Automation for solicitors

Where the hours actually go

Ask any partner where the time disappears and it is rarely the legal work. It is everything around it.

• Onboarding a new client: conflict checks, ID and anti-money-laundering checks, client care and engagement letters, and opening the file
• Re-keying the same details between your case management system, your accounts package and the odd spreadsheet
• Producing documents by hand: standard letters, forms, bundles and precedents that follow the same pattern every time
• Tracking deadlines, key dates and limitation periods across every open matter
• Recording time after the fact, then trying to reconstruct what the day actually held
• Chasing clients, other firms and third parties for information and signatures

None of this is the skilled work. It is the tax that sits on top of it. And as your caseload grows, that tax grows with it.

What we'd automate first

We don't arrive with a product to sell you. We sit down with the people who do the work, find the repetitive admin that is eating their week, and build something that fits the way your firm already runs. For most law firms, the early wins look like this:

• Client onboarding and compliance. Conflict checks, ID and AML, client care letters and file opening, triggered in the right order every time, with the compliance trail kept for you
• Document and bundle production. Standard letters, forms and bundles generated from your precedents in minutes, ready to check rather than build from scratch
• Deadline and limitation tracking. Every matter, every key date, watched automatically, with early warning before anything slips
• Data moving between systems. Details flow from case management to accounts without anyone re-typing them, which removes both the time and the errors
• Client updates. Clients kept informed at the right points, automatically, so they feel looked after without adding to anyone's day

What you get

Fee earners back on billable work instead of document assembly. Fewer key dates that creep up unnoticed. A compliance trail that is ready when the SRA or your auditor asks, rather than reconstructed under pressure. And the capacity to take on more matters without hiring purely to keep up with the admin.

The real win isn't the hours saved, though you will get those too. It is being able to grow the firm without the admin growing at the same rate.

Questions solicitors ask

Is my firm too small for this?

Small firms often get the most out of it, because there is no dedicated support team to absorb the admin. When fee earners are also doing onboarding, document production and file management, every hour saved goes back into billable work. We scope projects so the cost matches the size of the problem, not the size of the firm.

Will it work with my case and practice management system?

Yes. We don't ask you to replace Clio, Leap, Actionstep, Proclaim or whatever you run today. We connect to your existing case and practice management system and your accounts package, so information is entered once and flows where it is needed, instead of being re-keyed.

Will this replace my fee earners or support staff?

No. It takes the repetitive admin off their plate so they can do the work that needs a qualified lawyer. Most firms we talk to aren't trying to cut people. They are trying to stop good fee earners and support staff spending their day on document assembly and data entry.

Is client confidentiality and data safe?

Confidentiality and client money rules are the whole game in a law firm, so we treat them that way. We build privacy controls in from the start, keep your data inside systems you control, and design every step so there is a clear record of what happened and why, which helps at audit and SRA time.

Can it help with client onboarding, conflict checks and AML?

Yes, and this is often the first thing we automate. Conflict checks, ID and anti-money-laundering checks, client care and engagement letters, and file opening can be triggered in the right order every time, with a clear compliance trail kept for you rather than assembled by hand.

How much does it cost, and when does it pay for itself?

Projects typically start where the pain is sharpest and the payback is quickest, so the first piece earns its keep before you commit to the next. If you want a rough sense of what a single manual process is already costing you, our calculator gives you a number in about a minute.

Is this right for you?

This works well when:

• Your fee earners spend more time on admin than on casework
• The same details get typed into your case management system, your accounts and a spreadsheet
• Onboarding a client takes days of checks and letters before a file can open
• Key dates and limitation periods are tracked by hand and by memory
• You want to grow the caseload without growing your admin to match

Industries we work with

Automation for law firms is one of several sectors we focus on. If you run an owner-managed business in a related field, you may find one of these a closer fit:

• Financial advisers and IFAs
• Accountancy practices
• Estate agents
• Architecture, surveying and planning
• Insurance and mortgage brokers
• Recruitment agencies
• Marketing and creative agencies
• Renewables, clean-tech and environmental

Curious what your manual processes are really costing? Try the process cost calculator. This is one application of our business process automation work; the usual starting point is to map your business first.