De Jager Attorneys is a dynamic, young and success-driven law firm based in Hermanus, in the Western Cape in South Africa. They specialise in commercial transactions (contracts, debt recovery, mergers and acquisitions, compliance, and due diligence), litigation (civil and criminal), property transfers, environmental law and the administration of deceased estates.
They hold themselves accountable to the highest professional standard, so when they were experiencing some issues with data management, they wanted to sort it out as soon as possible. They approached Radical Cloud Solutions to assist.
Radical Cloud Solutions is a proud Google partner, and we focus on developing platforms and systems that promote efficiency and productivity, aligned with digital marketing strategies.
What was troubling De Jager Attorneys?
De Jager Attorneys encountered an administrative nightmare as multiple versions of the same documents were circulated and edited by staff. When this happens, it’s easy to lose track of which document is the most current and relevant, and you’ll waste valuable time sifting through all the versions to ensure important information doesn’t slip through the cracks.
There were also multiple contact points within the company, making it difficult to avoid booking conflicts, resulting in frustrated employees and clients.
Because there was no system in place to identify available leave days, employees found it difficult to pinpoint an appropriate time to take holiday leave.
The secure storage and handling of documents in accordance with the POPI Act was also a challenge. The POPI Act is a piece of legislation that establishes the minimum standards for accessing and processing another person’s personal information. As a law firm, it was very important that they didn’t risk non-compliance as this could damage their reputation and lead to other consequences.
What solutions did Radical Cloud Solutions present?
In order to adequately assist De Jager Attorneys, we thought it best to migrate the client over to Google Workspace. Google Workspace is a collection of cloud-based collaboration tools designed and maintained by Google, including Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet, and more. We felt it was the best solution for De Jager Attorneys, as it encompassed solutions for all of their administrative issues.
We assisted the client in setting up shared calendars and trained them in their use. Google Workspace allows the use of shared Google Calendars. This now ensures the staff at De Jager Attorneys knows which client is booked to come through for a meeting, and when associates can book new meetings. Additionally, the shared calendar allowed for teams to plan and identify the inflow of work, court schedules, and workflow.
They can now use the shared calendar to plan their leave days, ensuring there is always sufficient staff in the office to continue the day-to-day running of the firm.
We further assisted in setting up shared folders, transferred all their contacts, and completed a full data migration to Google Workspace. All this was done with very little downtime and no loss of data. By having shared folders and documents in Google Drive, the staff are now able to collaborate on the documents in real time without having to worry about the incorrect version of the document being in circulation. With shared documents in Google Workspace, you can manage who has access to the document and to what degree. So, you can decide if the people who have access are able to view, comment on, or edit the document. You are also able to change this at any time. This ensures the safekeeping of documents in line with the POPI Act.
To make sure our clients got the most out of Google Workspace, we offered some training and support. This ensured that everyone was aware of the features available so that they could fully utilise the productivity suite.
How was the new system received?
Due to the upgrade, De Jager Attorneys experienced an increase in productivity as well as reduced frustration due to better workflow planning within the company.
This in turn resulted in happier staff and increased productivity. With more efficient client management, the staff were able to direct all their attention to the clients who as a result felt more cared for and referred more business to the firm.
Jonathan de Jager, the Managing Director of De Jager Attorneys had this to say about the experience: “Google Workspace and Radical Cloud Solutions gave us scalable solutions to managing our client base as well as our internal processes. Client and staff feedback has been very positive, and due to the increase in productivity, we are expecting an increase in revenue this year as well.“
