Weightmans and InfoTrack: Creating a point of difference in the market
Weightmans is a Top 40 UK law firm with an emphasis on agile working, designed to foster a culture of diversity and inclusivity. Their 1,400-strong workforce has recently grown through a merger, increasing the size of their residential property team and expanding their presence in London and Southeast England. Offering a mix of commercial and private client work, their services span commercial and residential property, family law, wills and probate, and more.
Having recently expanded the residential property department, we caught up with Weightmans Associate, Anthony Howarth. He shares insight into how the firm has adopted digital processes into their residential property and commercial real estate practice. With a focus on continually improving their efficiencies, from building better title reports to managing requisitions, Weightmans is turning to technology to help manage the entire process.
Anthony Howarth, Associate, said: “Now it’s a question of maintaining our fee levels, maintaining our profitability, and the only way we can do that is by offering a decent product.”
Agile, but looking for seamless technology
The team at Weightmans have been advocates of digital for years, but it wasn’t until working from home became standard practice during the pandemic that they truly understood the full value of their agile nature. Anthony says having the right systems in place enabled them to shift with ease.
“Weightmans was already set up for agile working. The fact that our systems were enabled for that meant on the first day of lockdown we were already up and running. When everyone logged on, everything worked,” he recalls.
Recently, Weightmans has turned their attention to how they can optimise their processes through technology to streamline their property transactions. As market conditions mean that competition between firms is increasing, Anthony says that Weightmans is focused on digital solutions that create a point of difference in their workflow and service levels, without compromising on the bottom line.
Having everything in one place is making a difference for Weightmans. They can access the InfoTrack platform to see which searches and services are available straight away. And because it’s intuitive, users can get started easily. As Anthony shares, it’s providing the firm with clarity that they didn’t have with their previous processes.
Transforming processes with automation
Something needs to change in property according to Anthony, and that change needs to be greater adoption of digital. From transaction delays to flat fee structures, he says that things can’t go on as they are. He acknowledges the shift isn’t always fast or seamless, but it is happening. Weightmans began using Property Report, InfoTrack’s automated title report solution, in mid-2022. Anthony describes the technology as a ‘no brainer’.
He recalls that uptake among the team was initially a little slow, but since the team have come on board, they’ve been impressed with the way it’s changed how they prepare reports on title. Anthony said: “We are finding Property Report useful now to the point that it’s almost completely taken the place of the title check sheets that we previously used. Because if you’re drafting your property report as you go along and InfoTrack is populating the report, it’s taking the place of that old fashioned manual title check sheet that you would save to every file.”
A big win for the firm is the client response to Property Report. Not only is it easier for the team to prepare reports and include all key information from the title, searches and any appendices, but it’s also adding a ‘personal touch’ for their clients.
“We tell our clients to save it and treat it as an instruction book for ownership,” says Anthony. Previously, the firm would collate everything, print and bind the report, and then send it out via special delivery to the client. Now, it’s a tidy, user-friendly PDF that can be prepared and emailed far more expediently, saving them valuable time in every matter. Weightmans have also leveraged their technology solutions by integrating InfoTrack with their case management system Mattersphere, saving several hours per matter.
Removing the need to login to multiple systems separately and the additional automation that the integration provides is invaluable. “Not needing our own outlook calendar is great, thanks to the automated reminders for post completion matters due,” Anthony adds.
Easy-access customer support
When it comes to service, Anthony says InfoTrack makes it easier to get in touch. From a dedicated account manager to a knowledgeable helpdesk team on the other end of the line, there’s always someone the team at Weightmans can talk to. Whether it’s a complex transaction or training for new staff, having one person that the firm can reach out to makes a big impact.
“If you’re halfway through a task and you get stuck, you can pick up the phone and there’s no real delay to the actual task because you get a response. The phone gets picked up and there’s help within a minute or two. I very rarely find myself waiting for a response,” shares Anthony.
When comparing InfoTrack to how Weightmans used to manage their mapping, the firm find their new way of working simpler. He added: “I have found the mapping much easier, particularly when it comes to new builds. I would say a big differentiation between InfoTrack and our previous provider, is that it’s very easy to get in touch and find someone who can assist if you are struggling.”
Better monitoring with InfoTrack
While other providers offer some of the same services, Anthony notes that the experience the team at Weightmans have with InfoTrack has increased efficiency within the team, assisting with monitoring the progress of matters both live and post completion.
“I recommend InfoTrack. The user experience to me has been better than anything else I’ve tried. The fact that things can be resolved with a phone call is very helpful,” says Anthony.
