Harrison Drury goes for growth with SOS
Commercial law firm specialist Harrison Drury has selected SOS Connect from Solicitors Own Software (SOS) to provide a fully integrated, accounting and case management IT solution which lays the foundation for further growth.
Harrison Drury is an award-winning commercial law firm with offices in Preston and Garstang.The talented and multi-disciplined group of lawyers advises clients ranging from blue-chip organisations, owner-managed businesses and high net worth individuals
SOS Connect replaces a variety of products used for the accounts and time recording previously. The short term goals were to reduce the reliance on paper, improve fee earner efficiency and establish an integrated system to seamlessly underpin improved ways of working.
Managing partner John Chesworth explained: “We realised that there was a better way to operate and decided to look at specialist legal systems at this year’s Legal IT Show. We were impressed with the way that SOS solved our issues. SOS Connect is a system that ‘thinks’ the way a fee earner thinks which makes it very intuitive to use.”
Harrison Drury is aiming to create a culture where an electronic folder is the first port of call for fee earners, so removing the reliance on paper and greatly improving the storage and retrieval of emails and all data. “Fee earners told us about their biggest bugbears and obstacles to fee earning and we found that SOS Connect solved them all”, recalled John Chesworth. “We liked the time-saving functionality which frees staff from administrative burdens by, for example, automating time recording, tying incoming and outgoing emails to a matter and the easy archiving and retrieval of documents. In addition our new file and matter opening procedures will automate and deliver more robust compliance while reducing risk. All our existing databases will be merged into one which will improve marketing while the easy set-up of key performance indicators and ability to monitor fee earner performance in real time will greatly assist management and control.”
The law firm examined several suppliers initially, resulting in a shortlist of two. John Chesworth commented: “The people at SOS really knew their product and understood our needs. We know that building a relationship with an IT supplier is fundamental to long-term success and felt SOS would deliver a better after sales service – which has turned out to be excellent. IT has to make things easier and that it is exactly what SOS Connect does.”
Currently in the testing phase of the new system’s implementation, Harrison Drury plans to go live later next month.
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