The launch follows the acquisitions of case and practice management providers Eclipse Legal Systems and DPS Software in 2020, as well as The Access Group’s previous acquisitions of legal online training, compliance and risk management solution providers Riliance and Socrates. Combined, this means Access Legal has an initial customer base of 3,500 legal practices.
Already working alongside a third of the UK legal market and supporting firms of all sizes and specialisms, Access Legal is providing software to renowned firms such as Eversheds, Winn Solicitors, Wolferstans, Minster Law, Neves Solicitors LLP and The MAPD Group.
Access Legal’s solutions have been designed to go beyond just helping fee earners with essential legal case and practice management and accounts requirements to now support every aspect of a firm’s operations - including legal compliance and learning and relevant existing Access software, such as people management, financial solutions, payments technology and CRM.
The launch of Access Legal comes at a time when many law professionals are still working from home and partners are weighing up the viability of more flexible working patters when offices reopen.
Doug Sawers, Access Legal Managing Director leads the team, which is underpinned by over 30 years of legal sector experience. Doug believes Access Legal is perfectly positioned to support firms as they look to evolve their ways of working even further:
“Our insight shows that the legal sector suffers from a fragmented experience of technology, which we all know will have had a detrimental impact on business over the past twelve months. Firms aren’t looking for a quick fix solution any more to tide them over through the pandemic; they are looking for a long-term technology partner that offers a joined-up approach, understands how lawyers and clients can best work together in a post-Covid world, and provides scalability to support growth.
“Our roadmap is very clear and demonstrates how we can be that partner. Today, the breath of our offering supports and respects every aspect of a firm’s operations. In time, we will unlock even greater efficiencies and challenge that fragmentation that limits so many firms by offering one all-round solution. When we bring our solutions together via Access Workspace for Legal, we will not only provide single sign-on simplicity but we will also offer firms better, and much sought after data management and insight, regardless of where they are working from.
“This is about offering scalable and innovative software that is relevant to 2021 and beyond. The legal sector is increasingly competitive and changing consumer and employee expectations, driven by the pandemic, only serve to heighten that pressure. We want to help firms to look after their people, take productivity and efficiency to a new level and free up time to enable a greater focus on delivering outstanding service and achieving better client outcomes that will secure repeat business and recommendations.”
To mark its launch, Access Legal has unveiled the first of a regular new series of free legal guides, Legal Unlimited. The first edition, Legal Unlimited: Unlocking Your People Power is now available online, explores the transformative power of a technology-led people strategy and draws on expert opinion from the legal, HR and tech worlds with practical steps to help firms achieve commercial success.
Find out more information on The Access Group and Access Legal.