ST. PAUL, Minn., May 15 -- Merrill Corporation, a global diversified communications and document services provider, today announced that its Document Management Services (DMS) business, a leading provider of document management services to the legal industry, has been awarded a five-year contract by Hale and Dorr, LLP, a major international law firm headquartered in Boston.  Merrill will provide document management and various office support services for all six of Hale and Dorr's offices in the United States. According to the terms of the agreement, Merrill will provide the necessary technology, equipment and professionally trained personnel to manage analog and digital document flows into and out of the firm's offices in Boston; Waltham, Mass.; Princeton, N.J.; New York; Reston, Va.; and Washington, D.C. Hale and Dorr employs more than 500 attorneys in the United States and overseas, representing regional, national and international clients in a wide range of legal matters. "We've been pleased with the quality service we've enjoyed at our Washington, D.C., office, where Merrill has been providing our document services since 1998," said Caryl Penachio, director of operations for Hale and Dorr.  "In addition, Merrill's successful implementation of services for other large, multi-office accounts in the past couple years, also gave us confidence in their ability to provide the level of service we expect from a national partner." According to Penachio, Merrill phased in services during the month of April, with all offices being fully staffed and equipped by May 1. "Hale and Dorr has long been recognized as a leader among law firms in utilizing new technology to improve their workflows," said Al McNee, president, DMS.  "We are pleased to partner with a client who will leverage the technology and customer service that we can provide to ultimately benefit their clients." The announcement of this contract comes less than a year after Merrill announced that it had been awarded a five-year contract by Morrison & Foerster, LLP, another major international law firm.  Merrill also was awarded a five-year contract by Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, that began in the fall of 2000.  In addition to these five-year contracts, Merrill manages more than 100 facilities nationwide.