Irish legal marketplace review by Sabina Branagan
Our very own Sabina Branagan writes about her views on the current Irish legal marketplace…
A shifting setting
The legal landscape in Ireland has changed dramatically over the past 15 years. For me personally, 15 years is how long I've been working with law firms and helping them implement new technology through enhanced deployment services to transform efficiencies within their offices with sustained positive results.
The ‘paperless’ vision
I remember when I first started out in the legal sector, if we used the words ’paperless office’, we’d get a frosty reception at best, so we ditched the then-controversial terminology – albeit temporarily.
Today, a ’paperless office’ are the words often used to symbolise the enhancements and enablements of technology within law firms rather than it being fully paper-free. It’s software that’s empowered and brought to reality the concept of a paperless, remote and flexible business with automated and digital processes.
In fact, this blog post wasn’t actually typed; instead, it was dictated using Microsoft Word’s dictate facility. How cool is that? The tools we now use in our day-to-day operations couldn’t have even been imagined 15 years ago when I was new onto the legal software scene.
Developments in the Emerald Isle
On the island of Ireland, there have been many exciting changes in the legal tech world. One such development has been the launch of the advanced LEAP Legal Software case management and legal accounting system. As LEAP certified consultants in Ireland, I feel very privileged to be part of the Jayva team supporting old friends, customers and associates on their LEAP implementation journey as well as meeting new individuals transitioning to LEAP.
Jayva’s Implementation Consultant, Sabina Branagan
The LEAP-Jayva partnership
Moving software can be a difficult time for any practice, even those who are most enthusiastic to make the switchover, knowing they can revolutionise how they work. When speaking with software users, I always use the analogy that migrating applications is like moving home. You’ve got to pack everything up, perform some essential spring cleaning, then see how it all fits once the move has taken place while getting used to the new environment. And, we all know how stressful moving home can be.
There’s no getting away from the fact that transferring from old to new software is far from easy even though the upsides far outweigh the downsides. But, having consultants and trainers like the team at Jayva on hand streamlines and simplifies installation projects no end. Suddenly, the seemingly unmanageable becomes totally manageable. It’s our job to make sure this happens.
The road to LEAP brings the client in touch with both LEAP and Jayva simultaneously as together we leave no stone unturned, and ensure clients are realising all the benefits of the LEAP system and end users are maximising return on investment.
As a trainer, there’s no better success story than seeing smiles on people's faces and hearing conversations about the change being much easier than anticipated – once follow-up training has been delivered. When there’s complete engagement from practice-wide teams and questions on how to get the most out of LEAP, that's when you know you’ve got happy clients and you've done your job right. At Jayva, I’m proud to say that’s what we experience daily with our society of satisfied clients.
The route to LEAP utopia is open-ended
For me, there's one thought that remains at the forefront of my mind always: the technology journey doesn’t stop a month, three months or six months after LEAP’s been rolled out. The journey should continue, technology constantly evolve and training be invested in – on an ongoing basis. Because that’s where true transformation is achieved.