2020 was both hectic and unpredictable. As a firm, we had to make many changes to the way we operate in order to continue providing our service safely and to the same high standard.
Streamlining our operations
Firstly, we upgraded our telephone system to allow our teams to make, answer and transfer calls using their same office number through their mobile phones. This meant we could work safely from home, without any interruption to daily operations or in the client communication we take great pride in.
Next we looked to upgrade our Case Management System to a cloud based system. Despite having great success with our previous hosted system, we felt an upgrade would not only expedite many of the time-consuming administrative tasks associated with the conveyancing process, but also provide us with more advanced functionality.
LEAP was our system of choice and we have found it to be a worthy investment. Our staff underwent training and quickly noticed an improvement in both efficiency and ease of use. LEAP has improved the process of managing files, but also made it easier to train our new staff.
New Look Management Team
Towards the final quarter of the year, our Management Team was re-structured in order to best serve our clients and staff. We now have three Directors, each responsible for heading up one of our specialist property departments.
Simon Fox, Founder & Managing Director of Insight Law, manages the Commercial Department and oversees the daily operations of the firm. Simon qualified as a Solicitor in 1997 and has worked with banks, private investors and property companies as well as with landlords and tenants of business properties. Simon acts on all types of commercial property matters from high value developments to advising on guarantees.
Lucy Mason heads up the Residential Department from our office in Bristol. Lucy joined Insight Law in 2019 and has since played a vital role in managing the Residential Team and building relationships with our external partners and referrers. Having qualified as a Solicitor in 2013, Lucy has extensive experience working in high-volume conveyancing departments in both England and Wales.
Our Buy To Let Department is managed by Jonathan Smart, who was promoted to Director in November after his exceptional leadership skills as Head of Department propelled the team to new heights in such a competitive niche. Aside from managing the Department, Jonathan’s role is also focussed on handling residential purchases and remortgages for Buy To Let clients.
The Firm’s Practice Manager, Natalie Williams and Accounts Manager, Ellie Simpson also sit on the Management Team to ensure that all areas of the Firm, its staff and operations are represented.
Kicking off 2021
Insight Law started 2021 with some important initiatives.
Due to Government restrictions, our staff have continued to work from home with limited access to the office. As a result, we felt it was necessary to assist our staff with their home working environment by offering a ‘work from home allowance’. This allowance gave our staff the opportunity to purchase items that would make their working day more productive and enjoyable; whether it be desks, chairs, monitors or whatever they felt would be of benefit. This initiative was greatly received and improved the daily operations of many by enhancing productivity and above all else, comfort.
Secondly, after the Management Team had spent many hours ‘crunching the numbers’, the Firm introduced a firm-wide bonus scheme. You will often hear us mention how much we value our team at Insight Law and how lucky we feel to have such dedicated and skilled staff within the Firm.
To reflect this belief in our teams, from the start of this financial year in November 2020, we introduced the bonus scheme to give back to the people who have moulded the business into what it is today and who continue to work exceptionally hard in a challenging marketplace to deliver a first-class service to the firm’s clients. This scheme applies to all members of staff as in this way, everybody is rewarded for their efforts, regardless of their job title or day-to-day roles. This initiative has been well received internally.
With these improvements to our internal systems and operations, we know that we are well placed to tackle whatever challenges 2021 has in store.
Our staff across our three specialist departments have worked tirelessly to ensure our clients continually receive the first-class service to which we aspire and work hard to achieve and we are incredibly grateful for their past and continued efforts.
We are optimistic for the year ahead and look forward to assisting clients with all their property needs, whether that is in the Residential, Commercial or Buy To Let sectors.
Simon Fox, Managing Director at Insight Law commented:
“The Management Team is incredibly proud of the staff at Insight. Everyone has worked exceptionally hard these last 12 months and has shown great dedication and resilience in challenging circumstances. As a firm, with these initiatives, we have made a conscious decision to invest in our staff and in our IT infrastructure to put us in the best place, financially and structurally, so that we can provide the high levels of client service and communication to which we aspire during 2021 and beyond.”