The 'millennial advantage'

Eclipse Legal Systems spoke to Modern Claims Magazine about the skills that millennials can bring to the claims sector, and how companies can best harness these.

The millennial generation is the largest age group to emerge since the baby boom generation, and will soon make up the majority of the workforce.

Many businesses use the same method of educating new recruits, whereby the 'older' generation are seen as the experts, whilst the younger employees are commonly seen as novices with a lot to learn. Although this is often true, it can also be reversed.

Despite a poor reputation for being lazy and egotistical, millennials are some of the most productive employees around - creating new ways to work smarter rather than harder - and can introduce a renewed skillset to ultimately aid in firms' longevity:

• Use and knowledge of technology - millennials have grown up in a culture immersed in technological advancement and have embraced it incredibly quickly. Notably, this is the first time a younger generation is entering the workplace with a better grasp of a key business tool than most senior employees 

• A global perspective - most millennials have now either studied or travelled abroad, giving them a range of experience, as well as diverse opinions and a deeper understanding of different cultures 

• Adaptability - this generation of workers tend to thrive in environments of change, enabling them to provide innovative ideas for increasing productivity and development 

Businesses can take advantage of the newfound skillsets and prepare for the future by implementing a few key concepts:

Embrace technology - millennials are the most highly connected and tech-savvy generation, and although obvious to most, it's worth pointing out that technology is now playing a key role across all sectors and is set to continue its rapid development. Millennials can help to create a more efficient, engaging customer experience using social tools and apps, enabling them to instantly connect, engage and collaborate.

Embrace diversity - as the most ethically diverse generation, millennials can bring a variety of experiences, viewpoints and backgrounds that will prove extremely advantageous in engaging customers.

Embrace innovation - in such a competitive market, it's vital that claims companies are constantly adapting and delivering solutions to customers in line with their lifestyle, whether that's an online portal or a smartphone app. Millennials are a fantastic source of innovation and can not only aid in business development, but also significantly increase productivity and development in creating solutions to customers' ever-changing demands.

Client Case Study: Blakewater Solicitors

Blakewater Solicitors attributes a decade of success to Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management Software solution 

Established in January 2007, Blackburn-based Blakewater Solicitors has rapidly evolved over the years from a leading specialist conveyancing practice into a broader firm, now offering sharia finance, immigration, personal injury and probate services.

Blakewater Solicitors has been recognised nationally for its efficient and professional service and has become one of the leading market providers for property transactions in the North of England. The flexible, expert and tailored service has allowed the firm to thrive in today's global marketplace, boasting an expansive client base in 55 cities across 33 countries.

Having won several national and international accolades, and a Lexel and CQS Law Society accredited practice with Investor in People Gold; the firm has most recently been shortlisted for the Modern Law Conveyancing Awards 2016.

Blakewater Solicitors has taken the bold move to open a second office in Bradford, West Yorkshire, despite the current legal landscape and stiff competition. The firm is confident that the quality of its legal work and client care will set it apart.

Abdul Hafeez Darr (pictured), Director at Blakewater Solicitors, speaks to Eclipse about his choice in legal software and why he's been an Eclipse client for nearly a decade. 

What was your initial reason behind implementing a practice management system?

Before I founded Blakewater Solicitors, I worked for one of the 'Magic Circle' law firms in London so therefore knew of the benefits to legal software, including the huge savings it could bring if used correctly.

When I established Blakewater Solicitors with my business partner, I knew a full practice management system was a necessary requirement, and we were actually one of the first firms in the North West to implement a legal software solution, and broke the mould with regards to investing in IT so heavily for a new start-up.

Why did you choose Eclipse over other providers?

Our initial selection process was extremely extensive. We looked at 5 different legal software providers and saw a range of in-depth demonstrations, as well as a number of meetings with each provider, and agreed Proclaim was the best solution on the market. Unfortunately, my business partner selected another provider - based purely on costs - and quickly realised, after 2 weeks, the system was not fit for purpose - especially in comparison to Proclaim.

Essentially, I see Eclipse and its Proclaim solution as the 'Apple' of the legal software sector. It provides a huge return on investment, and a quality, centralised case management system, providing us with the confidence to know it's entirely futureproof. Additionally, third parties have Eclipse at the top of their lists for integrations, so I can feel safe in the knowledge that our legal software is always going to be top of the range.

Blakewater Solicitors has expanded substantially since 2007 - how has Proclaim helped with this?

To put it simply, it provides us with massive efficiency gains.

For a firm of our size, we're taking on double the work that we could without Proclaim, and even better, we're achieving this seamlessly without the need for a full team of support staff.

Proclaim's workflow is so easy to tweak as and when we need to, and the process of uploading letters and editing linked actions means our junior staff can open cases, input details, send out documentation and file all correspondence. Ultimately this is saving us huge amounts in both time and money. Taking this further, we don't have the worry of needing everyone in the office at all times - our solicitors are able to work remotely, or from home, as everything is accessible and centralised.

As an Eclipse client for nearly 10 years, what are some of the benefits you've seen?

Firstly, the support that's on offer. It's excellent and there's no other way to describe it! Anytime I've needed to call, no matter who I speak to, they're always extremely friendly and approachable. I find a lot of support teams in other businesses can make you feel stupid, or like you're wasting their time when asking questions. With Eclipse, even if it's a simple problem, they're willing to log on remotely and show me, rather than just explain. The whole team are always happy to help and have a fantastic attitude.

Secondly, the integrations that are available. We're currently using the MoJ portal and LRBG integrations and have found these in particular have reduced our time in half, not to mention streamline our processes across the personal injury and conveyancing departments.

How are you using FileView to enhance your service? 

FileView is a fantastic selling point for us. Not only is it a great tool for estate agents and referrers, it's also extremely useful for our clients, enabling them to securely log in as and when they want to for case updates.

As an example, we have clients in 55 cities across 33 countries worldwide so time zones  often don't allow for us to speak with them at a convenient time. A high number of our overseas clients, particularly in Hong Kong and Singapore, are conveyancing clients looking to buy and sell property in London - they're often very tech-savvy and extremely demanding. One of the first questions we get asked is how we can ensure they're kept updated on their case when they are the other side of the world. FileView provides the perfect solution, and has enabled us to reach clients that we otherwise would've had to turn away.

How well does Proclaim suit your on-going needs as a business?

As a Proclaim user and Eclipse client of nearly a decade, I can say it suits Blakewater Solicitors perfectly!

We're always looking at new methods to improve our systems and procedures, which of course Proclaim plays a huge part in. Thankfully, its usability means we can easily tweak the system whenever we need to for business and/or client requirements. As part of this, we're currently looking to implement Eclipse's SecureDocs tool for our personal injury department as it would significantly improve our turnaround times and complement our existing system very well.

Furthermore, Eclipse is the market-leading provider so we're quietly confident that any of our future technology will always be supported - whether that's a new third party integration, or entirely new case type.

To put it simply, Proclaim has been - and will continue to be - fundamental to our success.

Client Case Study: Virtus Law Ltd

Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management Software solution offers enhanced client on-boarding at boutique firm, Virtus Law Ltd 

Based in Manchester, Virtus Law Ltd is a boutique firm specialising in Personal Injury. Founded by Rossanna Schurink in 2015, the firm was set up to offer clients expert advice and guidance through the claims process, which can often be very stressful. The team has a wealth of knowledge and experience within the industry, and although the practice has plans for expansion, Virtus Law Ltd aims to continue offering a truly personalised service.

The challenge 
As a new start-up, Virtus Law Ltd needed a legal software solution that could enable the team to focus on developing the practice's reputation, increasing volume and forming client relationships.

Crucially for a new firm, Virtus Law Ltd needed a practice management software solution to streamline processes from case inception, whilst keeping manual administration to a minimum.

The solution 
Although Rossanna had previously used Proclaim and knew of its capabilities, she was interested to see Eclipse's overall operation and service offering from its Bradford HQ. Following a meeting and in-depth demonstration of the software, Virtus Law Ltd selected the Proclaim Personal Injury Practice Management system.

The results 
As a boutique firm, Virtus Law Ltd needed an extremely efficient on-boarding process that could cope with a high volume of cases. Since the implementation of Proclaim, the practice has seen enhanced client inception procedures - all relevant documentation is created at the start of case, and collated at the click of a button. From here, the pack is sent securely, electronically signed by the client and returned to Virtus Law, within a matter of minutes, guaranteeing work is commenced instantaneously.

Furthermore, Proclaim is used by a number of medical agencies meaning client details can be seamlessly transferred between Virtus Law Ltd and its chosen agency quickly and efficiently, ensuring clients receive details of medical appointments as soon as possible, serving to further streamline the process.

Additionally, the integrated accounting and financial toolset provides a fully centralised system and offers a seamless approach to billing and overall practice management, ensuring a detailed analysis of operations.

Rossanna Schurink (pictured), Director of Virtus Law Ltd, comments:

"As a newly established firm, our main priority is to build and maintain excellent relationships and in order to do this, our core technology needs to ensure the entire claims process is seamless - for us and our clients.

Throughout our first year of business, Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management Software solution has proven crucial to us in saving time, streamlining client inception and reducing administrative overheads."


Case Study highlights

• Fully integrated Proclaim Practice Management system
• Streamlined and efficient client inception 
• Seamless approach to billing 
• Comprehensive management of claims 

Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management Software solution eliminates administration at new start-up firm, Prism Family Law

Eclipse Legal Systems is further increasing its new start-up client portfolio, by implementing its Law Society Endorsed Proclaim Practice Management Software solution at Prism Family Law, a Newcastle-based firm.

Founded by Andrew Wraith, the sole trader practice will specialise in all aspects of Family Law, offering clients a friendly and personalised service through what can often be traumatic circumstances. The ambitious new start-up plans to expand in the future, and aims to establish an impeccable reputation throughout northeast England.

In order to begin practicing from its inception, Prism Family Law will implement Eclipse’s ready-to-go Proclaim Family Practice Management system. Thanks to Proclaim’s high level of automation, case opening procedures will be significantly reduced as all relevant documentation will be generated at the click of a button, saving Andrew time to be productive elsewhere. Additionally, Proclaim will transfer details into the electronic Consolidated Matter Report (CMR) – catering for multiple cost rates – and producing the summary CMR at the end of the relevant accounting period.

To further drive efficiencies, the integrated practice accounting and financial management toolset will streamline client billing and provide a detailed analysis of the start-up’s operations.

Andrew Wraith, Director of Prism Family Law, comments:

“As a new start-up - and in particular a boutique firm – I know the importance of implementing the correct legal software in order to reduce expenditure and streamline processes. Having thoroughly researched the market, it’s clear that Eclipse’s Proclaim Practice Management system will eliminate a number of time-consuming aspects, enabling me to provide the highest quality of personal service, and concentrate on establishing Prism Family Law’s reputation.”