Epoq.co.uk Legal Services News

Epoq are delighted to announce that the latest firm to join the MyLawyer network are Brethertons LLP (www.brethertons.co.uk), who are one of the largest firms of solicitors in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, with 5 offices located in Rugby and Banbury. They offer a full range of legal services for both individuals and businesses, and are now the sixth firm to join the MyLawyer network.

Brethertons partner Shuan Jardine commented: “We recognise that the law market is on the brink of fundamental transformation, and there is no doubt that the the legal system is changing all the time. We must develop with these changes through understanding the needs of our clients for timeliness, cost certainty and proactivity. We are pleased to be the sixth firm to join the online MyLawyer network, bucking the trend of the conventional legal advisers and leading the way of innovation for our region. Our association with Epoq will bring new business into the firm and forms part of the firm’s overall strategy for 2009 and beyond.”

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…

It is both right and proper that the Power of Attorney process is handled rigorously and with the utmost scrutiny – that can’t be contested. But ironically, it seems that many individuals going through the process of getting authorised to act on the behalf of others are actually being failed by the authorisation process itself!

A recent sampling exercise by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) revealed the surprising statistic that 60% of the LPAs submitted to them last year were erroneous and required further correspondence with the sender before they could be approved. Furthermore, half of these flawed documents required re-submission and hence payment of a new fee, an entirely unnecessary waste of the firm’s time and finances.

Creating an LPA for a client involves a 52-page application form, ascertaining which sections are relevant to the case in particular. Completing this form in accordance with the guideline can take, on average, 3-4 hours, at which point the completed document is sent to the OPG - but in 6 out of 10 cases, it’s later returned with errors, (some of which can terminate the process entirely). More time is then spent correcting or resubmitting the document at additional cost before it can be accepted and is of any use to the client.

This is grossly inefficient, and a classic example of how Epoq’s automated legal document services can improve productivity - members of the MyLawyer network will be able to offer LPA services to their clients while minimising these kind of inefficiencies. A MyLawyer firm will be able to create the document automatically as they are guided intelligently through the ‘interview’ process, selectively obtaining the necessary information. The process will take a fraction of the time taken by a conventional construction, and by cutting out human error will significantly reduce the chance of a costly, time-wasting rejection from the OPG. Better still, the firm can instruct their client to ‘interview’ themselves online, meaning that the only legwork will be checking the draft automated by the client themselves.

The MyLawyer firm is able to cut out wasted time and expensive errors and increase their potential margins as a result of a smoother service-delivery. The client saves time, money and effort. A classic example of the merits of automation…