Case study: Intelligent Office – Kingsley Napley: Futureproofing a forward-thinking law firm

Background

To help transform their operations and futureproof their business, London law firm Kingsley Napley outsourced facilities, document production, front of house, reprographics, and legal administration services to Intelligent Office (IO) in July 2020. In the midst of a global pandemic, IO’s expertise in managing and engaging staff in times of unprecedented change was attractive and enabled the firm to navigate its way through the uncertainties ahead. A team of 34 employees TUPE transferred to IO and benefit from the training, development, and comprehensive management support that a twice accredited Investors in People Platinum company can offer.

“We felt the expertise that IO could bring in the management and development of our support services in the new hybrid working world outweighed what we could deliver internally. They also have broad experience in major change projects such as our relocation from three offices into one; IO was key in enabling this transition as well as ensuring there was no disruption to our support services whilst we relocated.” Darren Jesse, Chief Finance and Operations officer, Kingsley Napley

A Space Fit for Purpose

With over 20 years’ experience in managing secretarial and administrative support, Intelligent Office is the trusted name for law firm transformation, and we utilised our expertise to identify further opportunities for operational improvements during the transition of the support services at Kingsley Napley. With state-of-the-art technology being implemented at the flagship office, the IO team took a deep dive into the practices and procedures of each service area and identified several opportunities for evolution and ways to introduce efficiencies. These included:

• Moving to a paper-lite way of working
• The introduction of the digital mailroom and relevant new policies and procedures
• Creating a centralised workflow to maximise efficiencies and leverage the latest technology the firm had invested in
• Reviewing all suppliers from coffee to cleaning contracts, plants, and the MFD fleet
• Working with IT and BD to promote the space options now available within the new building to host major client and firm events

On behalf of Kingsley Napley, IO ensures on an ongoing basis, that every supplier is engaged with Kingsley Napley’s values and that they are closely aligned to their own. It is critically important, for both IO and Kingsley Napley, to build sustainable procurement with third party suppliers in line with our shared commitment to the environment, social impact and governance, and as such partnerships with suppliers further cement their culture and DNA, which were a central focus for the new office.

Right Person, Right Task

Intelligent Office is a twice accredited Investors in People Platinum organisation, and we specialise in developing professional services support staff. At Kingsley Napley we successfully implemented a new team structure to ensure the right people are carrying out the right tasks.

• Following the TUPE transfer of 34 employees to IO, the manager and team leader roles were redesigned to create clear distinction between the tasks and responsibilities.
• The redesigning of the team leader roles created four promotional opportunities for staff and futureproofs the structure for growth and succession planning. The restructure was well received and re-energised the team, with an enhanced focus on training and development.
• Continuous training is provided on a variety of topics from service evolution and refining technical skills to soft skills such as communication and people management. Every member of staff has a development pathway established and monthly one to ones with their line manager to help them achieve their goals.
• With enhanced service-specific training, best practice, and continuous improvement in place, outsourcing to IO means law firm support teams are better equipped to provide administrative support to fee-earners, freeing them up to focus on the revenue generating tasks.

Looking Ahead

Having smoothly transitioned into the new office building in July 2021, we are now in the second phase of the transformation project at Kingsley Napley. In the coming months we will be focusing on continuing the digitalisation of services and maximising the firm’s investment in technology. This includes introducing a digital mailroom, implementing EzeScan, upgrading BigHand to BigHand Workflow Advanced, and utilising this technology in the new building to provide cutting edge services.

Building the Foundations for Long Term Growth

The transformation project has built the foundations for long term success at Kingsley Napley, with a focus on agile working, people development and digitalisation. As the firm continues to grow, IO will support with ongoing flexibility and innovation so that the legal support services develop in line with the firm’s evolving requirements and clients changing needs.

“Every challenge we have set them, they have delivered; the wider IO infrastructure has provided us with subject matter experts, when required, and we genuinely enjoy working with them. They are a twice accredited Platinum Investors in People business and it is easy to see why,” said Darren Jesse, Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Kingsley Napley.