Strengthening operational efficiencies

Sophie Holdsworth, operations director at Farnworth Rose Solicitors, outlines the efficiency, growth and reporting benefits her firm has experienced in partnership with Osprey Approach.

Established in 2007, Farnworth Rose Solicitors provides legal support to people across Lancashire and the Northwest. With over 25 employees, the team offers a range of client-focused services comprising conveyancing, commercial property, family, employment, wills and probate, litigation, and personal injury.

Scale and grow with Osprey Approach

Farnworth Rose Solicitors implemented Osprey Approach when the firm was established 16 years ago. Since then, the team have used the case management solution daily to help manage their clients and workloads across all its departments.

Sophie Holdsworth, operations director, joined Farnworth Rose in 2011 and has worked closely with Osprey Approach since. “We’ve had Osprey since the beginning, and it’s evolved over the past 16 years. We’ve put a lot of work and time into the system and worked closely with the team to develop it to where we want it to be.”

A digital strategy and a continuous improvement mindset have helped long-term growth and success

Farnworth Rose started out as a team of four, and now with over 25 employees the firm has embedded a mindset of continuous improvement that has helped them to adapt and succeed for over the years. Streamlining their operations and focusing on technology is a priority for Sophie, as she explains: “We’re always looking to improve efficiencies across the board in every department. The automation side of Osprey – using workflows that help to standardise everything – assisted us with that. We’re currently in the process of reviewing and improving existing workflows and creating new work types and workflows. This is to ensure each department and work type runs in an efficient and uniform way, in line with the firm’s values as well as helping to mitigate risk factors. We implemented a brand-new management structure in 2019, which has assisted with the development of these.

“Osprey is on the agenda for every monthly meeting so anyone can share feedback, suggestions, and ideas. We’re very conscious of developing the software and keeping it right for us. We’re always trying to keep up with technology, so we use the majority of Osprey to its full potential, although we know that there is always room for improvement.”

A centralised case management solution helps to connect the team

Knowing where to find firm-wide data, documents, and files helps to streamline processes across departments and makes organisation easier for legal support staff, and visibility clearer for management.

“Absolutely everything is saved into Osprey, including all emails, post, attendance and file notes, risk assessments and anything that is dropped off by clients,” explains Sophie. “We have one department that is now paperless and fully relies on the software. Osprey is everyone’s first point of call and we have massively reduced the amount that we print, so the system is massively integral to every department.

“The fact that everything is centralised and in one place massively helps us out and was particularly beneficial for the firm during the pandemic.”

A single source of data reduces risk and aids insurance applications

Capturing and securely storing the right client and case data helps to inform future decisions, identify areas for improvement, and highlight potential risks. Farnworth Rose use Osprey to capture the data they need and use the reporting tools to visualise and analyse performance.

“The reporting side of Osprey is really good; it’s probably the most useful feature to us on a management level,” says Sophie. “It’s easy to build new reports and pull out the data we need to analyse.

“The workflows have helped us with data capture too because it makes sure nothing is missed as well as increasing efficiencies.”

Accurate, real-time data is crucial for compliance officers and managers to ensure regulations and requirements are followed.

“We’re very risk conscious; we have to be because it’s ever changing,” explains Sophie.

“When our PII renewal comes around each year the questions are always different and more in-depth, so this also triggers us to review the data we’re collecting.”

Digitalising legal operations is an ongoing process

The success of a digital strategy and the optimisation of digital tools is a long-term project that needs continuous reviews and milestones. Sophie advises that other SME firms, which are looking to review or switch their current case management solutions, set realistic expectations and align it with the firm’s goals.

“Always consult your staff when it comes to the development of Osprey. They will have a better idea of what they want from the system and what shortcuts and standardisations would be beneficial to both them and the client.”

Sophie also recommends holding open discussion sessions about what staff what to achieve with the software, which is crucial to its development.

“There is no immediate fix – the development of software doesn’t happen overnight. We’ve been working on this for years and are constantly improving the system. Be sure to give every development project a timeframe, but make sure it’s realistic so the job gets finished before moving on to the next. Also, work with the Osprey support team. They’re there to help you.”

Osprey Approach provides an all-in-one, practice, and case management software solution to high-street and multi-branch law firms. With over 30 years’ experience in the legal software sector, its software solution and dedicated partnership helps make running a law firm easier.