Learn why 5 of the Top 50 UK law firms selected Acora

Learn why have 5 of the Top 50 UK law firms have chosen to outsource some or all of their IT support services to Acora since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Acora, strengthened by its acquisition of Plan-Net in 2019, is the largest provider of support services to the UK legal sector. In particular, law firms can access Acora’s high-performance, legal specialised, UK-based, 24/7 service centre to serve some or all of their end-user and infrastructure support needs.

Long-standing clients such as Osborne Clarke and Kennedys see the benefit of a trusted partner with an in-depth knowledge of supporting legal applications and a deep-rooted understanding of the high levels of customer service and responsiveness that lawyers demand. For those law firms transitioning into Acora’s service, 80% of processes and knowledge are sector-specific and already aligned, leaving only 20% assimilation to the needs and nuances of that specific firm.

Historically, however, for many law firms utilising a remote end-user support service has just never been an option.

“Culturally, lawyers have always felt they need their support entourage to be there, by their side, for that instant attention and personal touch. And you really can’t blame them. Lawyers are under incredible pressure. For them, every minute of the day, and even night, counts. Time is money so they need to stay as productive as possible. Suggesting remote support provision to some would have presented too much of a cultural change. Over the years, we’ve had some really engaging discussions with legal CIOs as they constantly evaluate their target operating models and how we might support their roadmap. However, when it came to remote end-user services, it was ultimately too much of a mind-set change despite the compelling business case, it was a battle some CIOs were just unwilling to fight.”

Johnathan Wates, Director of Managed Services and Sector Lead for Legal at Acora

However, in February this year, Covid-19 presented us with the biggest culture shock of all – and of course not just in our working lives. For the legal sector, suddenly everything changed; from the way lawyers conduct business and interact with clients, the amount and profile of the business they are transacting on, their increased use of technology and diminished use of paper, to the way they now communicate with their support entourage.

Similarly, those teams that support them have undergone a forced transformation too.

“Speaking to law firms, as with many other organisations, IT leaders are faced with new challenges around supporting the new norm for lawyers. This includes the visibility and management of their own now largely remote teams. Importantly too, it has meant IT leaders are open to more impactful decisions than they ever have before” suggests Johnathan.

Johnathan Wates

For Acora, this has ultimately led to 5 of the UK Top 50 law firms making the decision to outsource some or all of their IT support since the start of the pandemic.

Acora’s service centre has been remotely delivering end-user support to legal clients for over 10 years. The service is underpinned by a user-experience ethos, contractual and evolving SLAs, a service delivery framework, and systems that provide performance transparency and visibility to IT leaders. This, coupled with its Private and Public cloud offerings, is the reason law firms have chosen Acora as a right-fit partner to service both their current and future needs.

“If remote working is now possible, and indeed in many instances now essential, then legal IT leaders are questioning why not choose the most effective remote support solution available?”

Johnathan Wates

If you would like to discuss further, please feel free to contact Johnathan at johnathan.wates@acora.com. Alternatively, discover our IT support for law firms guide.