When Sydney-based personal injury law firm PK Simpson set out to find its next IT solution, the choice quickly became clear.
According to IT Manager Marco Ferrara, after reviewing every major legal practice management system, Dye & Durham’s Affinity stood out as the only all-in-one solution with an integration with LexisNexis’s Lexis + AI solution.
It offered a superior AI integration for its research and practical guidance content and an intuitive interface into Affinity.
“We asked the same question of every provider. With Affinity, the AI response through the integration with Lexis + AI was 100% complete. Answers from others barely scratched the surface. When we saw Affinity’s answer, we just looked at each other. That is the software we want.”
“In the end, there really was no choice,’’ Mr Ferrara said. “Affinity was so much better than the rest.’’
The Challenge
PK Simpson has been helping clients for more than 30 years, specialising in Workers Compensation, Temporary and Permanent Disability and traffic accidents.
With an office in Manila, Philippines, staff in Fiji and a remote team based in Sydney, the law firm relies on a robust IT system that is critical to its day-to-day operations.
Mr Ferrara said the firm had been using the same software solution since the late 1980s which involved running five separate programs simultaneously on its computers, that didn’t communicate with each other.
Staff had to log in to multiple systems to perform routine tasks such as drafting a letter, logging time, checking matter status or reviewing legal precedents.
New client details had to be entered into three separate systems, causing unnecessary duplication and inefficiencies.
“Lots of the work was replicated two or three times because the software didn’t talk to each other. It is a waste of time,’’ Mr Ferrara said.
Mr Ferrara said having so many different programs running simultaneously elevated the number of computer problems he had to deal with.
As the single IT professional at the firm, Mr Ferrara found himself constantly running between computers and sometimes trying to answer five or six calls at the same time as staff sought IT help.
With 15,000 matters open, the IT system was becoming an issue, and the search began for a new solution.
The Solution
Mr Ferrara said the attraction with Affinity was that all the applications the firm needed were available in one program and accessible with just a click of a button. It was also available in a format that will allow the firm to operate it on its own servers.
“With a single click, staff can access the matter, view the client’s situation, run reports and enter their time, without jumping between systems,’’ he said.
“Even the screen is intuitive. You instantly know where to go and what to do.’’
Impressed by the capability of the Affinity – Lexis + AI integration, the firm has already integrated it into its systems and is now on track to complete the full rollout by 1 July 2025.
Mr Ferrara sees the new system as a game-changer, streamlining operations and easing the workload for staff.
“We have everything inside Affinity, from the accounting and administration through to letters and reporting. It’s just one click, instead of starting every morning by opening five different programs and waiting for them all to load.”
“I’m 100% confident the work will be faster and easier than today,’’ Mr Ferrara said.
“On my side, I’ll finally have time to do something other than fixing IT issues across two levels. When Affinity is fully installed, I think I will have less to do and that’s a good thing.’’
To learn more about Affinity visit https://dyedurham.com.au/solution/affinity/
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