Proclaim Web Service Integration: Case Study

We recently assisted a law firm in developing their Proclaim case management system to help them save time in requesting ATE policies by implementing a Proclaim web service integration.

The Problem

A client was finding that requesting ATE policies was cumbersome and time consuming as they were having to manually login to a ATE providers website and manually enter all the requisite information referring back to their Proclaim case management system. This was also wasting time by duplicating data entry across two systems which, at times, also resulted in data entry errors being made when entering the data into the ATE providers web portal.

The Solution

It was decided that a web service integration needed to be made between Proclaim and the ATE providers website. However, to complicate matters, the ATE provider did not offer an API that could utilise SOAP or REST services to allow the integration, as would be the case in most integrations.

Consequently, a simpler but equally effective solution was required. Legal Practice Support were able to automatically generate a website URL within Proclaim that would contain all the information required by the ATE provider, and also login directly to their website by auto filling in the necessary information. As a result, the client was able to simply press a button on a screen within Proclaim that would launch the website and make the ATE policy request. Similar solutions were also implemented for ATE policy cancellations as well as providing the ATE company with case progress information such as when cases where to be litigated or settled.

The Benefit

The most immediate benefit was the removal of duplicating work as the client was no longer required to repeat the data entry process on both their Proclaim system, and the external ATE providers system. Now it was all entered into Proclaim once and then automatically passed over to the ATE Provider immediately.

A secondary benefit was that there was less prospect of human error as duplicate data entry was no longer required between the two system; which previously, on occasion, had resulted in erroneous data being provided to that ATE company.

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist?

Legal Practice Support are experts in Proclaim web service integrations. We are skilled in developing and optimising your Proclaim system to fit 100% with your business needs.

If you would like to find out more about Proclaim integration and how a Proclaim Developer from the Legal Practice Support team could assist your firm, please do not hesitate to contact us.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and oversees all projects to ensure work is completed to a high standard for all clients. As an experienced Proclaim Developer, James also maintains his own workload, consisting of complex development projects or high priority tasks. He can be contacted via e-mail at james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, or get in touch with us via Live Chat.

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Automating Monthly Report Date Changes: Proclaim Case Study

The Problem

As with many firms the client was heavily reliant on management information being accurate and accessible so that they could make informed strategic decisions.

The firm required automatic monthly reports which required the start and end date of the months to be changed each month. It was becoming a time-consuming admin task for the management of the firm to ensure that all of their reports would run on a month-by-month timeline as they would have to spend time updating the dates manually and often some would be missed.

The Solution

LPS developed an algorithm within Proclaim that would automatically calculate when the start and end date of that calendar month would be.

The Benefit

The automation algorithm completely removed an arduous task from the managers of the firm, which gives them more time to focus on assessing the management information itself and the multitude of other duties they performed.

Furthermore, it ensured no reports were missed in respect of updating the dates and consequently the managers could be confident that they would have the management information they needed, when they needed it.

Additionally, this algorithm has also been used throughout the firms proclaim system itself, such as within the billing departments.

How can Legal Practice Support Help?

If you would like to discuss the automation of monthly report date changes, or any other type of automation into your Proclaim system, or to discuss general Proclaim development, please do not hesitate to contact james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk for further information.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and possesses in excess of eight years’ experience, both in-house and as an external consultant, in developing legal case management systems.  James is also uniquely in the position of having worked as a Senior Manager within a law firm, and as having conducted his own caseload as an experienced Paralegal.  As a seasoned Proclaim Developer, James understands the requirements of any IT system/workflow/task from the view of the user, as well as from an IT perspective.

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AML Risk Assessment: Proclaim Case Study

 

There have been some major changes to UK anti money laundering (AML) rules which came into effect on 10th January 2020 with the introduction of The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019. These regulations provide an update to the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017).

The new AML regulations provide strict rules and guidelines which all financial institutions and businesses should adhere to in order to minimise the risk of money laundering. The prevention of money laundering and counter terrorism are now a top priority for law enforcement so the new AML rules should be of utmost importance to all businesses at risk of being used as a source of funds for money laundering and terrorist financing.

We recently assisted a law firm in developing their Proclaim case management system to enable the firm to carry out due diligence on all files and adhere to the AML rules by implementing AML risk assessment processes.

The Problem

The client wanted to ensure that staff were completing comprehensive risk assessments before proceeding with taking on a client’s case. It was becoming difficult given the volume for a supervisor to review every single case. As such, a dedicated process was put in place to ensure that fee earners were able to vet cases themselves whilst still being AML compliant and only being flagged to supervisors when certain criteria was not met.

Furthermore, they wanted a way to produce a management report to ensure the checks were getting completed correctly, without having to access every single case individually.

The solution

At LPS, we put a system in place that allows the user to navigate through the necessary checks with ease. When a case is opened, a task is automatically assigned to the user to prompt them to conduct the assessment. If an attempt was made to delete the task, it would not be allowed without having actually completed the risk assessment. This action provided two benefits; the fee earner would always be reminded that they had outstanding risk assessments to complete, and the Supervisor would, at a glance, have the ability to view all the outstanding assessments be it by user, team or firm.

The process would start with a risk assessment hub that displays to the user the parts of the assessment that have been completed, and those that are outstanding, such as client ID verification, Equifax checks and proof of funds. The hub takes the user to an AML checklist and risk assessment that displays all the warning signs for the user to identify any cause for concern and review the risks.

Through use of these screens, users are able to access extra information from the SRA and Equifax if needed. Once these tasks have been completed, the hub is marked up with dates of completion and the user who conducted each individual check; thereby, ensuring accountability. Finally, any risks are reported to a supervisor via an email containing the relevant details.

The benefit

The benefit of having a central hub with access to all the assessment and reminders ensures that the user is performing the essential checks with ease and in a compliant manner. Furthermore, access to external websites in the same place such as the SRA and Equifax allow the users to review additional information rapidly.

With the hub identifying the completed and outstanding parts of the process, it allows supervisors to be notified when checks have not been completed, meaning they no longer are required to audit each individual case, freeing up their time to perform other tasks. It can also help highlight potential training issues with members of staff who may not be performing the necessary standard of compliance required when assessing their cases.

Additionally, the management reporting allows complete and quick oversight of any outstanding risk assessments in the firm ensuring compliance is always met.

How can Legal Practice Support Help?

If you would like to discuss how to incorporate rigorous anti-money laundering (AML) risk assessment processes into your Proclaim system, or to discuss general Proclaim development, please do not hesitate to contact james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk for further information.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and possesses in excess of eight years’ experience, both in-house and as an external consultant, in developing legal case management systems.  James is also uniquely in the position of having worked as a Senior Manager within a law firm, and as having conducted his own caseload as an experienced Paralegal.  As a seasoned Proclaim Developer, James understands the requirements of any IT system/workflow/task from the view of the user, as well as from an IT perspective.

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Proclaim Automatic Case Allocation: Case Study

We recently assisted a personal injury firm who required our assistance in developing their Proclaim case management system to implement Proclaim automatic case allocation. 

 

The Problem 

It was becoming a time-consuming task for the law firm’s management teams to ensure all staff members had their appropriate number of cases allocated to them. 

They found that they frequently had to review the numbers of cases settled and closed and allocate the cases out to each fee earner accordingly to ensure they had the caseload they required. 

 

The Solution 

An algorithm was created within the firm’s Proclaim case management system by Legal Practice Support (LPS). This algorithm helped organise the business’ case and document management systems accordingly. When the new cases are accepted by the new claims team and ready to be assigned, the system now automatically checks each user’s caseload. It then automatically sends assigned new cases to users that need them. 

 The algorithm also took into account that different Fee Earners might not all require the same amount of cases, i.e. some staff also perform supervisor roles, so they need a smaller number of cases. 

It would also accommodate other factors such as Court Track of cases and certain heads of loss. The Proclaim automatic case allocation has helped to ensure that all cases are allocated to the right people. The Proclaim case task management system will track and monitor factors in fee earners to help the system determine who it should allocate the case to. 

 

Furthermore, you can use the algorithm to interpret existing applications for processing transactions coming through to your business, manipulating any data to be more organised, and the algorithm can trigger responses and communicate with other systems. 

 

The Benefit 

The main benefit of integrating Proclaim automatic case allocation into this solution is that the Proclaim task management system has the ability to schedule to autorun, set algorithms and tasks up and has the ability to complete roles that managers struggled to complete. This has given managers more time at work to focus on other tasks.  

Furthermore, it ensured there was no favouritism with regards to who was allocated what case. The Proclaim system will measure all file handler’s workloads, analyse their job roles, to allocate suitable cases accordingly.  

Proclaim automatic case allocation is not exclusive to personal injury departments and can be applied to all claim types, i.e. could be used with the same principle in conveyancing based on value or any other claim type with any different varying sets of criteria. 

 

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist Your Firm? 

 

Legal Practice Support can assist your firm by developing your Proclaim system to allow for automatic case allocation and many other types of automated tasks. We are the UK’s leading Proclaim Developers. We can help your team eliminate the tedious, administrative, robotic tasks that they may currently spend a lot of their time performing. This means that they can spend more of their time focusing on the more complex issues in the business and handling and settling more legal issues swiftly.  

The team at Legal Practice Support are specialists in Proclaim Development solutions and Legal IT. We offer optimisation of your Proclaim system through the development of the software to ensure you are making the most of your system. The development of your system will vastly improve the productivity and efficiency of file handlers and will deliver real financial returns to your firm.  

We can also develop your system by implementing web service integrations and workflow optimisation.

If you would like to discuss how a Proclaim Developer from the LPS team could assist your law firm, please contact us for further information and to book a set time, date you are available to speak.   

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support. He possesses in excess of eight years of experience, both in-house and as an external consultant, in developing legal case management systems. He oversees all projects to ensure work is completed to a high standard for all clients. As an experienced Proclaim Developer, James also maintains his own workload, consisting of complex development projects or high priority tasks. He can be contacted via e-mail at james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, or get in touch with just a click of a button via our contact form or by on 01204 930234.

 

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Legal Process Automation Using Proclaim Software

The legal industry has historically been very resistant to change, with many preferring to sit in an office, using paper files to manage their caseload. The unfortunate reality is, that as every year passes it becomes less and less viable to operate a business in this manner.

The impact of the Coronavirus has demonstrated the importance of law firms embracing legal technologies to assist them in working remotely. This year, many of the more conservative firms, which have been forced to adapt and utilise these technologies, may have noted the benefits of using software, such as Proclaim. These benefits will include improved efficiency and an increase in profits due to legal processes being automated.

Tasks carried out by file handlers which may be administrative in nature can be very costly and time consuming, but are critical to the handling of many legal cases. Repetitive tasks, such as updating clients, manually typing up documents, and trawling through mountains of paperwork can all be avoided through use of legal process automation using a legal case management system such as Proclaim.

A 2015 report from the international management consulting outfit McKinsey & Co identified that significant amounts of time for law firm staff could be automated using RPA technology. They estimated that  69% of time is automatable for paralegals and 23% of time is automatable for Solicitors.

 

What is RPA Software?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software is a type of artificial intelligence, and is the application of technology that allows a company to configure computer software or a “robot”. Software robots can be used to capture and interpret existing applications for processing a transaction, manipulating data, triggering responses and communicating with other digital systems.

Legal process automation could be key in cutting down a large proportion of these time consuming, manual processing tasks. The adoption of software that acts as robotic process automation (RPA) such as Proclaim Case Management Software is essential to maximising profit margins and improving customer service levels.

 

How Can Proclaim be Developed for Legal Process Automation?

Proclaim is the legal industry’s leading case management software and is the leading software used by Solicitors in many legal departments. The most beneficial feature of Proclaim is that it is extremely flexible and can be developed in many ways. Proclaim can be developed to allow for legal process automation, which can be particularly beneficial for increasing the speed of processing of each case. Using an automated process will assist in saving time for fee earners, allowing them to focus on other, larger complex tasks at hand.

The system can also be developed to allow for automated client updates as the case progresses. This will improve customer satisfaction and save file handlers the time of having to manually update each client.

Proclaim automation can also assist your in house legal team with data collection and data protection compliance using the due diligence automation and GDPR Individual Rights workflow to manage requests and automate their handling. This will aid in reducing cost and assist in compliance with ongoing legislation.

With the right setup, you can ensure that all key reports are scheduled to run automatically and to be disclosed to predefined contacts or locations at specified times. Thus, ensuring you are never missing the information you need to make key business decisions.

 

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist?

Legal Practice Support can assist with your legal process automation by developing your Proclaim system. We can help your team to eliminate the tedious, administrative, robotic tasks that they may currently spend a lot of their time performing. This means that they can spend more of their time focusing on the more complex issues and settle legal issues more swiftly.

Legal Practice Support are specialists in Proclaim Development solutions and Legal IT. We offer optimisation of your Proclaim system through the development of the software to ensure you are making the most of your system. Development of your system will vastly improve the productivity and efficiency of file handlers and will deliver real financial returns to your firm.

If you would like to discuss how a Proclaim Developer from the LPS team could assist your law firm, please contact us for further information.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and oversees all projects to ensure work is completed to a high standard for all clients. As an experienced Proclaim Developer, James also maintains his own workload, consisting of complex development projects or high priority tasks. He can be contacted via e-mail at james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, or get in touch with us via our contact form, or by phone on 01204 930234

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Conveyancing Automation Using Proclaim Case Management

Law firms with conveyancing departments will be well aware that conveyancing processes can be very costly and time consuming. Tasks, such as undertaking Land Registry searches, property checks, and communicating with an estate agent can take up large amounts of time.

Property lawyers will also spend a large proportion of their time performing manual and administrative tasks. Manually trawling through mountains of paperwork and documents is becoming less and less viable for conveyancing businesses. Manually updating clients at key points within a case are also tasks which are time consuming, but are critical to the entire conveyancing process.

Conveyancing automation could be key in cutting down a large proportion of these time consuming tasks. The adoption of software that acts as robotic process automation (RPA) such as Proclaim Case Management Software is essential to maximising profit margins and improving customer service levels.

 

Proclaim for Conveyancing Automation of Tasks

Proclaim Case Management Software is the leading software used by Solicitors, including Conveyancing Solicitors. They offer a cloud based solution which is particularly useful for accessing important information on cases when working remotely.

The most beneficial feature of Proclaim is that it is extremely flexible and can be developed in many ways. Proclaim can be developed to allow for process automation, which can be particularly beneficial for Conveyancing Solicitors due to the amount of steps that are needed to be taken on each file. Conveyancing automation is possible for many manual tasks within the Conveyancing process using Proclaim Software, saving file handlers time and allowing them to focus on other, larger tasks at hand.

The system can also be developed to allow for automated client updates throughout the conveyancing process. This will improve customer satisfaction and save file handlers the time of having to manually update each client.

With the right setup, you can ensure that all key reports are scheduled to run automatically and to be disclosed to predefined contacts or locations at specified times. Thus ensuring you are never missing the information you need to make key business decisions.

 

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist?

Legal Practice Support can assist with your conveyancing automation by developing your Proclaim system. We can help your team to eliminate the tedious, administrative, robotic tasks that they may currently spend alot of their time performing. This means that they can spend more of their time focusing on the more complex issues and settle conveyancing matters more swiftly.

Legal Practice Support are specialists in Proclaim Development solutions and Legal IT. We offer optimisation of your Proclaim system through the development of the software to ensure you are making the most of your system. Development of your system will vastly improve the productivity and efficiency of file handlers and will deliver real financial returns to your firm.

If you would like to discuss how a Proclaim Developer from the LPS team could assist your law firm, please contact us for further information.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and oversees all projects to ensure work is completed to a high standard for all clients. As an experienced Proclaim Developer, James also maintains his own workload, consisting of complex development projects or high priority tasks. He can be contacted via e-mail at james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, or get in touch with us via our contact form, or by phone on 01204 930234

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Law Firm Technology and the Impact of the Pandemic

The legal industry has a reputation for being a bit conservative and behind the times when it comes to technology. Although there may be some firms that were already embracing law firm technology before the pandemic, the legal industry is not one which is known for being particularly tech savvy. The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on all businesses, including those within the legal services industry. Fortunately, as there are many types of business and legal technology solutions available to Solicitors and legal professionals, many have been able to continue to work remotely whilst providing a great level of service to clients.

The pandemic has meant that many firms have been forced to adapt and embrace law firm technology in order to survive. So, has the pandemic had any positive impacts for the growth of law firm technology, and what impact will the pandemic have on the future of legal tech?

 

Law Firm Technology Before the Pandemic

Pre-lockdown, many law firms had started to embrace and utilise new technology and there was actually a small technological revolution happening within many practice areas. Some firms started making use of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and website chatbots to provide legal advice. Many firms had also begun utilising software to assist in performing due diligence, as well as increasing efficiency and profitability.

Case management systems, such as Proclaim, have been used by a large number of law firms for some time now. The Proclaim case management system is particularly useful as it can be developed in a number of ways to improve efficiency of file handlers by automating tasks, optimising workflows, and seamlessly integrating with third party systems.

 

The Impact of the Pandemic on Law Firm Technology

Although some law firms had already started to become more tech focussed before the pandemic, there were still many firms who had not embraced technology much further beyond word processing, and completely rejected the idea of a “paperless system.” The coronavirus pandemic meant that many tech-phobic firms had to adapt and make the most of these new disruptive technologies.

Many firms will have started using video conference calling technologies and software-as-a-service (SaaS) for the first time.

Will this forced change lead to a new way of working for legal teams? And will the more traditional law firms who relied on on-premise systems become more flexible in their ways of working?

 

Law Firm Technology Benefits

Welcoming and accepting technology as an integral mechanism of a law firm will have huge benefits for all staff. Management will have peace of mind that day-to-day work will be able to continue seamlessly in times of crisis, such as during a pandemic when staff are required to work from home.

Systems, such as Proclaim, offer cloud based services which allow file handlers to have access to their system from anywhere in the world. The also provide an app, Proclaim Go, which allows staff to access their files on the go.

After the pandemic, we may see a huge shift in the number of law firms permitting their staff to work form home, allowing increased flexibility and a better work/life balance for employees.

Many firms will have witnessed the many benefits of this new way of working and some may even consider having less staff in offices full time.

Utilising technology to allow remote working is very cost effective and may help to reduce overheads for many businesses, especially if smaller premises are required.

Many will have also noticed the increased efficiency gained through use of a case management system and various other types of software which staff have now been required to use to carry out their day-today tasks. For those who have now incorporated a paperless system, they will have noted the ease of for file handlers as all their files will be accessible from one central database. All information relevant to cases and files can be accessed using the system, limiting the need to take paperwork out of the office.

 

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist?

Legal Practice Support can provide assistance for law firms in accessing their Proclaim, and other case management systems remotely. We are also experienced in taking out-of-the-box Proclaim legal software and developing it to automate processes and reduce administrative tasks, both of which are of great use when having to work remotely.

Having been active in the Legal IT industry for over seven years, we have invaluable experience managing IT systems for firms as small as 30 people all the way up to enterprise clients with over 300. Furthermore, we are accustomed to working with multiple other stakeholders to resolve any IT problems that might arise.

If you would like to discuss how a Proclaim Developer from the LPS team could assist your law firm, please do not hesitate to contact james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk for further information

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Legal Case Management Software: Why Use Proclaim?

 

What is Legal Case Management Software?

All law firms will have some sort of document management system or software to help them carry out day to day tasks and manage their cases effectively. Most legal practice management software systems will offer a wide range of features such as time recording, document production, reporting, and accounting which can all be managed using one single platform. Good legal case management software is essential for running and managing a successful law firm, regardless of the firm size. This type of software, if used to its full potential, will make the role of the file handler easier and more efficient.

 

Why Do We Recommend Proclaim Legal Case Management Software?

As Proclaim legal software is the most popular legal costs management software utilised by over 25,000 businesses, it is no surprise that it has been endorsed by the Law Society. Proclaim now offer cloud based legal software which will allow law firm staff to have access from anywhere in the world. This is particularly beneficial for when staff are required to work from home.

One of the main benefits of Proclaim is the fact that it is so flexible and can be developed to meet your firm’s bespoke requirements.

 

Proclaim Legal Case Management Software Development

Proclaim case management software can be seamlessly developed in the following ways:

•  Automation – Proclaim Process Automation can assist in improving productivity by cutting down on those repetitive and tedious admin processes. Automated tasks can increase the efficiency of file handlers by cutting down on tedious, robotic tasks. Thus, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks and settling cases more swiftly.
•  MI Reports – Management reports within the system allow in-depth data to be retrieved and analysed at any given time. Proclaim comes with numerous out-of-the-box management reports. However, many firms of Solicitors soon feel the need to develop their own bespoke reports to cover their unique business needs.
• Integration with IT Systems – Integration with third party systems is one of the most useful features which can be achieved through the development of the system. Proclaim can be seamlessly synchronised with many third-party systems, resulting in improved efficiency and increased profits.
• Workflow Optimisation – Productivity, client care, and compliance can all be improved through the use of workflow optimisation and task automation within the system.
• Bulk Data Solutions – The ability to import and export Proclaim data can greatly assist in productivity, efficiency and can prevent the risk of data loss.

 

Why Choose Legal Practice Support to Develop Your Legal Case Management System?

At LPS we specialise in Legal IT and Proclaim Development solutions. We offer optimisation of your system through the development of the legal case management software to ensure you are making the most of your system

Our goal is to ensure that by optimising your Proclaim system through software development, we can deliver real financial returns to your business. The law firms we assist benefit from vastly improved efficiency and profitability as a result of developing their case management system which has and continues to enable them to adapt with modern law reforms. Development of their Proclaim system has also helped our clients to be a step ahead with regards to the embracing of technological changes in the legal landscape.

Our expert Proclaim development team have extensive years of experience of improving the day to day productivity of the Proclaim case management system.

If you would like to discuss how a Proclaim Developer from the LPS team could assist your law firm, please contact us for further information.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and oversees all projects to ensure work is completed to a high standard for all clients. As an experienced Proclaim Developer, James also maintains his own workload, consisting of complex development projects or high priority tasks. He can be contacted via e-mail at james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, or get in touch with one of the team via Live Chat, or via telephone on the number detailed below.

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Proclaim Integrations: Web Service Integrations

The Proclaim Case Management Software is one of the most versatile case management software solutions used by Solicitors and law firms. One of the main advantages of using Proclaim software is that it seamlessly integrates with 3rd party applications and websites using web services.

Integration with third party systems is one of the most useful features which can be achieved through the development of the system. Proclaim can be synchronised with many third-party systems, resulting in improved efficiency and increased profits.

Legal Practice Support specialise in Proclaim Integrations and have experience in assisting all types of law firms, including Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, Debt Recovery, immigration and conveyancing.

 

Proclaim Web Service Integrations

Proclaim web service integrations are a real game changer. The compatibility and flexibility of Proclaim allows for web service integrations using formats such as SOAP, REST or XML.  This means that data can be transferred from the Proclaim system to and from another application.

Automatic case creation, data and document exchange with third parties mean that workflows can be effortlessly streamlined from within your Proclaim system.

These types of Proclaim integrations can be particularly useful for fee earners as it can assist in document and data exchange as well as allowing for cases to be created and updated automatically.

Examples of Proclaim integrations with third party applications using SOAP, REST, and XML include, but are not limited to:

• Integrations with ATE providers
• Integrations with medical agencies
• Address mapping for clients
• Electronic e-signatures
• Integrating with Money Claim Online
• Importing data from a spreadsheet to automatically set up new enquiries or cases
• Importing client details from website contact forms to set up new enquires within Proclaim

Proclaim is continuously adding new features and allowing for more flexibility, especially since the launch of Proclaim Go, “the new mobile and tablet friendly application powered by Proclaim” which enables Solicitors and legal professionals to work from anywhere in the world.

 

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist?

Legal Practice Support are experts in Proclaim Integrations. We are skilled in developing and optimising your Proclaim system to fit 100% with your business needs.

If you would like to find out more about Proclaim integration and how a Proclaim Developer from the Legal Practice Support team could assist your firm, please do not hesitate to contact us.

James Denby is Head of Proclaim Development at Legal Practice Support and oversees all projects to ensure work is completed to a high standard for all clients. As an experienced Proclaim Developer, James also maintains his own workload, consisting of complex development projects or high priority tasks. He can be contacted via e-mail at james.denby@legalpracticesupport.co.uk, or get in touch with us via Live Chat or the contact form, below.

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How to Improve Law Firm Profitability

Law firm profitability is essential for effective business development and growth. The legal market and legal service industry have faced many difficulties in the past decade with recent law reforms, fixed costs, Brexit, and Covid-19. The oncoming recession as a result of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic is set to bring more financial hurdles to be faced by businesses of all shapes and sizes, including those in the legal industry.

When it comes to overcoming those financial hurdles, the bottom line is that effective law firm management and efficiency of legal operations is required for maximising your law practice profitability. We have set out some advice on how to improve law firm profitability to help you stay on top.

Management of Your Legal Costs

All legal departments must deal with the issue of managing and settling legal costs at the end of each case, regardless of their practice area. Effective management of legal costs will help to limit your overheads and maximise the profits received through legal costs following the settlement of a claim. But a mistake often made is that costs should only be considered on conclusion of a case. It is imperative that costs are considered from the outset of a case, ensuring the retainer is properly constructed, and success fee is calculated in a compliant manner with bespoke risk assessment, and setting appropriate hourly rates dependant upon the likely complexities/value of any claim/instruction.

Successful negotiation of legal costs, such as Solicitor’s hourly rates will help to ensure that you are obtaining maximum profit from each case. Using an experienced Costs Draftsman to assist you in drafting your Precedent H, Bill of Costs and Replies to Points of Dispute will significantly assist your firm in recovering the maximum amount of legal costs and disbursements. They can also assist you through the process of Detailed Assessment. Hard work in conducting a case can however, be undone by failure to properly manage costs from the outset (such as setting appropriate hourly rates, or to adequately budget costs).

The unsuccessful conclusion of a case is an inevitability for all law firms. Following such an outcome, the losing party is required to pay the winning party’s legal costs. Effective negotiation of the winning party’s Costs Budget and Bill of Costs will significantly assist in limiting your outgoings following a failed case, and ensuring adequate ATE protection in place is also imperative.

 

Working Digitally To Increase Law Firm Profitability

Going paperless can be a difficult transition; however, the benefits of working digitally are endless. A digital case management system will increase the efficiency of all staff by reducing the need for file handlers to rummage through mountains of paperwork to find particular documents. With all your documents in one place, this will free up the time of case handlers, allowing them to focus on more complex areas of litigation and settle cases more efficiently.

A reduction in paper files means that less storage space is required, freeing up areas in your office for additional staff, or allowing you to downsize your office, reducing your real estate costs.

 

How to Improve Law Firm Profitability Using the Right Case Management Software

Using a case management software which is specifically tailored to your law firm will vastly increase efficiency for your law firm. Proclaim case management software is excellent as it can be developed to meet the bespoke needs of your business.

With Proclaim, standard letter templates that integrate the information from a case can be developed, emails can be automated, and Court forms automatically completed. It can be seamlessly integrated with third party software. The opportunities for increasing efficiency and maximising law firm profitability are endless. With “In Case” your clients can remotely monitor the progress of their file whenever they like (you can customise everything they see) which helps to improve the client experience. Contact Legal Practice Support to find out how a Proclaim developer could assist your firm.

 

Set Up Proper Review Practices

Proper review practices when a file is being issued can assist in the reduction of wastage and wasted costs. With Court fees for issuing now going up to £10,000 for the highest value cases, the correct systems should be implemented to ensure cases are pleaded at the right amount. Using Proclaim, automation could be set up to inform a Manager if a case is being requested for issue, and for there to be an authorisation process to verify the quantum amount and merits of pursuing a claim.

 

Analysis Reports

Analysing data is an important task for all businesses to assist with increasing profitability. Proclaim software provides many analysis opportunities through the use of  MI reports. Staff performance, average monthly spends, financial reporting, and bottlenecks in processes can all be monitored and analysed through Proclaim analysis reports, which can also be automated. If you are interested in developing Proclaim to increase your firm’s efficiency, take a look at the Proclaim development pages on our website to see how a Proclaim developer can assist your firm.

 

Invest in Effective Marketing

Many modern law firms pay out thousands to Claims Management Companies (CMCs). The issue with using these companies is that firms are required to pay for each claim, even if they are unsuccessful, resulting in a high level of wastage. It also places reliance upon an external company out of your control. Having an effective law firm marketing strategy in place will increase awareness of your business, and reduce the necessity for the use of these expensive CMCs. Many law firms who invest in marketing see a considerable return on investment as clients are coming to them directly, instead of through the use of a CMC. Contact us today to find out more about our legal marketing services, such as SEO and Social Media Management.

 

Focus Your Workload

Diversification is always a positive to ensure numerous streams of income to any firm. However, spreading the work too thinly or focussing a disproportionate amount of efforts into a low-profitable area of revenue can diminish the overall profitability possibilities of your company. It can be beneficial to review your business focus on a regular basis, and if a certain market of work isn’t performing as it should, despite time and effort having been expended upon the same, it may be more beneficial to re-focus efforts of the staff onto more profitable areas of work. WIP can be preserved and recovered at 100% utilising specialist companies that outsource files to be run to a conclusion. This can be common in personal injury fields where Solicitors are looking to exit certain areas of the market, such as in Road Traffic Accidents.

 

How Can Legal Practice Support Assist?

LPS offer a range of services and advice on how to improve law firm profitability. The firms we assist experience a huge boost in profits and return on investment due to increased efficiency and reduced overheads. We currently offer legal costs assistance, Proclaim Development, IT Services, and Legal Marketing Services, as well as having significant contacts in the legal market to assist in any areas of interest.

Contact us today using one of our contact forms, email info@legalpracticesupport.co.uk or call us on 01204 930234.

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