Entries for this category were sought from innovative teams across the legal services sector who could demonstrate cutting edge business practice and client service. The shortlisted entries included innovative approaches to standardisation, commoditisation or the creation of new suites of high value-added services or means of delivery to meet client needs.
Eversheds has developed a novel and ingenious way of providing added value for its clients. Legal Clubbing is a model for collaboration and cost sharing between its public sector clients and potentially between its corporate clients. Clients in non competitive situations facing similar changes or issues are encouraged to share resources and share the cost of Eversheds’ legal advice using an online structure provided by Eversheds. So far clubs have been developed for clients in the local government and education sectors. The offering is a courageous one which gives their clients the opportunity to make substantial savings in their expenditure on legal services without compromising on quality. They are also encouraged to collaborate more broadly for example through mentoring arrangements and a shared knowledge bank.
Freeth Cartwright have adopted a highly integrated approach to promote electronic working across the firm in order to ensure a high quality of legal services for their clients. Case view is a bespoke web-based working environment for fee earners and support staff which also provides access to selected data by clients through an extranet facility. The information available to all their solicitors includes: client file information, know-how, up-to-date client billing and internal HR and training information for staff. They have developed 230 extranets to give clients direct access to their files and adapted Blackberry technology to enable fee-earners to dictate directly into the system while on the move By successfully encouraging electronic working, the solution has enabled a 20% saving on paper storage and also paper usage.
Asserson Law Offices have developed a unique business model which enables them to offer clients large scale commercial litigation expertise at a cost which is lower than competitor firms. In an unusual alternative to saving cost by off-shoring legal process work, they have based their whole operation in Asserson Law Offices have developed a unique business model which enables them to offer clients large scale commercial litigation expertise at a cost which is only 30 to 50% of the fees of competitor firms. In an unusual alternative to saving cost by off-shoring legal process work, they have based their whole operation in Israel. By basing the firm in a lower cost jurisdiction they are able to offer savings to clients with no compromise on the quality of service offered. The majority of their lawyers have previous experience with the larger UK firms. Their use of IT enables Asserson to practice UK law from another jurisdiction with few disadvantages.
Matthew Arnold & Baldwin launched a new internal communications platform that enables offices to connect and internal members to network, communicate and interact regardless of their office, their team or their qualification.
Clifford Chance has implemented a single search engine across its multiple global data repositories, enabling the firm's 6000 people in 29 offices in 20 countries around the world to have efficient access to the knowledge and expertise they need to provide the best client advice and to work smarter.
An innovative website and simple offer of MoneyBackGuarantee in return for payment of about £100 per 45 minutes has changed the face of the small high street firm, which now inspires other small firms to change the way their services are delivered and to develop effective, unique business processes.