LPM MacDonald Oates Case Study

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  • 8/10/2019 LPM MacDonald Oates Case Study

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    FROMHERETOCLEMENTI...

    YEAR10

    MARCH 2014

    LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 1

    BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE IN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

    THE ONLY

    MAGAZINE

    FOR LAW FIRM

    MANAGERS

    LPMLEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

    DECEMBER 2014

    EXPERT

    COLUMNISTS

    AND ADVICE

    FROM LEGAL

    BUSINESSMANAGERS

    LAW FIRM

    PROFILE

    How focusedmarketing andgeographicstrategy is growingAaron & Partners

    in the north-west

    ADECADE ONFROMTHEREPORTTHATBROUGHTYOUTHELEGALSERVICESACT,LPMASKS...

    WhatdoesSMElawfirmmanagementthinkofthesuccess,ornot,ofClementisattempttoref

    ormlegalbusiness?WepolledtheLPMaudiencereadtheresultsinside

    HastheLSAdelivered?

    ENDOFTERMREPORT

  • 8/10/2019 LPM MacDonald Oates Case Study

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    DECEMBER 2014INDUSTRY VIEWS

    SPONSORED EDITORIAL

    Any legal business seeking growthsoon finds that firm-wide

    consistency of behaviours and

    processes becomes essential to

    sustainable development. But Hampshire-

    based firm MacDonald Oates also saw that

    unifying people and processes could be an

    opportunity for much more it could put

    the firm in the cloud, with all the benefits

    that brings.

    MacDonald Oates understands that its

    clients needs are evolving, particularly as

    technology clears the obstacles to better

    service. Partner and head of operations Nick

    Ellin says that recognising the right kinds of

    change frees its people from the IT grindand enables a focus on client service to

    become more responsive and competitive.

    Ellin and the rest of the firms

    management recognised that the business

    needed to change its existing IT set-up to

    build in more efficiency the documentmanagement system and server

    infrastructure had reached the end of their

    usefulness. Disparate systems and processes

    in the firm therefore meant that people

    were having to manage several sets of client

    data never a recipe for consistency or

    efficiency.

    Software on local PCs was set up slightly

    differently for everybody. Each department

    had its own way of doing things, so there

    wasnt any consistency. The software was a

    mix of legacy systems that became

    increasingly untidy. This wasnt effective.

    Standardisation is key.

    SEAMLESS EXPERIENCEOne of the firms central strategic IT

    objectives was to integrate systems to allow

    its people more flexibility. There was a

    reliance on people using a complicated files

    Nick Ellin of MacDonald Oates tells LPM howmoving into the cloud with DPS has transformedthe way his firm does business and how itsenabling a flexible future

    SPONSORED EDITORIAL

    DECEMBER 2014INDUSTRY VIEWS

    RADICAL

    REFRESH

    ABOUT THE SPONSOR

    DPS Software is committed to

    developing products that meetthe specific and changingneeds of law firms. Its legalsoftware products and hostedIT solutions have enabled

    legal businesses across thecountry to increase workvolumes and revenue.

    www.dpssoftware.co.uk

    http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/
  • 8/10/2019 LPM MacDonald Oates Case Study

    3/3LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT1

    DECEMBER 2014INDUSTRY VIEWS

    SPONSORED EDITORIAL

    and folders structure on a network drive that

    stored everything from office material to client

    and matter information.The firm was beginning to pay the price of

    being unable to link its matter information with its

    accounts systems, and needed a better way to

    track work and its finances. Not only that, fee

    earners and operations staff alike were struggling

    with an unreliable terminal server connection,

    ageing servers and an unreliable digital dictation

    system.

    The firm looked at several document

    management systems that would integrate with

    the firms existing account software, before

    deciding upon an offering from DPS. Working

    with DPS it soon became apparent that a much

    more ambitious plan could

    be offered: an ambitioustriple jump from LAN-based

    servers to a new accounts

    system integrating a case

    and a document

    management system and

    then into the cloud with all

    of it.

    It didnt make sense to

    keep plastering the cracks

    the software and hardware

    were creating. We reviewed

    the cost of support for all of

    our various third parties,

    factoring in the depreciating

    service compared to thepotential gains of fresh and

    stable infrastructure from

    DPS it was no contest.

    We wiped away all the

    inconsistencies between our

    ways of working and producing documents in a

    completely new way. Rather than using our folder

    structures, we would be creating cases and

    documents straight from the CMS.

    Since then theres been a mighty sea change

    in how the firm does things, says Ellin. Weve

    effectively outsourced our headaches, and then

    some. Not only do our people have a completely

    new desktop, they are logging onto the cloud

    system and using the latest Microsoft Officeproducts, plus DPS One Office, which brings

    everything a person might need on a matter file

    together with a couple of clicks. MacDonald

    Oates fee earners are now able to be far more

    responsive regardless of location, delivering the

    service from wherever they are or need to be,

    he says.

    The success of MacDonald Oatess firm-widerefresh has fed more ambition at the firm, says

    Ellin. Now its rethinking process at every stage

    and seeking to deliver services more innovatively

    wherever it sees opportunity. Our partners

    appreciate the importance of IT to the overall

    business success. DPS has been instrumental in

    such a variety of critical ways its very much

    part of our business plans and IT strategy.

    SERVICE ON-DEMANDNow that the firms fee earners have been

    enabled to work remotely, be it from court or a

    client site using tablets or laptops, Ellin says the

    need for paper

    documents is diminishing.We are moving

    towards a paperless

    environment and

    becoming less reliant on

    having files on our desks.

    A couple of departments

    are already scanning in

    their post and attaching it

    to the file history on a

    particular matter, and they

    can update it using the

    document version system

    we have in place. Were at

    the stage now where we

    want anybody to be ableto pick up a file wherever

    they are.

    This will also deliver

    more value to clients in

    the future, says Ellin, as

    MacDonald Oates looks into developing its

    extranet capability, particularly in conveyancing

    work.

    Client portals will go a long way in delivering

    extra benefits to clients. Having clients call the

    firm to find out the status of a transaction may be

    a thing of the past, he says. Instead, they could

    receive a text, or the client can just log on late at

    night when were closed and check the status of

    certain milestones in the process.A leap through the client portal may well be

    the firms next advance, but theres already great

    potential in whats already on its desks or

    rather, in the cloud to gain a significant

    competitive edge. LPM

    We wiped awayall the inconsistenciesbetween our ways ofworking and producingdocuments in a completelynew way.

    MacDonald Oates

    20 fee earners, 40 total staff

    Offices: Petersfield and Midhurst

    Specialisms: Full service

    LPM FACT FILE