Bowsers Solicitors digitally transform their firm with Access Legal Case Management
- The case management and legal accounts software has been a key factor in digitally transforming the firm
- The legal software has saved large amounts or time, money and resource for the firm – print costs alone have been reduced by 75-80% in the administration department
- Additional functionality such as the client portal and opportunity modules are important part of future development focusing on the client experience
Bowsers Solicitors are a firm based in Cambridgeshire, providing services both regionally and UK wide. The firm’s largest areas of law are Conveyancing (50-55% of turnover), Wills and Probate and Family but they also provide services for Civil Litigation, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Employment, Business and more.
Bowsers were created when two well-known firms of local solicitors merged in 2001. Before the merger, both firms had served their local communities for hundreds of years. Bowsers pride themselves on being a forward-thinking and dedicated firm, providing an excellent level of service to all clients. They offer the best advice and common sense approach to many business , professional and private clients, delivered in a polite and friendly way and making use of the best legal technology available.
We spoke to Director, Chris Ringham, who has worked for Bowsers for over 20 years and leads the operations and administration for the firm.
How did you fair during the pandemic and did the way you work change?
“During the pandemic, we faired really well and had one of our best years ever. Our Conveyancing and Family law areas of the business were particularly busy due to the Stamp Duty Holiday and families being forced to stay at home. This is where a really good case management system helped with the increased volume of work as everything was all in one place and allowed us to be flexible with people working remotely and able to complete tasks digitally. We became much more digitally focused and less paper-based however we are still looking to reduce our use of printing even further.”
What is your main goal as a firm?
“Our main focus has always been on the client therefore client service and experience are particularly important for us and something we’re looking to improve. To do this, we’ve been digitally transforming the firm and will continue to do this.”
What role does Access Legal’s technology play in helping you achieve your goals?
“We’re working closely with Access Legal as part of our digital transformation of the firm. As such there’s a number of areas of interest which we think can help us continue that journey.
We’re very keen to implement a client portal, which Access Legal offers, as I believe it can really improve the experience the client has with us while also providing benefits for the firm. Clients will no longer have to scroll through mountains of emails, can sign documents digitally, can more easily get in contact with the caseworker and even track what’s been done and what needs to happen next. From the firm’s perspective, we can spend less time on the phone and answering emails and more time completing billable work and progressing cases, making the firm more efficient and the work more profitable.
We’ve also moved onto the cloud-hosted service which has made it much easier for people working from home and improved the functionality in the office. This has been an important step as we embrace a more flexible approach to work.
Finally, we want to get the opportunities module added to the website which will be a big step forward and one we’re excited for as it will allow us to generate conveyancing quotes via the website within 30 seconds and link back to the case management system. The potential client will then receive their quote on a branded email. This, alongside the client portal, will make us available or accessible 24/7 meaning our clients don’t have to get in touch with us during working hours for quotes or updates and can get information they need if we’re busy or at a more suitable time for them.”
How have you benefited from implementing the software already?
“The case management system and integrated legal accounts system has already helped us to be a more digitally focused firm. Before we implemented Access Legal Case Management, we used to have standalone accounts and practice management systems which meant there was a lot of duplication and generally we weren’t able to operate as efficiently as we’d like and we were very traditional when it came to printing lots of paperwork.
One area which has benefited greatly is the legal accounts team which has traditionally been very paper heavy however we’ve now seen a 75-80% reduction in printing in this department alone. This is not only great for reducing costs but also means we’re able to operate in a more eco-friendly manner. We now use eChits Electronic Accounts Slips (The process for requesting monies to be paid or informing accounts of monies that are being received) and the case management reporting which has removed the need for printing bills. With the legal accounts process now streamlined and more efficient, we were also able to reduce the accounts department headcount from four to three and reassign the additional resource in another area of the business that needed support.
Outside of the accounts team we used to print a lot of case files and emails however we’ve greatly reduced this as the system allows us to link and store all documents and correspondence digitally. Another great feature which we’ve started using is Teamtalk which allows us to digitally dictate, via a mobile app, when working remotely and links the recordings directly into the case. Not only does this save us time but it also supports the flexible working approach required now.”
What led you to choosing Access Legal’s Case Management and Legal Accounts solution?
“I trialed six different case management systems while exploring the market and Access Legal Case Management looked the easiest to use and simple to understand whereas others seemed to have several steps involved when working through functions and workflows. The legal accounts side of Access Legal Case Management, in particular, is so easy to use compared to others and it streamlined a lot of our processes.
Cost was also a big factor, some of the other systems being presented to us were 20-25% more expensive the Access Legal Case Management yet they had similar or less functionality. Finally, we found the staff at Access Legal really nice to work with and they came across really well without being too salesy.”
