Epoq.co.uk Legal Services News

We are delighted to announce that Last Cawthra Feather LLP are the fifth firm to join the online MyLawyer network, launching to the public early in 2009.  The West Yorkshire firm has offices in Bradford, Leeds, Shipley and Ilkley, and is the first West Yorkshire firm announced for the rapidly expanding network. The firm offers a wide range of legal services, and joins the other announced network members (Pannone, Hugh James, Nelsons and Minster Law) in adding Epoq’s online drafting, referral, and transactional systems to their online presence, and in offering their own fully branded e-commerce website alongside MyLawyer membership.Simon Stell, managing partner at Last Cawthra feather, commented:

“In understanding the needs of our clients as to service and delivery we recognise the changing world in which live and work. The need for versatility of delivery of legal services and competitive pricing available to clients when they want to access the service is part of this. The ability to create formal documents on-line backed by verification by our teams of qualified lawyers offers our existing clients and new clients a greater and improved range of services. Our partnership with Epoq, an established leader in the technology, is part of Last Cawthra Feather’s strategy to enhance the firm’s delivery of legal services”

Interested in MyLawyer, either as a potential customer or as a network member? Why not have a look at our pre-launch homepage here to see more details…

What does your website offer your clients?. Stock photos and contact details?, or a fully engaging online legal platform where they can learn about, draft and purchase legal services from you?

With modern consumers growing to consider online delivery of services the norm, what is your firm doing to embrace and profit from this new culture, what is your client-web-strategy? We take a look at what members of the MyLawyer network can offer their clients, most specifically the new “try before you buy” technology that comes with the latest generation of Rapidocs technology.

When a potential or existing client lands on your MyLawyer website they have instant access to a full law guide that explains the area surrounding their matter, and introduces the range of documents that may be of help to them. The client is presented with clear, upfront pricing and is able to start drafting the document without having to commit so much as an email address.

The drafting process involves an intelligent online interview system where (although partially obscured and not printable) the document can be seen to evolve in real time as answers are provided and the client’s situation becomes clear. A draft can then be saved to a personalised section of your website and returned to at any point to be edited further and purchased when complete. At this point the document is passed to the firm itself for legal review, if appropriate.

So how does all this make the user feel, and what does it mean for you? Well, our feedback suggests that users remain in their comfort zone and don’t feel the pressure that may be exerted by a face-to-face interaction. Perhaps most significantly, it is the transparency of the process that enables both potential and existing clients to see the value of what is being sold and builds a degree of trust before having to make any sort of commitment whatsoever, and the overriding emotion that users feedback is one of control;

“From start to finish I felt in control: I found the right documents and read some background info which helped put my mind at rest, and being able to fully preview them before committing to purchase was a nice touch. All in all I found the process transparent and reassuring, and came out with the documentation I needed without sacrificing quality and whilst saving substantially from the price I would have paid on the high-street”

M Noar, Libra Solutions, online business services.

The modern consumer banks online, buys their insurance online, pays their bills online, and yet the market for online legal services is still relatively immature. Is it time your website became more than just an e-brochure for your legal services?, is it time it became a portal for successful web-engagement 24/7?

Our research suggests that firms joining the MyLawyer network are set to benefit from substantially reduced drafting costs and increase firm-wide margins just from servicing their existing client base.

MyLawyer firms will be able to provide online drafting services to clients from their own website, will receive pre-drafted referrals from MyLawyer.co.uk, and will have access to Rapidocs V4 technology for in-house drafting use, making cost savings across all three channels.

“Our detailed and law-firm supported research suggests that MyLawyer members will be able to save money in 4 key ways”, explains Business Development Director, Dave Jones:

a)    Firstly, the cost of drafting a document virtually disappears if the client chooses to create the draft themselves online.

b)    Secondly, clients can engage with the firm by telephone, with less qualified (and hence cheaper to employ) specifically-trained operators using Rapidocs technology to draft the document in house.

c)    Thirdly, in-house face-to-face interviews can be performed by less qualified staff that have a lower hourly rate.

d)    Finally, even when a face-to-face interview is conducted by the fee-earner themselves, time and money are still saved as at the end of the interview the document has been automatically drafted, whereas traditionally they would need a separate ‘write up period’.

On top of these savings, admin overheads can be reduced: a proportion of the clients who engage with any firm invariably do not complete their engagement – but if these clients can be directed online for the first draft, these lost transactions do not take up valuable staff time. Additionally, electronic billing means that the need for staff to chase invoices is reduced.

The latest Rapidocs technology means firms are able to service their existing client-base much more efficiently: in fact through both online and in-house drafting we believe some firms will be able to cut their direct cost of fulfilment by as much as 50%. Even if only 30% of their existing customers engage online we still forecast a 10% rise in the overall margins of the firm. This is a staggering statistic when you consider that this model doesn’t take into account any new business generated as a result of the new online capabilities MyLawyer firms will enjoy.

Making accurate predictions of resulting new business is not easy, but by being among the first firms to truly embrace the web and hence give the modern legal consumer what they want, the sky’s the limit.
There is limited space for top-tier firms to join the MyLawyer network.