Pierse & Fitzgibbon is a solicitors practice based in Listowel, Co. Kerry employing over 20 people. They provide general legal services to thousands of clients in Ireland.
The Problem
“We were getting bogged down and our manual paper system was becoming unwieldy and contributing to inefficiencies in our service,” said Paddy Fitzgibbon, senior partner.
At one stage they had to use 5 shopping style trolleys to move paper around the office, file storage had reached capacity and documents were increasingly difficult to find and too often mislaid.
To compile with Irish Law Society Regulation that documents must be kept for a minimum of 6 years in a safe and secure place in either paper or electronic format, Pierse Fitzgibbon wish to find a technology solution that would not change their existing administrative process, but would make them more efficient at lower cost, which will support their growing operations for the future.
Our Solutions
We installed Adest Legal Service Solution and integrated it seamlessly with their practice management system ‘Lawsoft’, data from Lawsoft will automatically transfer into Adest relevant fields.
Both internal and external documents are captured and stored in Adest, Adest files these documents by multiple reference codes, e.g. client name, and then distributed them to each solicitor. Document is electronically routed to the appropriate recipient, authorised employees have instant access to all files simultaneously, from within their ‘Lawsoft’ and MS Office applications. “I no longer go to court or visit a client with a bulging briefcase. I now take all the relevant client files loaded onto a laptop. I can also access files remotely via the internet.”
Enhanced tracking and reporting capabilities mean that every time a document is retrieved or distributed, an audit trail is created. A report can then be generated that ensures the best practise is being followed. Within a very short time from initial installation, Pierse Fitzgibbon had a fully working system, the transition from paper to Adest electronic document management system was almost completely painless.
Business Benefits
- No more filing cabinets · No more mislead documents
- Increase competitive advantage - high quality client services
- Productivity gains - retrieving documents is 4 times faster than before
- Remote access to your files simultaneously – your office on your laptop
- Secure backup – giving you a legally admissible copy of the original document immediate financial return
“Adest Document Manager has relieved much of our administrative strain and I would estimate that the time taken to perform certain tasks that constitute a daily part of the solicitors’ life have been reduced by 50%.” Paddy Fitzgibbon, Senior partner
