Farrer & Co are a leading independent law firm, synonymous with the highest quality legal advice and service.

The firm advises individuals, families, businesses, financial services, educational and not-for-profit organisations on every aspect of the law, wherever the need arises. From their offices in London, the firm works with trusted professionals around the world to deliver a seamless international service.

Farrer & Co has around 660 employees.

The Challenge

Farrer & Co had been live on Aderant Expert (v8.2.1) since 2009. In 2021 Farrer & Co engaged iTrain Legal to help implement WIP Aware and Paperless Billing, plus Expert Enquiries and Expert Entity Manager (Clients and Matters). Although Farrer & Co had an internal training team, the scale and uniqueness of the Aderant Expert system prompted them to enlist iTrain’s expertise to collaborate on the change management and training processes.

System and Process Differences

The new Aderant Expert modules differed significantly from Farrer & Co’s previous systems, requiring comprehensive training to familiarise employees with the new modules and educate them on altered business processes. Given the firm’s varied practice groups and client requirements, support materials and training sessions needed to cater to diverse user cases.

Scale and Time Sensitivity

With a planned simultaneous deployment to the entire firm, all 660 users required role-specific training in a short timeframe. Training had to be delivered as close to the go-live date as possible to ensure retention of knowledge. The time sensitivity was compounded by the constantly evolving nature of the system up to the go-live point.

The Strategy

iTrain implemented a strategic approach to address Farrer & Co’s challenges:

Consultation

The project commenced with an in-depth consultation phase, allowing iTrain to understand Farrer & Co’s organisational complexities, user reactions to change, the old system, and intended Aderant Expert configurations. Close collaboration with various Farrer & Co teams, including finance, training, and communications, provided the essential groundwork for project development.

Communication Package

Farrer & Co opted for iTrain’s communications package, which included a tailored email and intranet campaign, pre-learning videos and virtual awareness sessions. This comprehensive communication plan gradually built up awareness leading to go-live, ensuring users were well-informed about the upcoming changes.

User Acceptance Training and Testing

iTrain facilitated multiple User Acceptance Testing (UAT) phases with select users. This approach ensured identification and resolution of any issues or defects before the go-live date.

Support Materials

Farrer & Co purchased a bespoke resource pack from iTrain, including Quick Reference Guides and How-To videos. These resources were tailored to Farrer & Co’s business processes and Aderant system customisations, providing crucial support for users adapting to the new system.

End-User Training

A role-specific training program was designed and delivered to Farrer & Co users using MS Teams for online flexibility. The three-week training period involved one iTrain trainer delivering alongside the internal training team to successfully deliver the training sessions within the required timeframe.

Go-live Support

iTrain provided extensive go-live support. This support included remote drop-in calls, on-site assistance, prearranged workshops, and ad hoc requests, ensuring a smooth transition to the new Aderant Expert modules.

The Results

The collaboration between Farrer & Co and iTrain yielded successful outcomes, with a seamless implementation of the new Aderant modules. The challenges of system and process differences, scale, and time sensitivity were effectively mitigated through strategic planning, tailored communication, and comprehensive training. iTrain’s support materials and expertise played a crucial role in ensuring Farrer & Co’s users adapted to the new modules, minimising disruption and maintaining productivity during and after the transition. The successful deployment showcased iTrain’s commitment to facilitating change management and training in complex transitions for legal firms like Farrer & Co.

Ian Colley, IT Training Team Leader at Farrer & Co said “It was an absolute pleasure to work with ITrain on this project. They added value and their expertise to the project, which in turn allowed us to deliver training at the highest standard to all our users. It was great to work alongside their very knowledgeable trainers during the rollout.”