Adam Benedict drives transparent innovation with Clio at the core
Adam Benedict’s co-founders Adam Creasey and Benedict Cressey outline the secrets behind their client-centred, award-winning approach to delivering legal services — and how Clio’s technology has supported the firm drive innovation since inception
As the winner of the 2025 Reisman Award for Best New Law Firm, Adam Benedict has already made UK legal history while building a client-centred model that challenges the status quo.
From the outset, the firm’s founders — managing director Adam Creasey (a solicitor) and director Benedict Cressey (a non-solicitor) — designed a model that puts clients at the heart of every decision, from pricing to process.
Partly inspired by Clio co-founder Jack Newton’s client-centred vision, the firm adopted Clio as its core technology from day one, using the tech to enable transparent communication, streamline workflows, and deliver efficient client management.
Creasey explains: “Having read Jack Newton’s work before setting up the law firm, I knew that Clio was going to be aligned with us, both in terms of values and service offering.”
From its founding structure to day-to-day operations, Adam Benedict’s approach highlights what a modern law firm can be — award-winning, innovative and entirely client-focused.
Rethinking the traditional law model: award-winning innovation
Innovation has been a driving force at Adam Benedict from the start. The firm was established as a start-up commercial law firm with an alternative business structure (ABS), allowing non-lawyers to take ownership and leadership roles. This non-traditional choice reflects Adam Benedict’s belief that diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and it underpins their vision of delivering law as a force for good.
The results of the firm’s innovative, client-centred, tech-supported approach speak for themselves — it has expanded from a two-person startup to a team of more than 12, grown turnover value by over 200% and widened its client base by 150%.
Alongside rapid growth, the firm’s reputation has soared. Adam Benedict has been named one of The Times’ Best UK Law Firms (2025), awarded Top 20 status for Construction law firms in the UK, and — perhaps most strikingly — has already made legal history three times, including contributing to the creation of new UK law.
Creasey says: “I have seen things from both sides, but ultimately the legal profession needs to catch up with the modern world in terms of service delivery and how we prioritise working with clients rather than against them. That’s not just about fee structures, it’s about our entire operation. That’s why we invested so heavily into operations from the outset.”
Client-centred, tech-enabled experience
From day one, Adam Benedict knew that traditional legal operations — bogged down by tedious admin and slow communication — would hold them back from their vision of a client-centred, innovative firm. They needed technology that could replace inefficiency with transparency, freeing them to focus on strategy and results.
Creasey explains: “We’re a small team. There are always going to be bumps in the road and imperfections here and there, but we’re constantly looking at trying to make it better, and it has got better over time. That’s with the help of having a piece of software from people that really understand the problem that we’re trying to solve. It’s been incredibly important, and a bit of a game changer for me.”
With Clio as its practice management platform, Adam Benedict automates workflows, streamlines billing and gives clients direct access to their case updates and documents through software’s client portal.
Creasey adds: “I love the fact that clients get an app on their phone, just for a one-stop shop for their legal needs.”
Clio hasn’t just supported the firm’s model — it has helped power it. By embedding tech at the heart of its operations, the firm was able to scale faster, innovate more boldly and consistently deliver client value clearly and confidently.
Cressey says: “Clio is a strategic partner, purely because we integrate it in our service to our other strategic partners like our client base and our network. We couldn’t serve our client base without the way Clio’s set up.”
Transparent, flexible pricing goes beyond the billable hour
A key part of Adam Benedict’s client-first approach is its flexible pricing, which replaces the rigidity of traditional hourly billing, explains Creasey: “We’re steering the firm as quickly and efficiently as possible away from the hourly rate model.”
Hourly rates are unpredictable, often costing clients more than expected and misaligned with today’s tech-driven workflows. Instead, Adam Benedict tailors pricing using fixed fees, caps, value-based models, subscriptions or hourly rates when needed — giving clients greater predictability, fairness and value, while reinforcing the firm’s client-centred ethos.
And, as Cressey notes, flexible pricing is increasingly what clients want and expect.
“More and more people we’re coming across are asking straight away if we do fixed fees.”
“The way we want to do things is much more collaborative with our clients. The subscription model is something that I’m really passionate about,” Creasy adds.
It’s not just saying, ‘We’re going to charge you X amount per month for these projects’ — behind that membership account are the value adds, such as access to our network, speaking events, seminars and introductions to people.”
Rapid growth and expansion
Adam Benedict’s people-first approach has supported remarkable growth in just two years — from a two-man operation to a team of 12 in a new office in the heart of London.
“Financially — through client loyalty and some fantastic cases that we have managed to bring on board, punching way above our weight — we managed to triple revenue from year one to year two,” says Creasey.
The client base has expanded significantly as well: “We’ve opened hundreds and hundreds of files, and the average count per month is going up and up,” he adds.
For the team, technology isn’t just about efficiency — it’s about enabling an entirely new way of practising law. With Clio as its foundation, the firm has been able to turn its client-centred vision into a practical and scalable reality.
“We’re adding new features, new benefits for our clients all the time and always seeking ways to drive that forward. I consider that to be growth,” says Creasey.
Looking ahead: leading the next era of legal innovation
Despite rapid growth and award-winning recognition, Adam Benedict isn’t resting on its laurels. The founders note that the firm is just scratching the surface of what they can achieve by maintaining a strong client-centred approach and leveraging legal technology to reach more people and deliver services more efficiently.
Creasey envisions the firm providing “legal and holistic professional services, more quickly, more efficiently — with honesty, transparency, a dash of integrity, and even a little fun and innovation along the way.”
Cressey emphasises the importance of strong client relationships for the firm as they expand and innovate: “things change all the time, but the key for us is to maintain regular contact with our clients, nurture good relationships, and take on board what they say. Then it’s down to us, as their lawyers, to look further ahead so it benefits them in the future.”
Adam Benedict’s journey shows that a modern law firm can be simultaneously innovative, client-centred and socially conscious. In less than two years, the firm has grown rapidly, made legal history, and earned national recognition — all without compromising on culture, values or community impact.
By combining forward-thinking leadership, flexible pricing, technology-enabled workflows and a people-first approach, Adam Benedict is redefining what it means to practise law today — and setting a new standard for firms that want to deliver real value for clients, employees and society alike.
