to go back and edit any section as needed.
The Outside Counsel Portal streamlines how 45 law firms submit documents for 600 deals each year, directly impacting over 200 clients. It now handles an average of over 1,000 documents annually, supporting deals valued at $119.6 billion. The portal helps reduce risk by addressing $18 billion in outstanding, unreconciled documentation—roughly 20% of all submitted documents. JPMC Coordinators can now track and manage an average of 626 deals per year more efficiently.
