Gordons improves effectiveness with LexisPSL adoption

Alan Davies, finance director and head of administration at Gordons, says: “When our part-time librarian announced she was retiring it triggered an opportunity to review the management of our knowledge resources.”

Changing from legacy software to LexisPSL was a risky but rewarding example of collaboration and investment.

Who is Gordons?

Gordons is a law firm based in West Yorkshire that can trace its roots back to 1844.

Traditionally a Bradford-based business, it expanded its operations into Leeds in 2000. The firm’s 200 strong team split their time between the two offices, maintaining a strong presence in both Bradford and Leeds. Gordons’ expansion over the last 15 years has resulted in a growing regional and national presence. Core to its mission was the drive to remove the geographic distinctions between its sites for clients and staff alike.

“Our customers don’t want to worry about where we’re based. They just want to rely on us to deliver the best and most effective service whenever and wherever they call.” Alan Davies, finance director and head of administration said. “Similarly, we need to make sure that wherever our people are they can provide exactly what the client needs in a consistent and straightforward way.”

Gordons has embraced technology to enhance collaboration between teams and facilitate seamless integration between the firm’s offices. This has resulted in a lot of fluidity between the two offices and a joined-up approach across the business.

The need for change

Gordons first considered LexisPSL a little over six years ago following internal changes with its library function. “When our part-time librarian announced she was retiring it triggered an opportunity to review the management of our knowledge resources. We wanted to find ways to make the wealth of resources more accessible to our fee earners, enabling the team to work more effectively while taking the opportunity to deliver sustainable cost savings to the business.”

Gordons has a strong history of using LexisLibrary for legal research so when the opportunity presented itself to investigate new practical guidance solutions LexisPSL was a viable contender.

As with any change, pricing always forms part of the considerations. Gordons has always been focused on bottom line growth rather than simply turnover growth for its own sake. However, it was acknowledged from the start that cost savings mean nothing if fee earners couldn’t do their job effectively and provide clients with high quality service. This resulted in a strong emphasis on fee earners throughout Gordons’ engagement with LexisPSL.