2015 Index

Winners

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2015 Legal Innovation Index judge, Dr George Beaton of Beaton Capital, said this year’s entries are at a world-class level. “The legal services ecosystem in Australia is at last showing signs of emerging technology and business model-based innovation. This applies to both B2B and B2C providers as well the in-house demand side. This year’s entries are of the highest order, many rivalling what I am seeing in the UK and North America”, he said.
















Allens

Allens for the Allens Accelerate program that helps start-ups get their legal affairs in order working with the firm’s younger lawyers, giving younger lawyers responsibility while designing a service to meet the needs of a new potential client base.

Envato Legal Team

Envato’s legal team for their plain language drafting style providing immense value to its internal clients. Along with their use of Agile workflow management practices, Envato has fostered increased efficiency in their small team and created a more sustainable workplace for its lawyers.

Gilbert + Tobin

Gilbert + Tobin for their outstanding use of app technology in translating the knowledge of an expert partner and making it accessible to the entire legal team, especially junior lawyers, significantly reducing the time spent on applications and guiding them through decision making processes as well as the digital delivery of their in-house CPD program.

Herbert Smith Freehills

Herbert Smith Freehills for their Mindfulness program of online and in-office meditation programs for staff, a first in the Australian legal industry, in addition to their delivery of client knowledge and learning across digital platforms.

LawPath

LawPath for being a pioneer in the Australian legal document automation and subscription-based legal services including their Easy ESS solution developed in consultation with the ATO, as a simple, automated solution that businesses can use to complete Employee Share Schemes standardised documents provided by the government.

McCullough Robertson Lawyers

McCullough Robertson Lawyers for their Innovation Jam, a systematic approach to innovation involving all internal employees to create service delivery excellence or new products that creates value for clients and new business ideas, such as the ‘Healthy Days Benefit’, where staff with 16 days leave can take 4 healthy days off per annum.

Norton Rose Fulbright

Norton Rose Fulbright for delivering two practical and client-focused legal tools: ContractorCheck, an online survey to accurately characterise working relationships and allows contractors to be certain of their status and a franchise tool that gives fully paperless solution to franchise document production, compliance, document management and record keeping.

RMB Lawyers

RMB Lawyers for developing a new and separate law firm, Unison Outsourcing Pty Ltd that acts in unison with existing legal business; and creating a Local Government Town Planning Portal to provide information to Council clients.

Sydney Criminal Lawyers

Sydney Criminal Lawyers for producing free-to-access information to better inform and prepare people facing the justice system in NSW. This includes the first iOS app providing information about the criminal defence process and the provision of blogs to order.

The Fold Legal

The Fold Legal for being a small firm using technology, clear-headed strategy and imagination to punch above its weight in a specialist market. The Fold’s focus on not over-lawyering is ahead of the curve and the appointment of a Head of Clients & Innovation demonstrates its serious commitment to innovation based on client understanding.

Jo Beckett, General Manager of LexisNexis Australia congratulated the Index winners for a standout year that has seen innovative thinking and practices being embraced company-wide across so many legal organisations and teams. “2015 shows a readiness across the whole legal services profession to explore different ideas around what innovation can bring to its staff and clients, the business benefits of new service offerings, new clients, markets and more engaged staff,” she added.

“2015 is certainly the year of the democratisation of the legal process in Australia,” added Justin North, Director, Janders Dean. “We have seen so many exciting projects that demystify and provide better access to legal service for clients in a more affordable way. We are also seeing large law create dual brands with different offerings for different markets and this is a very smart move in a ‘tight’ marketplace.”

Read the full media release.



Finalists

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Congratulations to all 2015 Legal Innovation Index Finalists in the Organisation category.












AdventBalance

Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Creevey Russell Lawyers

Daniel Lew Le Mercier & Co

KWS Legal

Pace Lawyers

Sparke Helmore Lawyers

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“Innovation has certainly grown from a ‘buzz word’ to a direction in which we are looking to take the business of law in Australia”, explains Jo Beckett, General Manager of LexisNexis Australia. “As a result the 2015 Legal Innovation Index has had more than double the entries of last year, with both companies and individuals presenting a fantastic array of new and re-imagined business practices, tools and ways of thinking to the local legal sector”.

“Finalists in the 2015 Index clearly demonstrate the profession’s absolute commitment to continuing to find new and dynamic ways for adding significant and previously untapped value for firms and their clients,” adds Justin North, Director, Janders Dean.

Read the full media release.