About Lees Solicitors:
- Full-service law firm with over 100 staff
- Multi-disciplinary Proclaim solution used practice-wide
- Committed to delivering excellent levels of customer service
Friday 31 January 2014
Eclipse Proclaim VIDEO Case Study: Lees Solicitors
Joanna Kingston-Davies, CEO at full-service law firm, Lees Solicitors, talks about how Proclaim helps to provide the ultimate in service delivery and client care.
About Lees Solicitors:
About Lees Solicitors:
Monday 27 January 2014
How to manage risk
In the increasingly cutthroat world of delivering legal services there is nothing more important than learning to manage the risks associated with the ‘full life’ of a case. Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law, spoke to Darren Gower, Marketing Director at Eclipse Legal Systems, about the importance of recognising potential risks and ensuring the correct processes are in place from the outset.
Whatever your involvement in the legal profession, it is impossible not to have noticed the ‘compliance culture’ which is rapidly emerging amongst law firms. From COLPs (Compliance Officer for Legal Practice) to COFAs (Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration) and everything in between, the life of compliance and risk management for law firms in light of legislative change is becoming an increasingly important issue. And of course ABSs don’t escape – similar applies for them (but the titles are HOLP and HOFA – Head of Legal Practice and Head of Finance and Administration respectively).
But, contrary to popular belief, the risk process does not stop at taking a photocopy of a clients’ passport. At a recent conference, Samantha Barrass, Executive Director at the SRA said that there needs to be a ‘change of culture within firms and that managing risk and compliance is everyone’s job’ and that the SRA are looking to adopt a more flexible approach to regulation to align themselves with the modernising legal services market. These comments from the SRA, who are calling for a more open ‘two way dialogue’ with law firms, has left some in a state of confusion. Although it is now compulsory for accredited and licensed firms to have a COLP and COFA (HOLP / HOFA), many feel that they are either not in a position to make the (sometimes difficult) decisions required or will be second guessed by the SRA if they do.
While there are obvious benefits of a more flexible approach to regulation, there is also a greater potential for holes and potential pitfalls. Some of the key risks which law firms must be aware of as the market continues to evolve are the risks associated with financial difficulty, lack of correct succession and exit planning and a poor standard of service to clients, particularly vulnerable ones. Furthermore, as more and more law firms look to reap the benefits offered by cloud computing, the safeguarding of sensitive client information should remain of paramount importance.
So, the question that many firms are asking is, how do we manage our risks and how do we maintain a compliant approach? There is risk everywhere in the life of a case and the life of a law firm and your firms’ systems must manage this effectively on a ‘full life’ basis.
Darren Gower of Eclipse Legal Systems comments:
“These days, Compliance is an ‘always on’ function and must be considered at every single step of the way. The software system you utilise must be end-to-end and cater for every stage – and the compliance elements must be an integral part of your core case, matter or practice management systems – not just a standalone bolt-on.”
Whatever your involvement in the legal profession, it is impossible not to have noticed the ‘compliance culture’ which is rapidly emerging amongst law firms. From COLPs (Compliance Officer for Legal Practice) to COFAs (Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration) and everything in between, the life of compliance and risk management for law firms in light of legislative change is becoming an increasingly important issue. And of course ABSs don’t escape – similar applies for them (but the titles are HOLP and HOFA – Head of Legal Practice and Head of Finance and Administration respectively).
But, contrary to popular belief, the risk process does not stop at taking a photocopy of a clients’ passport. At a recent conference, Samantha Barrass, Executive Director at the SRA said that there needs to be a ‘change of culture within firms and that managing risk and compliance is everyone’s job’ and that the SRA are looking to adopt a more flexible approach to regulation to align themselves with the modernising legal services market. These comments from the SRA, who are calling for a more open ‘two way dialogue’ with law firms, has left some in a state of confusion. Although it is now compulsory for accredited and licensed firms to have a COLP and COFA (HOLP / HOFA), many feel that they are either not in a position to make the (sometimes difficult) decisions required or will be second guessed by the SRA if they do.
While there are obvious benefits of a more flexible approach to regulation, there is also a greater potential for holes and potential pitfalls. Some of the key risks which law firms must be aware of as the market continues to evolve are the risks associated with financial difficulty, lack of correct succession and exit planning and a poor standard of service to clients, particularly vulnerable ones. Furthermore, as more and more law firms look to reap the benefits offered by cloud computing, the safeguarding of sensitive client information should remain of paramount importance.
So, the question that many firms are asking is, how do we manage our risks and how do we maintain a compliant approach? There is risk everywhere in the life of a case and the life of a law firm and your firms’ systems must manage this effectively on a ‘full life’ basis.
Darren Gower of Eclipse Legal Systems comments:
“These days, Compliance is an ‘always on’ function and must be considered at every single step of the way. The software system you utilise must be end-to-end and cater for every stage – and the compliance elements must be an integral part of your core case, matter or practice management systems – not just a standalone bolt-on.”
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Award winning Personal Injury specialist chooses Proclaim
AMV Law takes Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management solution
AMV Law, a prize winner at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2013, has implemented the Proclaim Practice Management Software solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.
Established in 2006, AMV Law is a niche London-based practice specialising solely in Personal Injury cases. The firm caters for the full range of injury and claimant types, ranging from straightforward RTA cases through to catastrophic injury cases.
AMV Law is taking the full Proclaim Practice Management solution, integrating firm-wide accounting toolsets with the Personal Injury Case Management desktop. In addition, AMV Law is taking advantage of Proclaim's A2A (Application-to-Application) functionality to process low-value RTA (Road Traffic Accident) claims through the Government's Portal system.
Prior to implementation, Eclipse carried out a migration of data from AMV Law's existing case management solution.
"In an ever changing landscape it was essential that we found a way to ensure we were able to compete and survive the new costs regime. It was imperative that the system we invested in would allow us to carry out work as efficiently and cost effectively as possible within the Portal and outside, whilst maintaining excellent client care.”
AMV Law, a prize winner at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2013, has implemented the Proclaim Practice Management Software solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.
Established in 2006, AMV Law is a niche London-based practice specialising solely in Personal Injury cases. The firm caters for the full range of injury and claimant types, ranging from straightforward RTA cases through to catastrophic injury cases.
AMV Law is taking the full Proclaim Practice Management solution, integrating firm-wide accounting toolsets with the Personal Injury Case Management desktop. In addition, AMV Law is taking advantage of Proclaim's A2A (Application-to-Application) functionality to process low-value RTA (Road Traffic Accident) claims through the Government's Portal system.
Prior to implementation, Eclipse carried out a migration of data from AMV Law's existing case management solution.
Anna Theodorides (pictured), Principal of AMV Law (and winner of the Highly Commended prize in the Legal Business Woman of the Year category at the Law Society Awards 2013), comments:
"In an ever changing landscape it was essential that we found a way to ensure we were able to compete and survive the new costs regime. It was imperative that the system we invested in would allow us to carry out work as efficiently and cost effectively as possible within the Portal and outside, whilst maintaining excellent client care.”
Thursday 9 January 2014
Eclipse Proclaim VIDEO Case Study: Compass Law
Phil Hodgkinson of Compass Law talks about Proclaim's flexibility and its power in creating process efficiencies.
About Compass Law:
One of the UK's leading legal costs firms
150 staff utilising the Proclaim solution
A complete ‘cradle to grave’ service
Click here to view video
About Compass Law:
One of the UK's leading legal costs firms
150 staff utilising the Proclaim solution
A complete ‘cradle to grave’ service
Click here to view video
Wednesday 8 January 2014
The Claims Innovation Awards 2014 – nominations now open!
The Claims Innovation Awards 2014 takes place on the 21st May at The Midland Hotel, Manchester.
Eclipse is once again proud to be the headline sponsor of these prestigious awards which celebrate how firms, teams and individuals from across the legal services, claims management and associated industries’ landscape constantly find new ways of raising standards, growing business and improving access to justice.
The Awards will attract around 500 delegates and is open to all law firms and legal service providers – not just Proclaim users. The winners will be chosen by a cross-industry panel of high profile judges.
Click here for a full list of the awards and to make your nominations. And yes you can nominate yourself!
For further information regarding the Awards please contact darren.gower@eclipselegal.co.uk
Eclipse is once again proud to be the headline sponsor of these prestigious awards which celebrate how firms, teams and individuals from across the legal services, claims management and associated industries’ landscape constantly find new ways of raising standards, growing business and improving access to justice.
The Awards will attract around 500 delegates and is open to all law firms and legal service providers – not just Proclaim users. The winners will be chosen by a cross-industry panel of high profile judges.
Click here for a full list of the awards and to make your nominations. And yes you can nominate yourself!
For further information regarding the Awards please contact darren.gower@eclipselegal.co.uk
Tuesday 7 January 2014
Eclipse and the Land Registry Business Gateway
Proclaim Conveyancing Case Management solution to include LRBG integration
The UK's largest independently-owned legal software provider, Eclipse Legal Systems, has announced integration between its Proclaim Case Management Software solution and the Land Registry's Business Gateway (LRBG).
The Business Gateway allows conveyancers to access Land Registry services directly from their case management systems. Services available include property enquiries, document copy requests, bankruptcy searches, transaction status reports, and so on.
Eclipse's family of Proclaim Case Management solutions is the UK's most widely-used, and the Conveyancing system is currently implemented at 150 organisations. Integration with LRBG is due for launch in Q1 2014 and will enable Proclaim Conveyancing users to seamlessly interact with the Gateway from the Proclaim desktop environment. Utilising Web Services, Proclaim will provide 2-way integration for both data and documentation.
Tracy Blencowe, Business Solutions Director at Eclipse, comments:
"Proclaim is one of the most widely used Conveyancing solutions in the UK, with clients ranging from heavyweight volume organisations through to high-street practices and small boutique firms. Reducing costs and trimming fat from property transactions is vital - margins for conveyancers are often thin, and clients expect a seamless and transparent service.
"By integrating Proclaim with the LRBG, our clients will have access to a solution that provides the ultimate in operational effectiveness - and the capability to further enhance their customers' service experience."
The UK's largest independently-owned legal software provider, Eclipse Legal Systems, has announced integration between its Proclaim Case Management Software solution and the Land Registry's Business Gateway (LRBG).
The Business Gateway allows conveyancers to access Land Registry services directly from their case management systems. Services available include property enquiries, document copy requests, bankruptcy searches, transaction status reports, and so on.
Eclipse's family of Proclaim Case Management solutions is the UK's most widely-used, and the Conveyancing system is currently implemented at 150 organisations. Integration with LRBG is due for launch in Q1 2014 and will enable Proclaim Conveyancing users to seamlessly interact with the Gateway from the Proclaim desktop environment. Utilising Web Services, Proclaim will provide 2-way integration for both data and documentation.
Tracy Blencowe, Business Solutions Director at Eclipse, comments:
"Proclaim is one of the most widely used Conveyancing solutions in the UK, with clients ranging from heavyweight volume organisations through to high-street practices and small boutique firms. Reducing costs and trimming fat from property transactions is vital - margins for conveyancers are often thin, and clients expect a seamless and transparent service.
"By integrating Proclaim with the LRBG, our clients will have access to a solution that provides the ultimate in operational effectiveness - and the capability to further enhance their customers' service experience."
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