• March 29, 2024
 My Lockdown Legacy – What Will Yours Be?

My Lockdown Legacy – What Will Yours Be?

Written by Pippa Shepherd, Head of Customer Engagement at Arken.legal

On a Friday night 19 weeks ago, I packed up from the office, wished my colleagues a happy weekend and drove home – it didn’t even cross my mind that I would wake up the following day to COVID-19 symptoms and have to begin my 14-day isolation period.

Neither did I expect that my two weeks at home would turn into 17 before I would walk back into Arken.legal HQ to reunite with my ‘virtual’ colleagues in real life.

Getting the team back into our office in Westerham was important to us from a company culture perspective. While our cloud-based technology meant the delivery, support and development side of the business remained unaffected by the move to remote working, you can’t beat the benefits of in-person collaboration on projects and learning by osmosis that you get from being under one roof. Plus, we’re like a family and after so long being apart, I think we were all looking forward to being back together again. As part of Arken.legal’s leadership team, we assessed HQ in line with government guidelines and after many hours or planning and preparation, I’m glad to say as of mid-July, we were able to welcome teams (although staggered) back into the office, safely.

But as we go back to work, as a new normal emerges, we will not – and should not – forget the lessons we learnt during lockdown. From a personal point of view, they are the simple pleasures of life, like going for a walk or playing a board game. From a work perspective, the Wills and Probate industry has gone through so much. The unsung key workers who saw a phenomenal rise in demand, alongside the challenge of changing client engagement models overnight. Being a technology provider for this market, it was interesting to see what changed during the pandemic. There was faster decision making as everything had to be put in place as quickly as possible, the fear of embracing a cloud-based technology disappeared and was, in fact, embraced. The idea of an online Will was again turned on its head and for straightforward instructions was a godsend. The inventiveness of some to have documents signed – the 1837 law for witnessing of Wills may have stood the test of time but was not prepared for a modern-day pandemic. Witnessing through windows, car windscreens, by delivery drivers or neighbours over fences – creativity very much came into play!  The adoption of other documents like Advance Decisions and General Powers of Attorney to protect the worried or vulnerable while waiting for the registration of Lasting Powers of Attorney also increased demand on the industry.

I really hope that we drive change from what we have learnt during lockdown and the pandemic and create a positive legacy for our industry.

My top 5 wishes for a lockdown legacy:

  1. Technology seen as an enabler: In our industry there were many who were nervous of cloud-based solutions. If your provider invests in industry-leading cloud-based providers and regularly penetration tests their solutions, it is infinitely safer for your business than everything on premise. Add to this the benefits of being able to work and access information anywhere, easily sharing information and files with other colleagues, simplifying peer reviews, utilising office staff as part of the process, picking up work from furloughed staff without delay, delivering integration between best-in-class solutions that facilitate process improvement and more. Not every meeting needs to be face-to-face, and your time saving here can be maximised to re-invest in business development, a greater number of client engagements or indeed to keep up with the higher level of family togetherness we experienced during lockdown. The use of technology enables life – in work and out of work.
  2. Speedier decision making: While I understand the need to manage risk within a business or practice, there are many times I have seen the private client solicitor make a quick but informed decision after a great experience on a trial. They see the benefits and want our solutions immediately but the hierarchical structure in some law firms means the decision is taken from the very top – for as little as a £70 per month investment in enhanced productivity! These decisions have taken months in some cases. I hope that the legacy of lockdown is to empower staff to make decisions on technology that will assist them in their area of expertise. Technology has proven itself during the pandemic, so put your checks and balances in place but make that decision more quickly – make it your legacy.
  3. Remote signature and remote witnessing of Wills in counterparts. We have strongly advocated for updating the law relating to witnessing Wills during the COVID-19 pandemic. A big congratulations to all those involved following the Ministry of Justice’s recent announcement, allowing people to use video conferencing technology for the witnessing of Wills. This is a positive step forward for the estate planning industry, demonstrating that technology is and should be an answer to many of the dilemmas facing a modern Wills practice. However, the announcement specifically discounts the witnessing of Wills in counterparts, and we would query how many Wills that have been witnessed during the pandemic will actually be valid under these new rules if they have been witnessed as separate physical documents. My colleague, Sam Warner, goes into more detail about this over on our Insights Hub.
  4. The adoption of online Wills: There has been much talk about the risk of online Wills – how do you measure that the person isn’t under any undue pressure and that they are making a Will of their own free will?  To be honest – is it that clear with other solutions?  Telephone Wills?  Even face-to-face you do not always know that they are not being influenced.  In fact, you can argue that the ability to do an online Will in private helps those more vulnerable or in a difficult situation to do those while alone. With a very high percentage of the UK population not having a Will, and with millennials now having assets, children, growth in wealth and are more pre-disposed to buy online as a preference, it is key for solicitors to protect themselves against new market entrants and offer a variety of options for clients to engage with them.
  5. A balanced life: I missed working in the office, however no commute at the beginning or end of the day meant I could redirect this time into my working day – I was still able to get in a run and spend some quality time going through homework or teaching my daughter how to play rummy! The balance of working from home and a focus on productivity will enable many firms to introduce greater flexibility of working and initiatives, like the 4-day working week.

Whatever your experience in lockdown, I really hope that you take the lessons you have learnt and are looking forward to a new, bright future where we all embrace and appreciate the little things in life.

Stay safe everyone, while we enjoy our small steps back into our new normality.

This article was submitted to be published by Arken.legal (UK) as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.

Arken.legal

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  Transforming the global estate planning industry through advanced technology Arken.legal provides expert digital solutions for the private client and estate planning industry. Its solutions deliver business efficiencies and consistency across a practice, while enabling client acquisition through an improved customer experience. Built by private client solicitors, Arken.legal products are used by more than 500 firms including Legal practices, Accountancy practices, Will writers and Legal services businesses in the UK, as well as Trust companies in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. With 29 years' experience and more than 6 million Wills having been created using its products, today Arken.legal is a software as a service business offering secure, cloud-based solutions. The Arken Product Suite Businesses are turning to technology to enable change, increase efficiency and futureproof their incomes to suit upcoming generations and demand. The Arken product suite is designed for just this – to maximise productivity, provide interactivity and lead generation, and manage risk. It can suit any business process – whether instructions are taken virtually, in an office, remotely or via telephone. For increased efficiency, reduced re-keying and a delighted client, book a demonstration today to find out how we can help your practice. Key Services Arken Professional: A comprehensive, up-to-date and secure document generation solution built specifically for the Private Client Sector. Built by lawyers, its industry-leading software has produced over 6 million Wills. Arken Professional is the only software solution specialising in Wills that is accredited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). All the products on this scheme have satisfied a robust technical evaluation and are from companies that are financially sound and offer strong customer support, giving you that extra peace of mind. Arken Intestacy: The new way to increase leads and grow your business remotely.  A handy customisable tool for your website that demonstrates the circumstances if your prospective client were to die without a Will – they can then fill in their details and ask for you to help protect their estate. Arken Online Wills: A secure, online Will service. Will packs – which include a client’s Will, a Will commentary, and signing instructions – can be sent to the client immediately or reviewed before delivery. Arken Acquire: A digital fact find and lead generation tool. A tool that captures data from your clients, which is then used in the drafting of key estate planning documents. Simply email a link to your client and they can input key information that seamlessly flows into Arken Professional for drafting. Arken Lifetime: Create Inter Vivos Trusts in a fraction of the time. Trust Referencer: Get the latest on tax treatments and specific Trusts. Access the most up-to-date information to generate a personalised report for your clients, outlining the tax treatment that are relevant to both Testamentary and Inter Vivos Trusts. Arken Anywhere: The power of Arken on-the-move. Access an offline version of Arken Professional that will synchronise with your account once you’re back online. Arken API: A seamless transfer of data and reduction of re-keying. Details shared between your case management solution and Arken Professional.       Dave Newick, Chief Executive Officer of Arken.legal, said:
“We work in partnership with our clients to understand their key processes and provide the most efficient digital solutions for their Private Client business. The industry has begun its digitisation journey – it’s time to consider the best route within it for your business. Can you use technology to be more adaptable, more engaged, to provide a better customer experience? Can you use technology to automate low-level tasks, enabling you to focus on what really matters? It’s time to take the digital leap and benefit from the efficiencies it provides.”

          Testimonials Sophie Yates, Director, Fodens Solicitors Limited
“Arken is an absolutely fantastic tool. It is extremely easy to use and has helped our practices in Will drafting to a huge extent. I could not be without it now. I would recommend to any legal specialist looking to invest in Will writing software. Very cost effective too.”
Gemma Garen, Director of Quality and Compliance, Ellisons Solicitors
“We did a careful review of available solutions and chose Arken, as it has a very user-friendly and intuitive user experience, helped us with an improvement in our working practices, introduced time efficiencies and facilitated our ability to standardise our processes and mitigate our risks. The support team at Arken are excellent – very responsive and invested time to understand our needs. We had extensive support before and after going live. Arken is very easy to use, the templates are consistent and we have reliable support.”
Craig Webb, Head of Legal Operations, Brethertons LLP
“…Our staff have found Will drafting in Arken very easy to use and enjoy the questionnaire format which guides them through the process from beginning to end. It is very reassuring to know that our lawyers are all following the same process, producing Wills with a good level of consistency and that all clauses used are up to date. Preparing ‘mirror’ Wills is now particularly easy using Arken, and the systems’ intelligence to amend third person singular pronouns (he, she, his, hers), has eradicated these type of typographical mistakes. We have recently added Arken Acquire to our subscription and are looking forward to the further streamlining of our processes that this service can offer.”
Matthew Field, Director, SMR Solicitors
“We have found Arken to be a valuable tool for our private client team in terms of efficiency and consistency and we would highly recommend it to law firms looking for a professional solution.”
Eric Britt, Executive Consultant, Integrity Wills & Legal Services
"I have been using Arken Will writing software for a number of years, and have found it excellent, and easy to use. The support from the office has been exceptional whenever I have needed it, with a quick response and great patience at times. I would certainly recommend the software and also the company without any hesitation."
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