Gardner Leader: Transforming Conveyancing Onboarding with eEstimate – Xperate
Gardner Leader is a leading law firm with offices across the Thames Valley. The firm handles a significant number of residential property transactions each year. With client expectations shaped by fast, digital-first experiences in other industries, the firm recognised an opportunity to improve how prospective clients receive estimates – and how those enquiries flow into the business.
Rather than opting for an off-the-shelf online quote tool, Gardner Leader chose to build something far more integrated, flexible and aligned with the firm’s culture.
The Challenge
Many law firms use generic online conveyancing quote plug-ins. While quick to deploy, these tools often operate in isolation – creating manual handovers, re-keying of data and inconsistent processes.
For Gardner Leader, this wasn’t enough.
David Brooks, forward-thinking Systems Development Manager at Gardner Leader, wanted a solution that would:
- Deliver a simple, intuitive experience for clients
- Feed directly into the firm’s onboarding workflows and PMS
- Eliminate duplication and reduce the risk of errors
- Provide real ownership and control over fees and calculations
- Support enquiries made online, over the phone or in person
- Give the new business team better visibility of the pipeline and conversions
A generic tool would have constrained how Gardner Leader works. The firm needed something bespoke – a solution that reflected its commitment to carefully designed, internally owned processes.
The Solution
Xperate partnered with Gardner Leader to design and build eEstimate – a fully bespoke online conveyancing estimate application, built from the ground up.
From the client’s perspective, eEstimate is clean, fast and easy to use, providing instant conveyancing estimates directly via the Gardner Leader website.
Behind the scenes, the tool delivers true end-to-end integration:
- Estimate enquiries feed directly into Gardner Leader’s PMS
- Prospective clients are created automatically, or estimated data is automatically updated to existing clients
- Onboarding and enquiry workflows are triggered without re-keying
The same structured process is followed regardless of the enquiry channel.
This integration removes friction at the very start of the client journey – reducing administrative effort, improving data accuracy and allowing fee-earners to spend more time advising clients rather than handling paperwork.
A key advantage of eEstimate is control. Gardner Leader’s Technology Team can update fees, stamp duty rules or calculations instantly, ensuring the tool always reflects current legislation and firm pricing – without reliance on external vendors.
The project was delivered through close collaboration between Xperate, David Brooks, the Gardner Leader Residential Property Team and Xperate’s offshore development team. It ran smoothly, on time and on budget, and was successfully launched in November 2023 with excellent feedback.
The Results
eEstimate has become a core part of Gardner Leader’s conveyancing workflow.
The benefits include:
- A smoother, more professional client onboarding experience
- Reduced re-keying and fewer manual errors
- Consistent processes across all enquiry channels
- Better visibility of enquiry volume, pipeline and conversions
- Increased capacity for fee-earners to focus on client work
- A future-proof solution fully owned by the firm
For Gardner Leader, eEstimate isn’t just a quote tool – it’s an example of how bespoke technology can simplify operations, improve client experience and support sustainable growth.
What They Said
Josh Lewis, Managing Consultant at Xperate, commented:
“eEstimate was a fantastic project because it went beyond a typical online quote tool. We worked closely with David and the conveyancing team to build something genuinely end-to-end – and then hand it over so Gardner Leader could remain in control of how it evolves. That sense of partnership and trust is what makes projects like this so rewarding.”
David Brooks, Systems Development Manager at Gardner Leader, said:
“What sets Xperate apart is that they’re completely vendor agnostic. They’re not pushing a particular platform or product – they’re focused on finding the right solution. They act as a trusted sounding board with deep technical expertise, and that gives us the confidence to build tools that genuinely fit the way we work.”
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