Posted 22 January 2021

Over the past several years, the legal market has evolved from an industry exclusively about the expertise of lawyers and firms to an expanding marketplace driven by differentiation. As competition heats up, corporate budgets tighten, and client demands evolve, differentiation stands as one of the biggest challenges facing today’s law firms.

However, many firms still struggle to truly make themselves stand out from the rest. In fact, according to Altman Weil’s most recent Law Firms in Transition survey, only 55% of law firm leaders think their firm is clearly and specifically differentiated. The problem is most firms operate more by default than by design and are slow to adopt technological advances that have the potential to create competitive advantage.

Yet, there’s one firm that has consistently paved the way for innovation, empowering it to continually evolve with its clients and deliver continued success. Castrén & Snellman (C&S), founded in 1888, is the oldest law firm in Finland, as well as one of the largest, employing more than 250 people. While C&S has a rich history, it’s the firm’s forward-thinking approach that’s enabled it to move beyond its experience and expertise to deliver its clients a more modern way of working and create true competitive advantage.

From unifying document automation across the firm to bringing automation closer to its clients, here are a few ways that C&S has embraced digitisation to drive differentiation. 

Document Drafting Transformation

One way to stand out in a crowded market is by delivering truly exceptional levels of client service. However, lawyers are often too bogged down by administrative tasks to spend quality time advising clients. 

By introducing a streamlined approach to document creation through its Signe tool, C&S has been able to shift its lawyers' time from drafting documents to providing added value to clients. Designed from the ground up to meet the needs of C&S, the Signe tool leverages Sysero’s document automation technology to ease the workload of the firm’s lawyers, speed up the document drafting process and improve the quality of drafts. An intuitive, Word-based automation tool and powerful workflows make it easy for lawyers and legal tech trainees to automate and collaborate on documents.

Since going live with Signe, C&S has transformed the way its lawyers use model documents when drafting and increased efficiency in the drafting process. Aside from giving lawyers more time back in their day, Signe has enabled C&S to minimise the risk of human error and improve risk management through standardised contracts and customised instructions for use.

Sustainable Service Innovation

Innovation can be a key driver of differentiation, but it needs to be sustainable. At C&S, the Knowledge Management team continues to learn and adapt through its journey with automation to ensure sustainable change. 

Since launching Signe nearly four years ago, the Knowledge Management team has learned some valuable lessons, including the importance of sufficient training and communication and finding the right internal champions. “It takes courage, perseverance, a marketing perspective and innovation to embark on automation work,” explained Sebastian Palomäki, Legal Tech Trainee. “Finding the right people to help promote the project and help others understand the benefits is key to making automation work in the long-term.”

Continued Evolution & Growth 

To stay competitive in the legal market, firms must keep pace with the changing demands of clients. As the needs of the firm and its clients evolve, C&S’s Knowledge Management team continues to innovate and uncover new ways to bring the benefits of automation closer to its clients. 

In 2019, C&S launched Signe as a document automation service, which enables clients to reduce the amount of time spent on routine work by quickly generating new agreements based on existing templates.

It’s clear that digitisation is driving unprecedented change in the business world. By embracing the digital revolution, C&S has kept pace with client demands, reformed the way its lawyers work and elevated service delivery - all of which have enabled it to create truly differentiated value for its clients.

To learn more about how Castren & Snellman is using automation to provide differentiated service through the adoption of technology, download our recent case study.