In a series of Supporters in Focus pieces, we are thrilled to introduce our sponsor of the Solicitor Firm Of The Year North Award at The British Wills and Probate Awards 2023.
We are delighted to have Ochresoft on board with the sixth year of The British Wills & Probate Awards and grateful they took the time to answer some of our questions.
First of all, tell us who you are and what you do
Ochresoft is an established, specialist team of legal professionals and technologists who provide legal practitioners with comprehensive, market-leading and award-winning legal workflow and case management software.
Our Intelliworks Private Client solution is designed and maintained by lawyers for lawyers, and provides complete end-to-end task-based workflows. They are supported by comprehensive business tools, which can transform a firm’s financial performance, compliance, risk management; while reducing administration, from instruction to closing the file and even beyond.
The STEP-compliant software frees fee-earner and support staff from routine administrative tasks in probate administration, grant-only cases, will writing and LPAs. With automatic production of IHT400 forms, several hours of work is reduced to just several clicks, making firms more efficient and reducing the risk of manual error.
Our legal and compliance team ensure that the latest legal developments, content, and best practice protocols are at the Practitioners disposal. This enables Practitioners to remain fully compliant and work effectively, whilst consistently and confidently delivering excellence to their clients.
Today, Intelliworks supports hundreds of law firms who use our Private Client workflows to increase process and business efficiency.
What made you support this category, and what is your message to the shortlisted firms?
The criterion to win this award resonates with a lot of what Ochresoft strives to achieve within the legal industry. The whole ethos of our team is to assist our customers in delivering the best outcomes for their clients and the profession. We also have a very strong presence in the North, with many regional law firms being long-term partners of ours, so this is our way of saying ‘thank you’!
Our message to all the shortlisted firms is quite simply WELL DONE! To be recognised as a leading private client law firm in this prestigious and popular award category is a fantastic achievement, and everyone at Ochresoft wishes you all the very best of luck on the night.
Could you tell us about any innovative solutions, technologies, or approaches that your company has developed or adopted to improve efficiency, client experience, or the overall practice of law?
Ochresoft has become synonymous with providing unique and comprehensive workflows embedded within our award-winning case management system. Hundreds of private client law firms use our software to transform their businesses – making them more efficient, more compliant and ultimately more profitable.
Intelliworks produces fully populated documents, letters and forms including Wills, LPAs and STEP compliant estate accounts, effortlessly and reliably in just a few clicks. We have a built-in legal library of over 800 documents, all of which are constantly maintained and updated in accordance with regulatory requirements and industry best practice.
This, coupled with our ICS-accredited customer service delivery means that our legal partners are able to concentrate on what they do best, knowing that the Ochresoft team are fully behind them, case after case.
What future trends or developments do you foresee in the legal sector, and how is your company preparing to stay ahead of the curve?
There will always be plenty going on in the private client profession to keep our team of Legal and Compliance Analysts busy. We pride ourselves on horizon scanning and future planning, so that our customers don’t have to worry about the unexpected, we ensure we keep them up to date. Our current focus includes:
A) the Competition & Markets Authority review of Will writing services and whether there will be any significant impact
B) the discussion around the scrapping of IHT, or as suggested by a government think tank, applying a new rate structure to its application
C) the increasing focus on digital assets and understanding of how to access them, value them, categorise and report them. Will we need a new categorisation for reporting purposes?
D) the modernisation of LPAs via the Power of Attorney Bill introduced in December 2022
Now, let’s meet the Solicitor Firm of the Year – North shortlist (in alphabetical order):
- Levi Solicitors
- Oliver & Co Solicitors
- Private Client Solicitors
- Taylor Emmet
Thank you to Ochresoft for their support for The British Wills & Probate Awards 2023.
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