Eclipse fundraising generates £4,000 for charity

Bradford-based Eclipse raises much needed funds for three local causes

Staff at the UK’s leading legal software provider, Eclipse Legal Systems, successfully organised and participated in a charity raffle and auction raising thousands of pounds for its nominate charities.

The firm, which recently announced its official endorsement from the Law Society, saw its staff take part in the December raffle and raise £4,000 for three local charities.

• Bradford Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust, which provide emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis.
• Marie Curie Hospice, which provides specialist care for people living with a terminal illness and offers support for families.
• Hope Housing, which offers emergency accommodation at Assessment Centres and volunteer’s homes.

Eclipse donated a host of prizes for the auction including a number of high-tech gadgets. Together with additional money raised, a total of £4,000 will be split between the three chosen charities.

Darren Gower (pictured), Marketing Director at Eclipse Legal Systems, comments:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in the charity raffle and auction. It’s always a pleasure raising money for such great causes that offer help to people all over the country. The £4,000 raised will hopefully make a big difference to all who rely on the valuable support these charities provide.”

Guest article from Nesbit Law Group LLP

Highlighting the access to justice ‘vacuum’ in complex fraud matters

The sharp fall in the amount of costs that Solicitors can recover for personal injury claims arising from road traffic accidents continues to cause ripple effects for the industry.

Operating within the niche of road traffic claims where a Defendant has raised allegations of fraudulent activity, NLG have noted that many firms are now avoiding this area, creating a vacuum whereby claimants’ access to justice is severely limited.

As the ability to recover standard costs has been heavily restricted, so many solicitors have taken the time to undertake a costs benefit analysis, with the outcome being that the risks usually outweigh the potential benefits.

Running high numbers of road traffic work in which fraud has been alleged requires specialist business partners, specialist working knowledge, highly efficient case management protocols, and all this must be considered against a backdrop of low costs recovery.

NLG has used Proclaim for many years, and the system continues to provide a perfect platform to operate highly complex caseloads, both from a management perspective, and for the daily tasks being undertaken by fee-earners.

The ability to generate reports and data allows management level employees to continually check the performance of teams and fee-earners, whilst the ability to amend the case management system allows individuals to tailor the system for their own particular requirements.

NLG deals with vast numbers of complex claims in which fraud has been alleged, and Proclaim allows NLG to continue to operate efficiently and effectively in a niche area. More than £500,000.00 in costs has been passed back to other law firms that had decided to transfer their fraud alleged claims to NLG; those costs would otherwise have been written off, and the damages awarded to the Claimant’s would also have been unrecovered.

About Nesbit Law Group
NLG operates throughout the UK, maintaining a head office in North Manchester, and over the last 10 years has developed working methods which enable the firm to deal in this challenging area; considerable time, experience and risk is engaged in the forensic analysis of claims, employing specialist business partners, and niche legal experience.

Law Society Endorses Eclipse Legal Systems

Eclipse's Proclaim solution becomes only PMS to carry Law Society Endorsement

Eclipse Legal Systems, the UK's leading provider of legal software solutions, has announced its official endorsement by the Law Society.

The prestigious accreditation follows a rigorous assessment process, carried out during 2014, in which The Law Society examined and assessed systems including Eclipse's Proclaim Practice Management Software (PMS) solution.  The process included in-depth discussions with client bases to ascertain service levels, resilience, and the overall commercial benefits to be had by practices utilising PMS solutions.

Eclipse's Proclaim system is in use by 22,000 professionals, at 800 organisations - ranging from new startups and niche firms, through to industry heavyweights.  Proclaim is Eclipse's core PMS offering, encompassing case management, matter management and process management capabilities

The endorsement reinforces Eclipse's position as the UK's leading legal software provider, with Proclaim being unique as the only Law Society Endorsed solution of its kind.

Nigel Spencer, Law Society Chief of Commercial Affairs, comments:

“The Law Society is delighted to be endorsing Eclipse and its Proclaim software.  Our rigorous assessment process identified Eclipse as the supplier best suited to our members' needs with its fully featured and easily deployable Practice Management solution."

Russell Thomson (pictured), Chief Business Executive at Eclipse Legal Systems, comments:

“This Endorsement is testament to the quality of our Proclaim solution, and the continuing support and nurturing of the diverse needs of our clientbase.  Endorsement will enable even more law firms, of all sizes, to benefit from software which truly aids business growth."

ODT Solicitors chooses Proclaim

Property specialist to implement Eclipse’s Proclaim Practice Management Solution 

ODT Solicitors is implementing the Proclaim Practice Management Software Solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.

Based in Sussex with branches in Brighton, Hurstpierpoint and Haywards Heath, ODT Solicitors is a growing law firm specialising in Property Law and Civil Litigation. The firm boasts an enviable reputation for providing excellent service and value for money, to both private clients and commercial organisations.

The Proclaim Conveyancing Software Solution will be utilised firm-wide, ensuring a secure and consistent approach from all users. Eclipse will conduct a full data migration from the incumbent system, allowing the integrated Proclaim practice accounting and financial management toolset to be implemented together with the Proclaim Credit Control Centre module - boosting efficiency and providing detailed analysis of the firm’s operations.

ODT Solicitors will take the Proclaim Matter Management Solution to streamline their non-prescriptive Civil Litigation work. Effective risk management throughout the lifecycle of each file will be ensured with the adoption of the Proclaim Compliance platform.

Asif Siddiq (pictured), Practice Manager at ODT Solicitors, comments:

“Proclaim will be instrumental in achieving our goal of making the conveyancing process as quick, efficient and hassle-free as possible. With so many time consuming processes being automated we will reduce our clients’ costs without compromising the quality of the service we deliver. Proclaim’s inherent scalability and flexibility will prove invaluable as our operations and client base continue to expand.”

Fieldfisher chooses Proclaim

UK top 40 law firm to take Proclaim Case Management solution 

European law firm, Fieldfisher, is to implement the Proclaim Case Management Software Solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.

London headquartered Fieldfisher has grown to become one of the country’s most respected corporate law firms, employing over 500 staff at 10 offices throughout the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Providing a full range of legal services to clients across a wealth of industry sectors, the firm boasts an enviable reputation for understanding a broad range of cultural and legal approaches whilst providing a consistent service.

Fieldfisher is rolling out the Proclaim Debt Recovery Software solution throughout the Debt Recovery team.  The integrated, centralised Proclaim database will ensure a consistent approach for all fee earners enabling a fast turnaround and improved bottom line. Fieldfisher will also take advantage of Proclaim’s inbuilt flexibility, producing custom workflows to suit the firm’s unique processes and file management practises.

As part of the implementation, Eclipse will integrate Proclaim’s time recording platform and the firm’s existing financial management solution for accurate billing. Fieldfisher will also utilise Proclaim’s reporting toolkit which can be tailored for each user or activity - boosting efficiency and providing detailed analysis of the team’s performance.

Robert Surridge (pictured), Head of Debt Recovery at Fieldfisher, comments:

“Our clients’ expectations are becoming increasingly high and it’s crucial that we meet these changing demands. With Proclaim we can enhance our efficiency, removing administrative overheads, freeing up more quality time to better understand our client’s needs – it’s this knowledge and understanding that helps set us apart from the competition.”

Client Case Study: Curtis Law Solicitors

How to grow and diversify your business with a Proclaim Practice Management system

“Proclaim provides a robust, scalable and flexible solution that is perfectly in tune with our commercial aims.”
Tasleem Riaz, Principal, Curtis Law LLP

Curtis Law was founded in 2008, employing 5 staff to deal with Personal Injury claims. Since that time the firm has extended its reach into Family law, Conveyancing, Probate and Commercial areas and now employs 200 staff across the group.

The Challenge
Set up initially as a PI claims specialist, Curtis Law had strong ambitions to grow both in headcount and in the range of legal work managed.
Curtis Law initially needed a Case Management solution that would provide a flexible and future-proof environment - one that could be scaled out to multiple work areas, not just PI.

The Solution
Following a detailed analysis of available solutions, Eclipse’s Proclaim Case Management system was selected. A solid track record in helping new start-up businesses to grow was a strong pull, as was the ability to add Practice Accounts at a later stage. Curtis Law took the opportunity to do just this - replacing the incumbent ‘bureau’ accounts system to create a fully integrated Proclaim Practice Management solution.

The Results
Proclaim is used across all work areas, providing a complete desktop productivity solution. Client care is top of the firm’s agenda; the ability to rapidly see where any file is up to - and provide feedback for clients - is a huge benefit. As a growing practice, managing finances is vital. Curtis Law has been able to monitor and analyse ongoing performance, using Proclaim’s integrated reporting toolset. This means that trends can be spotted, empowering the management team to quickly make informed operational and growth decisions.

Case Study highlights

• Rapid implementation of ready-to-go solutions for new work areas
• Grown from 5 to 200 Proclaim users
• Full Practice Management solution
• Proclaim used across every department
• Powerful financial reporting
• In-built flexibility and scalability

Client Case Study: Bakers Solicitors

Award winning full-service firm sees superb growth with Proclaim

“Proclaim is such a superb solution, it has allowed us to concentrate on managing and growing our business.”
Ross Carr, Chief Executive, Bakers Solicitors

Established in 2000, award winning Farnborough based Bakers Solicitors has grown from a one practice litigation specialist with 6 staff, to a group of 3 law firms (Bakers, OW Law LLP and Baker Law LLP) with over 70 staff across five branches providing a full range of legal services.

The Challenge
Initially specialising in Personal Injury cases referred by other law firms, Bakers Solicitors required a solution to enable its case handlers to spend more quality time on the complex legal issues, whilst still processing the cases as quickly and efficiently as possible. The solution had to be easy to use and have the built in flexibility to facilitate the rapid transformation and diversification from a single practice into a group of 3 firms, each with their own area of specialism.

The Solution
A Proclaim Practice Management Software Solution was chosen for its unrivalled flexibility, allowing for a consistent approach with a single secure centralised database managing all work areas including Court of Protection, Conveyancing, Debt Recovery and Employment. Proclaim’s integrated firm-wide financial management platform makes financial transactions simple for a small accounts team to manage. Proclaim’s inbuilt Compliance toolset ensures risk is effectively managed and legislative requirements are met.

The Results
The highly customisable Proclaim reporting solution has been invaluable for analysing data to spot issues, deal with problems and manage staff. The Batch Scanning tool has created a paperless office with no physical documents stored.

Proclaim’s integrated development toolset has allowed the firm to adapt the system to suit their own bespoke needs including the creation of a Clinical Negligence Matter Management platform.

Superb levels of customer care throughout the client journey are facilitated through Proclaim features such as the New Business Enquiries module which provides true end-to-end management of incoming enquiries, and SecureDocs the online document delivery and acceptance tool.