A new set of challenges

Charlotte Parkinson, of Modern Law Magazine spoke to Darren Gower (pictured), Marketing Director at Eclipse Legal Systems, to find out how the right type of support is fundamental to the success of any firm looking to diversify their service offering in a more competitive market.

Lord Justice Jackson’s reforms to civil litigation in 2012 may not have impacted the medical negligence sector as deeply as they affected the personal injury market but it has still felt the brunt of change, particularly for low value cases. Right across the claims sector, in areas such as catastrophic injury, clinical and medical negligence and commercial litigation, firms are beginning to become more reliant on high value, low volume claims – but high value cases are not without their own challenges.

A suitable alternative?

Many clinical negligence firms were, until recently, working through the backlog of cases which had been issued prior to the new rules coming into force but these have now largely subsided in the sector, leaving many firms questioning where their next move in the market should be. As the changes to civil litigation funding and costs affected lower value claims (particularly low value RTA claims in the case of personal injury), various potential revenue streams are being considered to replenish dwindling cash flow. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) claims are an area which some firms are beginning to look to as a potential replacement for RTA claims, although these types of case are not without their own potential indemnity risks.

For those firms who are looking to expand into other areas of litigation, new departments within firms are cropping up to take on high value, low volume claims but for some, this transition is not an easy one. High value claims often require a huge outlay of time for more experienced Partners and could also lead to a potential increase in Work In Progress (WIP) lock-up for the firm. Another factor to bear in mind when considering branching out into high value claims should be the removal of legal aid for clinical negligence claims, which has increased competition within the sector as more and more personal injury firms begin to take on clinical negligence and other high value claims.

Prepared for change…

Bearing in mind the newly reformed sector and the ever-changing costs landscape, firms should ensure emphasis is placed on concluding cases quickly, in order to avoid adverse costs; however, this should not be to the detriment of fully understanding undeniably more complex cases. As firms begin to explore potential new work streams, they must also consider how they will support a potential hike in work load across the firm. By implementing new or extending existing systems, which could assist with streamlining the support process, the conundrum many firms are facing could become a lot clearer.

Darren Gower of Eclipse Legal Systems comments:

“In refocusing on more complex work areas, the reliance on effective matter management software solutions becomes even greater. Such software systems enable the practice to budget each matter effectively, to ensure compliance, and to reduce administrative overhead as much as possible. In a nutshell, use of the right matter management software lets the lawyers get on with doing the lawyering – and provides a solid framework for process efficiencies.”

Capita acquires case management software and services specialist, Eclipse Legal Systems

Capita plc announces that it has acquired Eclipse Hardware Ltd (known as Eclipse Legal Systems) for an undisclosed sum. Eclipse provides case management software and services to over 20,000 legal professionals in law firms, Alternative Business Structures, claims departments and commercial organisations.

Eclipse's core software integrates file management, document management, workflow, reporting, accounting, time recording, task and diary functions into a single desktop tool. Clients benefit from more efficient, automated processes and more effective risk and compliance procedures.

Sean Massey, managing director at Capita Justice and Technology Solutions, said:

“The acquisition of Eclipse, the second acquisition of a private sector software provider in the last four months, will further enhance our range of solutions for the professional services market. Capita is looking forward to working with the experienced and dedicated team in Bradford, supporting Eclipse's continued growth and developing innovative software and solutions that will meet the challenges its customers face.”

Steve Ough, founder and Chief Software Architect at Eclipse, said:

"By joining the Capita family we are putting in place the next stage of growth plans, building on our success and enabling us to further our expansion in the most effective way. We are delighted to be entering this new phase of growth."

Eclipse has over 150 employees based in Bradford.

Ringrose Law to implement Eclipse's Proclaim PMS

Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management Software solution chosen for leading law firm

Full service law firm, Ringrose Law, is implementing the Proclaim Practice Management Software solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.

Ringrose Law operates from 7 offices providing a broad portfolio of services to private individuals and businesses across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.  Lexcel accredited for ten years, the practice employs over 130 staff and has been at the forefront of local legal services for over 100 years.  With a history of successfully reshaping as markets and legislation have changed, Ringrose Law entered a rigorous and lengthy selection process to replace the incumbent Matter Management and financial accounting systems.

Ringrose Law is rolling out the integrated Proclaim Practice Management solution across the entire firm, providing instant desktop access to productivity, financial and client management toolsets.  Proclaim Process Management solutions will be introduced for the Conveyancing and Personal Injury departments, while for less prescriptive work areas (including Court of Protection, Employment, Family, Probate and Crime), Proclaim Matter Management solutions will be utilised.

As part of the practice-wide integrated solution, Ringrose Law will be utilising Proclaim client inception and CRM tools, to manage the 'new enquiry' process and introduce business on-stream in a consistent manner. Taking this further, the practice will also benefit from Eclipse's client self-service toolsets - TouchPoint, SecureDocs and FileView - enabling clients to agree documents online, monitor file progress, and communicate with the firm through the full life of a matter.

As an integral part of the system rollout, Eclipse will be carrying out a conversion of both client and financial data from Ringrose Law's incumbent software systems.

Andrew Watson (pictured), Finance Director at Ringrose Law, comments:

"When we first met Eclipse in 2013, at the Legal IT exhibition in London, we were taken both by the approachability of the Eclipse team and the power of the Proclaim solution.  As part of our ongoing growth strategy we were investigating software solutions that could further improve our internal processes and provide consistency across how teams perform and are measured.”

"What we found in Proclaim was that the system could not only improve internal efficiencies, financial management and compliance, but it could also provide direct client-facing systems to enable online self-service for the people and businesses we help every day.  The fact that Proclaim provides this broad business benefit for us made the system our number one choice by a fair margin."

How important a part does technology have to play?

Charlotte Parkinson of Modern Law Magazine spoke to Russell Thomson (pictured), Chief Business Executive at Eclipse Legal Systems, about which latest technology is the best in the claims sector at the moment and how technology is benefitting not only the client but also insurers and lawyers in the claims arena in 2014. 

The focus in the claims sector is increasingly based upon speed, transparency and accessibility.

Insurers and lawyers have had access to great internal IT systems for a fair while – software that automates processes, provides consistent decision making, and trims the fat from the claims process. The missing cog has always been at the other end – the customer end. The external face. How can IT help the customer to engage fully in the process, be kept informed, and feel less like an outsider?

Smarter claims organisations are increasingly looking at this – engaging the customer – as a key differentiator, a way to sell their service and raise the competitive bar. So how can this be done? The customer journey, the experience, has to be mapped out and integrated with current internal processes. It’s all well and good having smart and efficient internal systems, but if the customer experience is not up to scratch then that’s a big issue.

Self-service technology (Eclipse’s TouchPoint system) is now available that ties the internal claims process in with a customer-facing tool. Ideally claims firms want the customer to be able to maintain contact all the way through a claim, feeling very much part of the process, but in a low-cost way for the claims firm itself.

It’s now possible for insurers and lawyers to provide claimants with access to live claim statuses, give them the ability to sign documents, engage in two-way conversations, and upsell additional claims services – all through the iPad the customer uses while sitting on the sofa.

This type of self-service is the key to uniting back-end efficiencies and front-end experience, and is set to become the norm for the claims sector as a whole.

Eclipse Proclaim VIDEO Case Study: Michael Lewin Solicitors

“Proclaim is 10 times better than what we had before”

Rob Crompton of this rapidly expanding Leeds based practice talks about how Proclaim enables service excellence and rapid file progression.

About Michael Lewin Solicitors:

• Employing 150 staff
• Specialising in litigation work including injury claims and debt recovery
• Experienced 700% growth since implementing Proclaim

Brisbane law firm, Davis Lawyers, chooses Eclipse

Eclipse further expands Australian presence with Proclaim Cloud solution

Brisbane law firm, Davis Lawyers, is implementing the Proclaim Conveyancing Case Management solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.

As part of a strong multi-disciplinary offering, niche practice Davis Lawyers provides property services for both commercial and private clients.  To cater for a prolonged upturn - and positive forecasts - in conveyancing transactions, Davis Lawyers conducted research into available process management software solutions.  The practice adopted a global search, not restricted to Australian vendors, and following in-depth analysis selected Eclipse's Proclaim system.

Eclipse is implementing the Proclaim Cloud solution for Davis Lawyers - providing browser-based access to the full suite of Proclaim functionality regardless of physical location.  In addition, Davis Lawyers will be provided with Proclaim's configuration toolset, to enable the practice to build the Queensland Conveyancing Protocol into the Proclaim workflow.

James Ford at Davis Lawyers comments:

"As a practice we are keen to adopt the best technologies to enable us to streamline activities and improve the all-important client experience.  Eclipse's Proclaim solution stood out to us as offering a core flexibility that would allow us to shape our services around ever-changing client and business partner requirements."

Darren Gower, Marketing Director at Eclipse, comments:

"We are delighted to welcome Davis Lawyers onboard.  Our presence outside of the UK is gathering pace and we are cementing the ethos that geography is no barrier to using the very best legal software solutions."

Eclipse VIDEO Case Study: Thorneycroft Solicitors

“Proclaim is definitely the one for the industry”

Rachel Stow of Thorneycroft Solicitors talks about Proclaim’s ability to enhance the client experience and provide case-focused quality monitoring.

About Thorneycroft Solicitors:

• Full service law firm
• 150 staff utilising Proclaim
• Reputation for high levels of customer service