Toolkit for lawyers from www.legal-edge.co.uk

1. Sally Holdway
ABS toolkit
how
do we
get there?

2. abs toolkit: how do we get
there
1 introduction
2 law firm structures, jobs in law and case
processing
3 changes to legal products and service delivery
4 IT & social media
*and some case studies

3. timeline
march OFT “competition in the professions” report recommends
2001 unjustified restrictions on competition should be removed
Sir David Clementi produces his government commissioned
dec
report “Review of the regulatory framework for legal services in
2004
England and Wales”
oct Legal Services Act receives royal assent
2007
march Legal disciplinary practices authorised
2009 by SRA comprising 25% non-lawyers
oct alternative business structures
2011 scheduled to “go live”

4. Legal Services Act 2007
single
oversight
regulation
competition,
transparency,
alternative innovation office for
business legal
structures complaints

5. ABSs
reserved
approved licensed
regulators authorise bodies to provide legal
activities
- HoLP-head of legal practice
- HoFA -head of finance
- non-authorised owners, managers
- “fit and proper”

6. “reserved legal activities”
many regulators looking to extend “reserved activities” which can
be carried out by their members
parallel legal services industry of “non-reserved” already evolved

7. multi- faceted industry
city
practices
legal
services
SME
parallel
“high street”
(consumer & small industry
business)
£15bn p/a

8. lawyer displacement
role of IT
docs in: docs out: risk man:
receipt of progress of
XML files plus generates and accounts managing of all
instruction & case (or stops
scanning & sends all e- function deadlines AML
opens e-files in system)
data scraping letters & docs etc
document
some client exception
checking/ advocacy etc
liaison handling
drafting
role of lawyers (support to workflow)

9. management team structures
managing director
finance ops HR IT legal services sales
director(he director director director director (head of director
ad of legal practice +
finance) MLRO)
“support” functions become the leaders
legal voice becomes just one of numerous functions
NB management of a legal practice is not a part time
occupation

10. the professional pyramid*
senior
(client
relations)
manager
(project management)
junior (professional tasks)
*David H. Maister 1982

11. what will “lawyering”
look like
experience knowledge
interpretation information
advocacy form filling

12. jobs in law for qualified staff*
“legal
knowledge
engineer”
“enhanced qualified
solicitor “legal hybrid”
practitioner”
“expert
“legal risk
trusted
manager”
advisor”
*definitions from “The End of Lawyers”: Prof R Susskind

13. the leadership pipeline*
*Drotter & Charan
enterprise
manager
business
manager
function
manager
managing
managers commit to delegation
managing
others understand self awareness
managing
self different behaviours and skill set required

14. changes to legal services:
what these changes might look
like moving forwards
client
acquisition &
retention
types of legal
product how its
processed
lawyer
displacement

15. types of legal product
commodities v bespoke?
what does commoditised mean?

16. traditional horizontal legal
“services” offered by solicitors
wills & company/
conveyancing family
probate commercial
the only element of vertical structuring is based
around seniority or lawyer and/or charging rate.
Service offered is purported to be the same. Value-
add is not clearly defined.

17. understand what your
client wants
holistic to be
to achieve
desired end
solutions valued result with
minimum cost,
community
80% of questions uncertainty and
answered technicality
upfront clarity communication
perception is everything. One missed phonecall will negate
exceptional (invisible) technical legal work.
spend 80% on achieving expectation, 20% on exceeding

18. creating vertical client-led
products
level 1
documents and forms assembly plus “how to” guides
level 2
“hand holding” / document checking service
level 3
full traditional “bespoke” service

20. creating vertical client-led products:
phase 2 - adding the horizontal
delivering “more than law”
level 1
documents and forms assembly internal legal services
plus “how to” guides
internal non-legal services
level 2 cross selling
“hand holding” / document
checking service (internal +
external) external legal services
level 3
external non legal services
full traditional “bespoke” service

22. legal triage
“repeat
multi channel (call centre / internet / apps) prescription”
“nurse
practitioner”
consumer legal
triage
“doctor”
white labelled (eg Tesco branded)
Q: where will your firm fit? “consultant”

24. opportunities

26. referral arrangements
pre ABS foodchain
claims manager /
client solicitor
panel manager
post ABS foodchain
claims manager /
client
panel manager

27. what does client loyalty look like?

28. en ce
te llig
in
m er
su
c on
if you’re interested in b2c...
loyalty and discount cards
are under explored by legal services providers

29. HE AN
N SN
IC E
B N ’T M E
E SPO
K explore the niche
DO BE
embrace emerging technologies
small is beautiful (and can certainly move faster to embrace
emerging technologies and develop niche products)
rather than worktypes, develop products for demographic
groups eg mums, motorcyclists, landlords
see landlord-law.co.uk
motorbikeclaims.org.uk

31. forums
(some) free information if you’re not doing
online forms this you’re not
membership competing

32. our community is our brand...

34. social media
develop/ satisfies
protect info hungry / low cost
brand time poor
a tool for
reduce profile
dialogue:
overheads raising
web 2.0
client leveller
acquisition/ improved of law
retention SEO firms

35. client
customer
friend

36. strategies
Business community:
Predominantly B2B
4 million users in UK
Builds network of contacts - gated access
Allows introductions to new contacts
Profiles for individuals & organisations
Free jobs board
“Answers” to raise profile
Groups

37. strategies
Facebook has 24 million users in the UK
Over half of all users log on daily
Each user has average of 130 “friends”
10 “likes” of your page a month = 1,300
recommendations
Almost guaranteed to get your firm
exposure
Set up a fan page that is consistently
updated
Dovetail into other social media AND
bd strategies to encourage traffic
Gives people something to take away
and publicly displays your competence.

38. strategies
Twitter 6 commandments:
Thou shalt:
Create a dedicated account for your firm
Follow as many (relevant) people as you can
Retweet
Reply to people with advice
Reply to popular people in the industry with
insightful information
Aim to be retweeted
REMEMBER... its a direct, intimate
conversation with your followers... you’re
literally in their front room
more followers = more exposure
more exposure = more business

39. and some more food for
thought...
intelligent engagement
what about instant messaging?
what about Skype for client
meetings?

41. as part of your overall bd strategy
your
website retain
clients
your
drives office new
traffic to clients
=
and your
from people
b2b
your
events

42. some options to consider

43. some predictions:
•the demise of the sole practitioner?
•national solicitor brands?
•simplification (or abandonment of legal process)?
•new roles for lawyers (and diminishing in volume of traditional fee
earning?
•IT is king?
•client loyalty replaced by brand loyalty
•rise of the new world regulators
•lack of investment on the high street
•social media as a major client acquisition tool
•consumer confusion
•dropping in service levels
•opportunity

44. 5 quick wins...
what why
significant cost savings, improved
stop printing customer service
1-2wk workflow projects can provide
review case management 25-50% efficiencies for many firms
get most appropriate team members in
skill up correct roles, and train to fill gaps
great client capture tool, step into web
get instant messaging 2.0 dialogue
new world legal services will charge for
give away free information experience, not for information

45. 5 more...
what why
don’t fee earn and manager managing is not a part time occupation
develop products they really want, get
survey your clients honest feedback on your service
set up a facebook page start the social media revolution
access free business assistance and
call Business Link funding
set up a loyalty scheme ringfence your existing client base

46. 377
info@legal-edge.co.uk