How this Wills & Probate Solicitor adopted legal tech to simplify his processes and reaped a whole host of unexpected benefits
Frank Brazell & Partners, specialists in legal services, formed in 2002 in Islington, North London. Their aim has always been to offer expert, efficient, cost-effective and personal services to all of their clients across a wide range of legal matters including Property law, Dispute Resolution, Criminal Defence & Motoring Matters and of course, Probate, Wills & Trusts.
Simon Levy is one of two solicitors who manage the company’s Probate, Wills & Trust cases. Having been at the company since it formed Simon brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. But it wasn’t until recently, as they continued to increase case numbers in his department, that he evaluated the way he conducts his work and wondered if there was a better way.
Uncovering an easier way to tackle probate cases
Having previously managed all of his probate case by hand, Simon took on each laborious task manually. From locating all of a deceased’s assets and filling in a multitude of forms, to communicating with a number of key stakeholders using different communication modes, and most importantly consoling and supporting the grieving notifier.
It's true that the tasks required by the solicitor to get a case to resolution are seemingly endless – part of the reason why the process can often extend to 5 months or more. But why after 8 years of dealing with probate cases using the same methods, and over 20 years as a solicitor, did Simon feel the need to change? His processes worked for him, and his clients were happy with his delivery.
“I’ve never used a software platform before. I’ve always done everything manually; filled in the forms by hand, completed my own accounts etc., but it’s always incredibly laborious.'
"I came across some Exizent marketing that I thought looked and sounded quite interesting. So, I requested a demo with their Sales Team, and everything went from there.”
Simon’s curiosity for the future of probate and finding more efficient ways of working captivated him to request a demo of the Exizent platform. He had worked in silo for so many years that he didn’t realise there was a better way of doing things. During the demonstration, Simon felt Exizent looked particularly user-friendly and not overpoweringly complicated which was vital for him, considering his previous lack of experience with tech software and case management systems.
“I immediately thought it looked very user friendly and very helpful for the cases I work on. Particularly the accounts side of the platform. You can produce account sheets and balances automatically which really appealed to me and has since made my life so much easier!'
“Other people in the business had previously used a different system for years but due to the cost increments of adding me onto it, as well as being told that the system wasn’t all that great for the tasks at hand, I never used it – I continued to do everything myself. However, Exizent just seemed really useful, very easy to use and reasonably priced too!”
Other practitioners within Frank Brazell have been using a case management platform for years, yet members such as Simon continued to do things manually. The cost to add another user onto their current system was a considerable expense, that was hard to justify when the feedback from those using the system was that it wasn’t sufficient for the tasks they were performing. Simon could see clearly from his product demo that Exizent simplified case management, and made it seem much more achievable, since then he has been able to get to grips with a system that suits him. What’s more, it’s affordable.
Simon swiftly adapted to the system with limited intrusion on his day-to-day tasks. With a dedicated Customer Success team member, Simon had the reassurance of someone to reach out to if he came into difficulty when using the platform.
“I’m very lucky in that my Account Manager Alison is very good. If I phone up with a question about the system – either I’ve made a mistake, or I don’t know how to use something– she gets back to me straight away. So far, the support I’ve received has been excellent!”
By using Exizent’s automated form filling capability, Simon now only has to put information about a case into the system once, with that information then replicated across any other forms required, saving him both time and brainwork – whilst reducing the risks of errors and mistakes associated with his once repetitive tasks.
“I’m not the most tech-minded but by steering myself around I’ve gotten much better and I’m really finding it useful. The time-consuming element of working within Exizent is inputting all of the information into the system but this would take much longer doing this manually for every single case and form, as I have been in the past.'
“What’s more, if I benefit from the platform, then my clients do too. I am getting more efficient with the system and, since clients are charged on a time basis, they benefit from this.”
Frank Brazell & Partners’ aim is to offer efficient, cost effective and personal services to all of their clients. By adopting Exizent, Simon has become more efficient in his probate process, reducing time spent on laborious data re-entry which in turn reduces the time spent on the case and the cost that impacts the clients.
Having admittedly not been a tech-savvy individual, using a secure cloud-based system was a fairly new entity for Simon but something he sees vast benefits in today.
“In many respects it is speeding up the way that we handle cases because the forms create themselves so the transfer of information between them is really good and saves you so much time. Plus, the fact that everything is stored within the system, with the information always at your fingertips, saves me having to look at it each time on various sheets and documents. It’s in an accessible, easy to view place, and you can easily print all the information out to see where you are if you need to.”
Conclusion
With a small probate department, Simon could have continued with his current ways of working. His process did the job, and his clients seemed relatively happy. However, he knew there was a more efficient way to do things and despite his knowledge and experience with technology until this point, he wasn’t afraid to take the leap into digitising his processes – not just to benefit the company and their clients, but to improve Simon’s way of working too.
“I would certainly recommend Exizent to others working with probate cases for 3 key reasons; firstly it is a complete system that covers all aspects that might be required from a probate case. For example, keeping records of all the assets and liabilities associated with a case, as well as all the expenditures. To the preparation of all the relevant forms and accounts. Plus, Exizent continue to work and improve their system every day, taking customers’, like myself, feedback and insight into their product development. Secondly, it’s easy to use – even for those not as technically apt! And finally, it’s incredibly reasonable and workable for the price.”