Case Studies

More than 2900 law firms enjoy the benefits of using LEAP software. Many of these are prepared to share their success stories and we hope that you find these relevant to your firm.

If not, please contact sales@leap.com.au and we will identify a firm that is similar to yours for you to reference. If you have a great success story that you would like to share in this page, please contact sales@leap.com.au.

We would be delighted to include your firm.

Russell Cocks

Solicitor, Conveyancer and Author of 1001 Conveyancing Answers

Russell is well known to all conveyancers in Victoria and New South Wales through his acclaimed publication “1001 Conveyancing Answers”.

When Russell was asked to help out a longstanding consulting client with succession issues he quite unexpectedly found himself running a conveyancing law firm in Williamstown, Victoria. Having been out of practice for some time,

Russell needed a solution that:-

• Can create merged documents accurately and quickly;

• Has extensive up to date forms and precedents so that he did not need to worry about them;

• Provides the ability to add his own specialised precedents;

• Includes management system for all matter documents;

• Has world class title and other searching management to make sure results are available when needed and all search costs are recovered accurately;

• Is a reliable and proven trust accounting system; and

• Also has A good billing system.

Russell chose LEAP Office Conveyancers Edition. According to Russel “LEAP Office makes our work life much easier. We are able to complete high volumes of conveyancing transactions efficiently and effectively. www.russellcocks.com.au

Sonny Wilson Lawyers

Sonny Wilson, a sole practitioner based in Liverpool, Sydney, is making phenomenal progress using his new LEAP system. Said Sonny: "I had always wanted to start my own firm and earlier this year I took the step. I quickly realised that I needed a good management system and with LEAP I got that and a lot more.

Sole practitioners are time and resource poor. Our clients are not wealthy and

we need to operate very efficiently to be profitable.

LEAP allows me to do so. I quickly discovered that LEAP is much more than just a practice management system, it provides an invaluable knowledge base for me and in particular it allows me to produce compliant documents of the highest quality quickly and an important consideration for a small firm with a middle class client base. I use LEAP to manage all my matters now, including Conveyancing, Family Law, and even my Criminal matters.

I firmly believe in the old adage that you must crawl before you can walk, and with LEAP, I know I will incrementally get greater benefits, however, even at this stage, I cannot imaging practicing without it. Implementation was easy; training time minimised, and the ongoing support from Colin Panagakis (NSW Sales Manager) and his team has been excellent. I made the right choice!"

Davis Legal

Situated in the centre of the Sydney CBD, Leon Davis is perhaps at the vanguard of solo practitioners who have invested in the tools to compete effectively and efficiently against larger competitors.

According to Leon; “Like many solo practitioners I am short of time and do not have the typical backup human resources of larger firms. When I decided that it was time to leave the multi-partners environment and set up on my own, I knew that I needed software solutions that would enable me to operate very efficiently and also be a source of useful information and knowledge.

LEAP has more than delivered on every score. They were the first software provider to understand the importance of the Internet and the way in which email, faxing and scanning has been incorporated into the LEAP Electronic File has had a profound impact on how I work and the profitability of my practice.

If you are a practitioner who wants to minimise paperwork and work with electronic tools, then LEAP is probably the best solution for you. I do all my time recording and billing through LEAP without unnecessary delays and without any costly reworking of billing information.

Recent innovations such as the Online Research and Online Notifications are a real boon to small practitioners. Research can be costly and by getting information quickly in this way I can provide better client service and minimise my practice risks at the same time. Combined with the rich resources of LEAP Precedents which are kept up to date by LEAP, I have an enormous amount of valuable information available at my fingertips.

I have also found LEAP support to be exceptional and as importantly, affordable by a small firm like mine.

I am simply not prepared to pay support to a software provider that gives us no service in return. With LEAP we know we are getting a much higher level of service for a significantly lower cost, real value for money."

Leon is happy to talk to you about his experiences and the benefits he gets from using LEAP.

Davis Legal uses LEAP Accounting, LEAP Documents and LEAP Searching. www.davis.com.au

Cronin Litigation Lawyers

Cronin Litigation Lawyers located in Surfers Paradise recently acquired an integrated LEAP Solution to run their growing specialist Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice. Revealingly, the practice has 4 lawyers and only 2 legal support staff and a part-time bookkeeper for office accounting again demonstrating the leverage to be gained fro using good modern technology.

According to Derek Cronin, Principal, “What I like about LEAP is that you can see all relevant information in one place. The ability to know where a fax is and

where an email is by simply pointing and clicking is something I find very useful."

"The integration of Outlook contacts, Calendar and electronic bring-ups also means I can monitor whether staff are on top of their workload. I also liked its integration with company and property searches.”

Derek was looking for other efficiencies as well and is very pleased with the benefits gained in producing quality documents. He continued “Because the system is based on a ‘single entry’, names and addresses and fax numbers etc only need to be entered once, so the word processing operators do not have to re-enter these details, nor do they have to be dictated. This is also useful if you are dictating letters outside of the office because you can say 'Please do a letter to the solicitors for the other side' with some confidence that this will be correctly typed up”.

Time recording and billing is always important and the firm now uses LEAP for all their time recording and billing – completely eliminating the double handling necessitated by many older billing systems.

Derek concluded, “I am happy with my choice. We are able to do more work with fewer people.”

Cronin Litigation Lawyers deployed an integrated suite of LEAP software including LEAP Accounting, LEAP Documents, LEAP Searching and LEAP Precedents. www.croninlitigation.com.au

Brown McComish

Brown McComish Solicitors are a small legal practice operating in Warrnambool, Victoria Both Tony Brown and Pat McComish came from larger practices where they had gained experience in using document management and management accounting systems.

When they established their new practice in May 2005 it became increasingly apparent that they required a matter management system that would help them streamline the management of their documents and accounts.

In particular, they required a system that would cater for the smaller legal practice, was cost effective, easy-to-use, provided ongoing essential support and would accommodate the practice as it grew.

This is where LEAP Legal Software came in. Working with Emma Barker, State Manager-Victoria, Tony quickly realised that the LEAP system met all of their requirements for document, financial transaction and precedent management. By integrating the two applications, Brown McComish Solicitors achieved their desire to implement a sophisticated “end to end” practice management, matter

based system that met their tight budget requirements and time frame for installation.

'I am delighted with LEAP', says Tony. 'I don't know how I survived without it for so long. It provides me with the ability to access client information, accounts and documents and time record on my desktop computer. The system meets all of our requirements and the ongoing dialogue which we have had with Emma, together with the frequent updates, has been invaluable.'

Brown McComish uses an integrated solution of LEAP Documents and LEAP Accounting for all their matter management. www.brownmac.com.au

Dawson & Butt

How to provide a superior quality of service to your clients cost effectively...

In 1989 Trevor Butt had already spent several years practising law in his own

right in the Palm Beach-Avalon-Newport area of the Northern Beaches of

Sydney whenthe opportunity arose to combine forces with Guy Dawson to

establish a new legal practice known as "Dawson & Butt".

These two lawyers could see the great potential for developing a successful commercial practice in Avalon that would service the growing needs of the ever-expanding population of this once sleepy and "laid-back" beach holiday suburb.

In 1991 Penny Young-Whitforde joined the firm as associate solicitor. The lawyers at Dawson & Butt have consciously developed a community-based firm committed to providing CBD quality legal services in Avalon. Initially they took on all types of work typical of a general suburban practice but as the growth and development of the Northern Beaches began to take place they found that more and more they were able to specialise in conveyancing and other property related matters.

Remaining true to their community-based approach they have continued to look after clients requiring assistance with all types of legal work but they now sometimes refer work outside these specialised areas of expertise to other firms practising more generally.

Guy Dawson left the firm in 1993 to follow other pursuits and now practises law in the Southern Highlands but Trevor and Penny have remained at the helm as Dawson & Butt continues to expand.

A number of years ago, before the advent of licensed conveyancers, many firms in the legal profession went through a period of competitive cost cutting in an endeavour to gain a greater share of the lucrative conveyancing market. Simple economics said that the level of service these firms provided had to decrease and this is exactly what happened. However Dawson & Butt stood their ground on costs instead choosing to promote the concept that in exchange for their fees clients gain a fully comprehensive legal service. This approach has been very successful for them with many clients now using the firm exclusively for all their property related legal work, no matter the size, instead of traveling into the city to see a top tier firm.

As the firm has grown it has been essential for them to be able to continue to provide this level of service whilst remaining profitable. This is where LEAP Legal Software came in. Dawson & Butt had been using various legal software products on the market but in 1999 they decided that LEAP Documents was the most appropriate for them. They initially had a two user system installed and have since expanded to a six user system. In addition to this they have recently adopted the LEAP Accounting system to handle their trust accounting matters.

Of the many features that attracted Dawson & Buttto LEAP Documents, perhaps the main ones are the system's intuitiveness and the percentage of features that are actually useful in a practical sense rather than just 'looking pretty'. T he system is simple enough to use that all fee earners in the office use it to access client and matter information in an instant, it is not just a tool for the administrative staff.

Trevor and Penny remain the principals at Dawson & Butt and they are now supported by eight staff. Everyone relies on LEAP Documents for the management of all their information and documents. In doing this they continue to be able to cost effectively provide superior standards of legal service to their clients.

If you think it is time to make your office more productive and increase the level of service you provide to your clients, then contact us to discuss how we can help.

Our Lawyers Mittagong

Enjoy your work, save time, and make more money...

Situated in the beautiful Southern Highlands in the little village of Mittagong is a small dynamic law firm, Our Lawyers Mittagong.

And what is so special about them? Well, Our Lawyers Mittagong is the blue print for what the firm's principle, Mr Guy Dawson, hopes to be a chain of Our Lawyers firms throughout New South Wales.

And all of them using LEAP as their central matter, precedent and procedural management system.

Said Guy Dawson, a solicitor of thirty four years standing "Never has law been so enjoyable and trouble free and the delivery of quality legal services so achievable." The LEAP system has enabled the team at Our Lawyers Mittagong to really concentrate on the focus of their business - providing quality legal services to its clients.

Our Lawyers Mittagong has only been in operation since January this year and has already established a strong client base sufficient to keep four staff members happily busy. The firm provides various legal services including conveyancing, estates, family law and business law, local government,

and Land and Environment Court matters.

One of the philosophies of the firm has been to put systems into place that allow the staff time to concentrate on client service. LEAP Documents, Accounting, Searching and Precedents streamlines the everyday running of matters to enable them to do this.

Our Lawyers uses a combination of precedents provided by LEAP, the Law Society and its own precedents to ensure it has available the most comprehensive and up to date set of precedents for its clients. The firm has created many of its own precedents as the need arises.

Mr Dawson rates one of the greatest features of LEAP as being this ability for users to create their own precedents and to modify the LEAP precedents to suit their individual needs.

LEAP's document and matter managementcapabilities means that all staff have access to all of the relevant details of a matter such as addresses, telephone numbers, when we last wrote to them and much more with one click of their mouse..

As Financial Controller, Danni Larney puts it, "LEAP provides instant answers". LEAP has a strong reputation as a system that is user friendly even for those with little or no computer experience.

"LEAP has probably the best computer support available," said Our Lawyers Mittagong senior legal assistant, Mr Steve Bennett. "The LEAP consultants are one phone call away, they are instantly available, easily answer all of your questions, they are wonderfully encouraging, and most importantly they are open to suggestions." Complete integration between the various components of LEAP enhances the convenience and simplicity of the system.

"It is simply so easy to use," said senior legal assistant, Marija Higley, Our Lawyers Mittagong. "For example, we order a search online with LEAP, this then automatically creates a disbursement slip for LEAP Accounting , and in LEAP Documents we have the search results recorded electronically. No need to enter the same information in half a dozen spots."

"We are able to provide quality legal services at competitive prices due to LEAP software and Best Practice principles, " said Mr Dawson.

If you think the time has come for your firm to be running as smoothly and productively as Our Lawyers Mittagong, then contact LEAP to arrange an obligation-free demonstration in your office.

"I can honestly say it will be the best time you will ever spend," said Mr Dawson. "Don't waste another working day worrying about the details - allow your firm to focus on practising law." www.ourlawyers.com.au

Richard Steele and Co

- It's time to really make your practice grow...

Richard Steele and his family moved from Bowral to Bathurst in 1989 for a

change of lifestyle. He sold very successful practices in Bowral and Mittagong

which he had spent 17 years building up and was looking forward to an early retirement to spend more time with his family.

However, all too soon Richard began to find that the pull of the law and in particular conveyancing was too strong. At the suggestion of a local Real Estate Agent, he decided to develop a high quality specialised conveyancing practice.

Initially occupying a small two room office, it wasn't long before Richard had expanded enough to purchase a cottage and turn it into an office. He then had two full time support staff working for him and gained a reputation in Bathurst for providing property related legal services of the highest standard.

Still the volume of work coming into the office was increasing so Richard turned to LEAP Legal Software for assistance. In 1996 he purchased and had installed one of the first LEAP Documents systems to improve staff productivity and to also enable him to provide a more efficient and cost effective service to clients and agents.

Today Richard Steele & Co is considered by many to be the pre-eminent conveyancing practice in Bathurst. The number of staff in the firm has increased to nine - three Solicitors and two Licensed Conveyancers, including his wife, Lee, and they now rely on an eight user LEAP Documents system to manage their files.

There is no doubt that without LEAP Documents the number of staff required to handle current work volumes would be even greater. LEAP allows Richard to effectively oversee all work passing through the office. He is able to see the current status and the correspondence that has been generated on any matter in the firm at the click of a button.

Richard uses the reporting capabilities provided by LEAP Documents to view the firm's overall performance both past and future and to provide a weekly matter update service to real estate agents and subdivision clients that other firms can only dream of. Lee arranges up to twenty wills per week, using a combination of LEAP precedents, and the firm's own precedents.

Being a conveyancing specialist Richard has developed many of his own precedents, all of which have been incorporated into LEAP Documents to take full advantage of the merging facility that this provides.

So what does the future hold for this rapidly expanding firm? Construction is almost complete on extensions to the office that will provide capacity for two more staff members as well as rooms for client meetings and settlements. As Bathurst continues to grow, so does Richard Steele & Co in their endeavour to provide the best services to the people of Bathurst. www.richardsteele.com.au