Technology empowered innovation: Eversheds Legal Studio

28
Oct
2012

Joanna Goodman

Paul Caris CIO at Eversheds is a legal IT pioneer, having famously been the first to roll out iPads across the firm in 2010. Now Caris and his team are applying the latest technology to transform working practices across the firm. Cutting-edge technology - and out-of-the-box thinking - is supporting and driving collaboration, client service and innovation.  Joanna Goodman reports from Eversheds Legal Studio, at the firm's London headquarters.

Open plan and mobile working

Eversheds Legal Studio is über hot-desking. Lawyers at all levels in the firm work together in a huge open plan office that is divided into areas designed for individuals and groups.

Caris is based in Birmingham and London as is head of IT David Ball. Everyone has iPads and iPhones. The sharp focus on communication, mobility and internal networking is reflected in the design of the office environment and the technology that drives and supports this strategy.

However, there needs to be a balance between individual and team working and, importantly, confidentiality. Teams can reserve an open area to work together and individuals can choose a quiet space to concentrate.  Along the sides of the open plan area there are several, glass walled, soundproof offices which are used for confidential meetings and calls.

The workspaces are designed to provide the maximum desk space, so a lot of features are built into the desktop.  Freemote allows PCs to be kept out of sight under the desk, with power and headset jacks built into the desk for easy access. Recognising that it is still impossible to have an entirely paper-free law firm, there is a lot of storage space - filing cabinets, cupboards as well as lockable storage boxes that slide onto holders around big desks, so that people have somewhere to keep their papers and belongings and can immediately add a personal filing cabinet to their desk.

Instead of the usual PC or laptop, each desk has a Samsung 32” wide screen TV with an ultra clear display. It can be used as a monitor for the PC, a display for connected iPads /smart devices, video conferencing, or a dual screen monitor using Splitview - because lawyers like to have a lot on their screens. As Caris explains, a big advantage of these TVs is that they are delivered with a lot of built-in software, including Skype Video Conferencing.

Desks can be moved from a side-by-side or L-shaped configuration to become a meeting table, big enough for a team and the TV screen mountings can be shifted to facilitate team video conferences. Extendable panels featuring the Eversheds logo are used to create a “meeting room” appearance.

Skype video conferencing is one of the applications bundled with the TV screen. Lawyers use at desk Video Conferencing using Skype to video call colleagues & clients. The latest phone set from Mitel enables users to takes calls from any phone - for example they can programme in their desk phone and their iPhone or BlackBerry. A variety of headsets are available for mobile office working. A slight downside is the pace of technology. Although Eversheds update their equipment regularly, they were recently caught out by the iPhone 5 charger, which cannot plug into the Apple docking station. Fortunately adapters are available.

Big data - at the cutting edge

Caris' deployment of the very latest technology is driving innovative new projects.  For example Eversheds is experimenting with big data - which thus far in the legal sector has generally been confined to electronic disclosure and costs forecasting - on the client side.  To this end, he has installed Samsung SUR40 interactive touch tables in Eversheds' offices in London, Birmingham and Cardiff. These surface devices quickly visualise the big data experience, mapping data and behavioural patterns in real time. This includes bringing together publicly available data sets that relate to the industry segments that involve and interest the firm's clients with sentiment analysis - using social media data to visualise the geographical perceptions of a business or brand

The SUR40 is an attractive device and Caris' strategy was to engage Eversheds' lawyers and clients in the big data experiment.  “If you use traditional communications to engage the conservative legal sector you get the traditional cautious response; but if you engage individuals by showing them how the latest technology can make their lives easier and bring them closer to their clients, it is a different story,” he says.

The interactive touch tables are also useful for internal collaboration. Teams and colleagues use them to compare, examine and annotate documents - a bit like a big shared iPad. The pod housing the Samsung SUR40 is not just a space-age themed style feature: as Caris explains, its purpose is to amplify the sound within the pod yet contain it so that people around are not disturbed. SUR40 tables are being installed in Eversheds' client areas in its London, Birmingham and Cardiff offices.

However, not every cutting-edge device has taken off. While the most sophisticated version of Dragon mobile digital dictation via Bighand is eagerly anticipated, the tiny Fujitsu ScanSnap portable scanners are not used as much as Caris had expected. Kinect for Windows enables multiple presenters to control PowerPoint Presentations using intuitive gestures and voice commands, but this slightly unconventional approach (perhaps moving towards the courtroom technology imagined in the 'Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney' video game) has not caught on either. Caris admits he has not tried it in public - yet.

Gamification, however, is enhancing internal communication and engagement. The Eversheds intranet site includes virtual assistants and a rewards system whereby staff can win stars and points - there is even a leaderboard!

IT is all about user experience

Caris is also responsible for offices and facilities and has recently introduced a 'concierge' support service where users have a single help desk number for all queries, whether they concern IT, facilities or anything else. His overarching strategy is to delight his clients - and emphasises that his internal clients are lawyers and business support professionals working in Eversheds offices across the UK and overseas.

The cutting edge features of Eversheds Legal Studio and the systems deployed across the firm are focused sharply on engagement: big data visualisation to engage lawyers and clients; internal and external video calls and conferences to enhance communication by putting faces to names notwithstanding geographical separation; communications technology, iPads, iPhones and apps to facilitate remote and mobile working and an office environment that supports different ways of working. Visiting Eversheds Legal Studio was a lot of fun, but the underlying message is clear: IT is all about user experience.