Client Case Study: Advantage Property Lawyers

Award winning conveyancer sees 200% growth since implementing Proclaim

“Working with Proclaim will enable us to achieve ‘Top 25 Status’ in 2014”
Stephen Coupland, Head of Sales & Marketing at APL

In 2013 Advantage Property Lawyers (APL), with the assistance of a Proclaim Practice Management Solution, won 3 major awards:
- Large Conveyancer of the Year (silver) - Sunday Times Estate Agency of the Year
- Yorkshire & North East Conveyancing Firm of the Year (gold) and
- Conveyancing Firm of the Year (silver) - LFS conveyancing Awards

The Challenge
In 2009, as a new start-up, APL needed a Practice Management solution that focused specifically on residential conveyancing. Software was needed that would allow the firm to offer its clients and introducers an outstanding level of service and customer care, whilst maintaining best practice at all times. The solution would also have to be reliable and offer easy scalability in line with APL’s aspirations to become one of the UK’s biggest and best conveyancers.

The Solution
Eclipse’s Proclaim Practice Management solution was implemented at APL’s inception as it provided a centralised, secure desktop toolkit for every property transaction - utilised by all staff. Proclaim was also chosen for its out-of-the box conveyancing focus and ease of integration with third party complementary software - as most work came from large corporates and major estate agents.

The Results
Proclaim has proved to be an essential ‘enabler’ for providing a superb client experience and reducing turnaround times. Proclaim facilitated APL to achieve over 4,000 completions and increase turnover by 40% in 2013. The financial and reporting toolset is used to provide instant data retrieval with on-going monitoring and analysis of KPIs assisting with the management of systems, processes and risk calculations.

APL is using Proclaim to automate a vast number of administrative processes including document production and hopes to move towards a paperless office soon.

Since implementing Proclaim, APL has grown rapidly requiring an increase in staff numbers by over 200% from 15 to over 50. The firm is now represented on the management board of The Conveyancing Association and was the first conveyancing firm to receive the ‘Legal Eye’ quality standard.

Mullis & Peake LLP implements Proclaim

Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management solution selected in 6-figure deal

Leading Essex law firm, Mullis & Peake LLP, has implemented the Proclaim Practice Management Software Solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.

Established in Romford, Essex, over 100 years ago Mullis & Peake LLP has grown into one of the area’s largest and most respected law firms employing over 50 staff. Providing a full range of legal services to both private and corporate clients, the firm boasts an enviable reputation for high quality legal advice at cost effective rates. To further strengthen this position, Mullis & Peake LLP is implementing the Proclaim Practice Management Solution firm-wide for all users.

The Proclaim Solution will be utilised across all work areas including Commercial, Property, Elderly Client, Family, Court of Protection and Employment. The Personal Injury team will adopt Proclaim's direct integration with the RTA (Road Traffic Accident) Portal.

As an integral part of the core Proclaim solution, Mullis & Peake LLP will also be taking the Proclaim New Business Enquiries and Compliance toolsets to provide seamless marketing, file opening, and ongoing adherence to SRA regulations. Prior to implementation of the Proclaim Credit Control Centre, Eclipse will conduct a data conversion from the firm’s incumbent financial management system. Mullis & Peake LLP is also to benefit from seamless digital dictation functionality courtesy of Proclaim’s BigHand integration tool.

Nick Sims, IT Manager at Mullis & Peake LLP, comments:

“With the legal services sector becoming increasingly competitive, it is essential for us to stay ahead of the game and cement our proud reputation for superb client service by investing in technology. Proclaim, with its array of integrated client-centric toolsets, is the perfect platform for us to achieve this.”

Eclipse Case Study: Wrekin Housing Trust

Progressive social landlord ensures efficiency by implementing Proclaim Case Management for in-house legal team

“Key for us was a system that was easy to use and to configure without specialised skills. Proclaim is plug and play, not play and break.”
Chris Horton, Company Secretary

Wrekin Housing Trust is a non-profit making housing association that provides affordable housing and related services for tenants across Shropshire and Staffordshire. The Trust was established in 1999 when over 13,000 homes were transferred from Telford & Wrekin Council – the country’s largest ever transfer of homes at that time.

The Challenge
Wrekin Housing Trust needed to simplify the processes for legal services and make it easier for colleagues to work on cases. A dedicated in-house legal Case Management System was required that would replace the existing manual filing solutions and spreadsheet based record keeping.

The Solution
Eclipse’s Proclaim Case Management solution has been implemented progressively in the legal services team, covering litigation, tenancy and conveyancing work areas. Proclaim was chosen for its ability to provide a secure, centralised desktop solution for easy information sharing and collaboration within the team. The system also enables the automation of routine tasks, document production, email integration and offers the flexibility of bespoke workflows and file management.

The Results
Proclaim ensures a consistent approach to legal services, replacing the ‘each to their own’ filing and process methodology. The team boasts improved efficiencies at every stage of file management - the hours saved on administrative tasks allow more time to be spent on providing quality service for clients and stakeholders.

Time sapping manual document production has been eliminated, with documents such as County Court applications, contracts and S21 notices being created automatically. This ensures fast processing and the removal of the risk of human error. All files are managed centrally allowing for super-fast recall of data using Proclaim’s easy search function - eliminating time spent hunting for information.


The team is getting closer to the ideal of being an almost entirely paperless office by making use of Proclaim’s easy integration of document scanning solutions. Wrekin Housing Trust continually develops and purchases new properties, the scalability built into Proclaim will be essential during future growth.

The shortlist for the Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Awards 2014

We are delighted to announce this year’s shortlist for the Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Awards 2014 which take place on Wednesday 15th October at The Hilton on Park Lane in London.

The Judges were extremely impressed with the high calibre of the nominations for the 18 award categories and had an overwhelming number of individual entries to consider. After much deliberation the panel of expert judges have whittled down all the entries to the final shortlist of firms and individuals below:

• ABS of the Year – Up to 25 employeesCastle Park Solicitors
  Crabtree Law LLP
  Ferguson Financial
  Natalie Gamble Associates
  Richmond Chambers 

• ABS of the Year – 26 – 100 employees
  Convey Law
  Jigsaw Law
  The Partnership
  Schillings

• ABS of the Year – Over 100 employees
  Just Costs Solicitors
  myhomemove
  Knights Solicitors
  Riverview Law
  Winn Solicitors

• Lawyer of the Year
  Ghazala Bashey – Winn Solicitors
  Emma Pearmaine – Simpson Millar LLP
  Christine Thornley – Gorvins Solicitors
  Paul Shenton – Just Costs Solicitors
  Greg Stewart – GT Stewart Solicitors & Advocates

• Non Lawyer of the Year
  Deborah Atkins – Brethertons Solicitors
  Thomas Blackburn – Compass Law
  Robert Collington – Asons Solicitors
  Christopher Mills – Schillings
  Gladys Swaim-Rutter – Roberts Jackson Solicitors

• Team of the Year
  Blackstone Solicitors
  Colemans-ctts
  Collaborative Resolution
  TUI Travel PLC
  Gorvins Solicitors
  Kent Legal Services

• Rising Star of the Year
  Jenine Abdo – Simpson Millar LLP
  Peter Ambrose – The Partnership
  Jennifer Jacquiot – Crabtree Law LLP
  Joanna Parkinson – Asons Solicitors
  Hendrik Puschmann – Kenneth More Theatre – White & Case

• Innovation of the Year
  Berwin Leighton Paisner
  Burcher Jennings
  CBT ClinicsEmsleys Solicitors
  Quindell
  SmartCredit Ltd T/As SmartSearch

• Entrepreneur of the Year
  Imran Akram – Asons Solicitors
  Zoe Holland – Zebra Legal Consulting
  Karen Jackson – Roberts Jackson Solicitors
  Chris White – Aspiring Solicitors
  Geoff Wild – Kent Legal Services

• Client Care Initiative of the Year
  Bott & Co Solicitors
  Browne Jacobson LLP
  Countrywide Conveyancing Services
  Emsleys Solicitors
  Stephens Scown LLP

• Compliance Officer of the Year
  Sean Gordon – Neil Hudgell Solicitors
  Gareth Richards – Convey Law
  Shirley Rothel – Just Costs Solicitors

• Law Firm of the Year
  GT Stewart Solicitors & Advocates
  New Bold Solicitors
  Schillings
  Stephens Scown LLP
  Winn Solicitors

• Deal of the Year
  BLM
  Smedvig Capital- Kings Court Trust
  Speed Medical
  Winn Solicitors

• New Entrant of the Year
  Aspiring Solicitors
  Burcher Jennings
  Castle Park Solicitors
  Legalmatters
  Richmond Chambers

• Best Use of Technology
  Aequitas Legal
  Convey Law
  Fidler & Pepper
  myhomemove
  Selachii LLP
  SmartCredit Ltd T/As SmartSearch

• Best Marketing Campaign of the Year
  Aaron & Partners
  Bott & Co Solicitors
  Quality Solicitors
  National Accident Helpline
  Schillings
  
• Chambers of the Year
  KBW Chambers
  Matrix Chambers
  Zenith Chambers

• Supporting the Industry Award
  Augusta Ventures LLP
  Baker Tilly
  ETSOS
  Frenkel Topping
  SearchFlow

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."