Being a lawyer today is dramatically different from only a few years ago.
Traditional law is dying. Digital Technology-driven platform law firms like Setfords are now mainstream and leading the way. Lawyers finally have real choice, and technology makes all the difference.
Setfords have been early adopters and pioneers of legal technology from the very beginning. We are now so experienced in this field that our internal teams are building bespoke platforms and tools for our lawyers and clients to use. Where Setfords is heading as a firm means that it is not enough to simply take off-the-shelf solutions. The way we operate as a business is already far beyond the capabilities of even the most recent software offerings. Legal technology is hugely fragmented – someone has to build systems that work cohesively and can keep up with the pace modern law firms like Setfords are moving at. That’s why Setfords has created the teams of people internally to work alongside its lawyers and management to create exactly what we need, when we need it.
Setfords’ Ben Shaw says:
“Legal technology providers are actually lagging behind firms like Setfords. Technology drives efficiencies, which is often why businesses adopt it, but that is not our primary focus. For us, it’s about using industry-leading technology to provide an excellent service and digital experience to our lawyers and our clients.”
Digital Transformation
Setfords has invested heavily in digital technology transformation and has a multi-skilled team dedicated to identifying and developing new technologies.
Having started as a web developer at Setfords in 2012, Ben Shaw now leads his team as Director of Digital Technology and Innovation at Setfords. Ben is part of a wider team that boasts a fully comprehensive skill-set that covers digital marketing, communications, social strategy, web development, UX design and brand development, SEO/paid search, lead nurturing and conversion, data extraction and analytics, software development and advanced AI-based data science.
Ben describes his passion for automation and the development of technology within the legal industry:
“Every day, my team and I seek challenges and find ways to overcome them – it’s all about making our clients and lawyers’ lives easier. We use our technology to provide a seamless, integrated experience that allows our lawyers to make the most efficient use of their time. Our lawyers want to focus on the human element of work looking after their clients, not spending time on data entry or menial tasks that can be handled by tech and their clients want a smooth end to end tech-enabled service.”
Ben highlights the benefits of having an internal digital technology team:
“To really get the best from technology solutions, you need to understand the business needs, and the best way to do that is to work within it. We weren’t always looking to shape a third-party solution to solve our needs; often, we have developed these in house with our own proprietary technology, such as our lawyer onboarding portal. We have analysed individuals working patterns to map out technology solutions and worked closely with each department to understand their requirements.”
Ben and his team have worked on numerous technology projects over the last 10 years, all of which are being integrated into Setfords technology platform that encapsulates all their know-how and tools. It is the key interface between lawyers, their clients and the head office team. It allows lawyers to work remotely and deliver legal services from anywhere in the world.
Ben says of the platform:
“The exciting thing about our platform is that it is not a rigid system. It is a stack solution with API integration which means we can continue developing it and adding extra layers of valuable functionality and features. I’m looking forward to the years ahead as we have so many great projects under development and the building blocks to do something pretty amazing.”
As to the future of legal technology, Ben says:
“Meeting the needs of the lawyers with technology is only one part of the jigsaw. Consumers now expect the optimum digital experience regardless of the nature or size of a business. All businesses would be wise to accelerate their digital technology adoption and transform their operations to meet consumers where they are now — and give them the experience they expect. The rewards are great for those that recognise this.”
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