Nevetts

Founded in 1850s goldfields of Ballarat, Nevetts Lawyers has since grown to a full service law firm with 35 users across two offices, in Ballarat and Ararat. When Nevetts Lawyers chose to upgrade to LEAP, our dedicated transitions and implementations teams were on hand to help. Together, they worked closely to train key staff, understand how the firm operated, and maximise your investment in LEAP.

Meet the team who sets you up for success

You‘ve invested in LEAP. You're ready to enjoy major productivity gains. You've heard firms who use LEAP make more money, through a better billing solution, document customisation engine, and countless other automations. But you‘re understandably anxious about what comes next: the transition and installation process.

Luckily at LEAP, we have a dedicated team to help you get up and running. If you're coming from a different software provider, our transitions team will work with you to migrate your data. Once complete, you'll be assigned an Implementations Consultant, who can work with you to assess your needs and train your team.

Getting the Process Underway: The Training Plan

We install so many firms on a weekly basis, and we have so many great success stories, said Implementations Manager, Priya Kumar.

Nevetts Lawyers is one of these success stories. Based in Ballarat, Nevetts was first established in the goldfields and has since expanded to serve the local community across a range of practice areas, including supporting wind farms and solar energy projects in western Victoria.

As soon as we're assigned a firm from Sales, we contact the firm and let them know what they can expect," explained Priya. "This includes a series of key meetings. The first is the Initial Meeting, which is a ‘get to know you' exercise. This is followed by the Getting the Process Underway (‘GPU') meeting. This is where we run through everything, set a timeline, and book key dates, like weekly meetings. We introduce our Transitions team, and we introduce our Installations team. It's really all about setting expectations early, getting to know our team, and getting a sense of what timeline works to go live.

Priya Kumar - Implementations Manager, LEAP APAC

A project manager from LEAP will work closely with the firm to establish a Training Plan. Liam Fawcett was the project manager charged with ensuring Nevetts Lawyers had a successful transition and implementation experience.

"The Training Plan helps ensure every staff member gets the training they need," explained Brittany Ryan, an Implementations Consultant working with Nevetts Lawyers. In the case of Nevetts, this included providing specific training to their accounts manager.

In attendance at the GPU will usually be the principal, practice manager, or a dedicated point of contact with the firm - the ‘LEAP champion'.

In the case of Nevetts Lawyers, the two main points of contact were Jill Tunbridge and Melissa Morrison.

Constant communication from pre-installation to daily check-ins

Firms undergoing a transition to LEAP benefit from constant communication at every stage of their journey.

"What really worked was keeping Nevetts in the loop," explained Lolwa Elokda, Implementations Consultant. "Our project manager organised weekly check-ins on Tuesdays at 10 am, with the Business Manager, Jill Tunbridge. Those weekly meetings were a game changer. It just instilled so much confidence in them. They felt really heard. This made the biggest difference."

Jill Tunbridge, Business & Finance Manager at Nevetts Lawyers, agrees.

"The team was fantastic in conducting the weekly catch-ups", said Jill. "We found that very beneficial, getting constant updates as to what was happening and what the next steps in the process were. If we had any questions, even if they couldn't answer it, they would go away and find out that information and were always willing to share it back to us."

Pre-installation training also proved useful for Nevetts.

"Before spending a week onsite, we conducted pre-installation training through Zoom. This involved 3 sessions in which we provided an introduction to LEAP. Billing is a big topic for every single firm, and Nevetts were no exception. It allowed us to develop a good relationship with Jill and Melissa, and helped them be less anxious about the whole process."

Once onsite, Lolwa implemented daily check-ins.

"Every day at 4 pm, we would do an End of Day Check-In, usually with the practice manager," said Lolwa. "We would review what we covered that day, and how each staff member is going with training. This is when Nevetts would let us know what they might be worried about, and what our focus should be for the next day. It was at these End of Day Check-Ins that we got the most feedback from Nevetts."

Training across Ballarat and Ararat offices

As a major user of LEAP, Nevetts required training across both their Ballarat office, and their office in Ararat, located an hour away.

"This was a firm Nevetts had acquired," said Lolwa. While the firm had used LEAP, its internal operations had not been updated in some time.

"With this in mind, Nevetts sent Melita, a staff member from Ballarat, to help answer questions about the Ararat firm's internal processes. Melita and I worked together; she would work out the firm's internal process, and I would show them how they could use LEAP to make this work."

"On-site, Nevetts were very appreciative," said Lolwa. "They were so happy with every aspect of the installation and training. We were so happy with how they worked with us!"

From Jill’s perspective, the tailored nature of training made all the difference.

"We just tweaked it just to suit us, nothing major," explained Jill. "It was more around who was going to get priority in the training and how we were going to manage it from a staff perspective. We provided that feedback to Lolwa and she was more than accommodating."

Unleashing a team of consultants to drive change

Change management is a major part of managing a successful transition.

Brittany Ryan - Implementations Consultant, LEAP APAC

Full credit should go to the Implementations Consultants.

"The Implementations Consultants help firms change their processes. This can be huge," said Priya. "Firms might still be using a server-based product! Switching to the cloud is a revolution. Consultants are intrinsically involved in changing all the processes within a firm, including their billing processes, precedent automation, and how they work."

In the case of Nevetts Lawyers, this involved moving as much as possible to a paperless office.

"An auditor told Nevetts to try and use less paper," said Lolwa. During pre-installation training, Nevetts raised concerns about their trust-to-office transfers.

"In trust-to-office transfers, Nevetts would print out everything, have two people physically sign these printouts, and scan it all back into the system. This was their old process," said Lolwa.

Together, Lolwa and Nevetts worked on a paperless process that would remain compliant with legal regulations. Nevetts asked how other LEAP firms managed this issue.

Lolwa tapped into the LEAP brains trust, a network of Implementations Consultants available across Australia. Tirelessly, this team researched solutions - and found that the Legal Uniform Rules did not require physical signatures in Victoria.

"On my first day onsite at Nevetts, I whipped out the Legal Uniform Rules from my bag - it was proof you didn't need two signatures to authorise trust-to-office transfers! Nevetts knew I went out of my way to do this, just to resolve a query raised during pre-installation. They were delighted."

It proved a perfect example of how you don't just access one Implementations Consultant during your installation; you can unleash the whole team to drive change.

Nevetts Lawyers were impressed by the installation team’s dedication, particularly of Lowla.

"Lowla was fantastic!" said Jill. "You certainly sent your best team out. The team was wonderful, and that feedback comes from everyone."

Everyone had really positive things to say about the way they conducted the training, including the support that they gave up to and including the training sessions," observed Melissa. "They made their presence known around the place so that staff would come calling for them.

Melissa Morrison - Office Manager at Nevett’s Lawyers

It can be really exciting when you show a firm a feature and they say Oh, how good!
Lowla Elkoda - Implementations Consultant, LEAP APAC

Driving change comes with its rewards. Every installation brings a thorough review of a firm's internal processes - and with it, opportunities for productivity gains.

"I always tell firms, LEAP is going to change your lives," said Priya. There are so many features in LEAP designed to remove a manual process or automate repetitive work."

"When this happens, and you see the positive impact LEAP can make to a firm's day-to-day operations, you realise, ‘I've set this firm up for success! I've made a difference!'"

The impact of a smooth installation was very much felt by Nevetts Lawyers.

It's really good for us to reflect because the process is pretty intense," said Jill. "So to look back and think about it, having completed the implementation, it's quite nice to start seeing all the benefits of LEAP in action.

Jill Tunbridge - Business & Finance Manager at Nevetts Lawyers

Lolwa agrees.

"We run training sessions every single day," explained Lolwa. "It is really exciting when you show a client a new feature and their minds are absolutely blown. The fact they’re excited reminds you of the power of what you do. It makes you feel alive again."

Here to Help: Meet Your Legal Practice Advisor

Once installation is complete, support continues. In addition to live chat and Help Desk, firms are assigned a Legal Practice Advisor, who can help you make the most of LEAP.

Nevetts Lawyers, like every firm on LEAP, enjoys access to a dedicated Legal Practice Advisor. Assigned to Nevetts Lawyers is Michael Jones, who brings extensive experience working in law firms, and helping them make the most of LEAP.

"The work done by the Implementations team, managing that initial change for a firm, makes the transition to their Legal Practice Advisor seamless," explained Michael. "The Practice Advisory Team is the firm's support throughout their LEAP experience, providing advice on how to improve productivity and achieve best practice."

Legal Practice Advisors (or ‘LPAs') visit clients on-site, or if they prefer, online.

As experts in LEAP, firms find that LPAs unlock the full potential of LEAP as they use features common in other firms, or new features custom-built to make firms more productive.

"As we work closely with firms, there is already a sense of support and trust that LEAP can help firms achieve both their business and productivity goals," said Michael.

As a service exclusive to LEAP, every firm’s Legal Practice Advisor finds hands-on ways to help firms embrace the productivity offered by both LEAP.

The Practice Advisory team works closely with Implementations to ensure we are all on the same page when it comes to our firms' requirements," explained Michael. "Before the Legal Practice Advisor even meets with the firm, Implementations ensures they are aware of the firm's needs and how we can best support them moving forward. We're invested in your success as a firm. That's why we organise regular catch-ups with firms to understand their unique goals and specific requirements. From here, we investigate how LEAP can assist, and work with firms to streamline their internal processes, so as to maximise their investment with LEAP.

Michael Jones - Legal Practice Advisor, LEAP APAC