At echo.legal, we want to bring legal technology to a wider audience, and show how we work with our clients using document automation to create real business results.
This case study sets out how we worked with a leading global law firm that is recognised for legal innovation, and helped it to get the most out of document automation.
With ambitious growth targets for the use of document automation with Contract Express, the firm needed to step up as quickly as possible and digitise corporate transactional processes to improve the overall client experience. Here’s how we helped them to achieve just that.
Challenges and Goals
The law firm urgently needed to streamline and enhance their legal processes. Whilst they knew they needed to automate their Share Purchase Agreements (SPAs), previous automation projects had not been as successful as hoped and there was internal resistance to leveraging the power of automation. They felt that their lawyers were at risk of using outdated documents and that they were moving more slowly than competitors.
The firm had clear objectives: recruit top talent, automate SPAs, ensure consistent drafting, and rebuild trust in automation.
As the firm put it:
“We needed help from a team who did not only have the ability to code documents, but who could also act as practice support lawyers. echo.legal provided that mix of lawyers, coders and automation specialists. They marry the legal with the technical to bring that balance which is often needed in a law firm.”
echo.legal's Solution
echo.legal delivered a seamless solution that integrated with the firm's operations. By working with the firm’s corporate Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) echo.legal reduced the internal team's workload and injected additional resources via their team of legal automation experts to obtain speedy results. They worked with the firm to define a meticulous project plan and facilitated step-by-step implementation, building in time for internal content reviews and continuous improvement.
Collaboration and Support
The success of the initial project led to a deep partnership for the longer term. echo.legal worked with the law firm as an extension of their automation team, which meant they could work across a range of projects that fed into these document automation goals. They created a roadmap which detailed what needed to be built out, created PoCs and demos for specialist projects, and set regular check-ins and catch-ups to ensure people were delivering against timelines.
Collaboration between echo.legal and the firm's PSL was instrumental in preparing precedents, incorporating feedback, and refining existing documents. This close partnership ensured clear deliverables and effortless maintenance of automated processes. echo.legal provided extensive training and ongoing support for a smooth transition.
Improvements and Benefits
The benefits of advanced automation were manifold. Partners regained confidence in all things automation thanks to consistent and up to date drafting standards. More efficient drafting translated into potential cost reductions by minimising write-downs. The firm successfully expanded automation into other practice areas, resulting in even greater return on their investment in automation software.
A key stakeholder stated:
“In a law firm, we know getting buy-in for projects from the partnership can often present one of the biggest challenges, which is where echo.legal’s senior lawyers were able to provide reassuring support in helping to pitch to senior partners to grow the programme. They also help us to strategise when it comes to capabilities and augment their own team around our needs.”
After significant work automating a whole programme of documents, the firm is now confident enough to invest more resources in automation and have hired an experienced manager to take charge of the document automation programme. The internal team continues to be supported by echo.legal, allowing for an expedited roll out, and there is now a firm-wide push in the move to automation.
Lessons Learned
The firm approached echo.legal with a simple request of providing an additional automator to bolster delivery. Working closely with them, there was a mutual realisation that the firm could do more. They had great potential to utilise automation at a deeper level, but needed to build up trust and content. echo.legal assisted by helping develop understanding amongst their senior leadership, and building up a communication plan for the new launch.
By taking a holistic view, their Practice Tech team has driven this software out, and delivered great business value.
This case study underscores the importance of overcoming past challenges and addressing cultural barriers to embrace technology effectively. With the right approach and strategic partnerships, law firms can transform their tech culture.
Do you recognise yourself in this case study? If you are a law firm who wants to get the most out of document automation, our experts at echo.legal can help. It’s what we do. Contact Julie.Saliba@echo.legal or William.Sumners@echo.legal for an initial chat.
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