On 31st March 2006 Craddock Murray Neumann became the 21st firm in Australia to gain the accreditation for Law 9000. Law 9000 is a quality management system that is specifically designed to address risk management issues in the legal industry. Being a total management system, Law 9000 can become an administrative burden for the Law firm.

It is important that any management system works for the firm, not the firm works for the system. A number of tools available within Locus Affinity allowed our firm to fully comply with the Law 9000 Code without tying up staff resources. Of these tools, Workflow, Task Management and Precedents saved a lot of time. Under the Code every matter requires a Matter Plan to be completed at the commencement of the matter.

This matter plan requires the firm to define what is the outcome to be achieved; when each step is to be undertaken, who will be responsible for each step, when communication with the client and the other team members should take place. To effectively supervise the various teams requires a system that management can and will ensure that the task is undertaken within a reasonable time frame. It is also necessary to allocate a priority rating and a backup system should a task be due when the responsible staff member is away on leave. After the initial template system has been created in Locus Affinity, this occurs with a click of the button.

The reasons that Craddock Murray Neumann made the commitment to Law 9000 and the benefits we now see within the firm are completely different.

It has changed our culture to be more aware of risk management issues before they become problems and to put systems in place that protect the firm. The firm has more client focus. Processes are clearly defined. Control is maintained over critical documents that protect the firm, the staff and our clients.

The Locus Affinity system has enabled our firm to introduce Law 9000 and improve productivity without increasing the administration burden on our staff. So, they can do what they do best - practice law.

Katherine Hicks
Craddock Murray Neumann Lawyers

For further information contact Katherine Hicks, at Craddock Murray Neumann Lawyers on (02) 9283 4755.

Review our range of legal software

Back to the list of our client experience