Why start LawLoop?
‘X will pay for Y to solve Z problem’ - is pretty much the most basic distillation of a new service or product. Though the idea maze that has to be worked through to reach this QED is often convoluted. With ideas coming to consciousness, to be held up to the light, turned and twisted, some discarded and others put on the shelf as only a part solution to a problem.
The last two legal related companies I started were solutions to problems that I had. Trade Mark Direct we started in 2008, as a no frills, online only trademark advice, registration and renewal service, where you only pay if the clearance searches for a new trademark or design application show it’s likely to succeed. This was the sort of solution I wanted in 2002, when being quoted hundreds of pounds, maybe as much as £300 or £400 by a Bristol based patent and trademark firm for just a clearance search! Today with lean processes and patented search technology that’s Trade Mark Direct’s fee for the whole process for filing in a number of classes, and has contributed to making the UK one of the most innovative and competitive territories for trademark services.
And the second firm is legal software provider LawPanel, which powers LawLoop and a number of large firm’s IP services. This we started due to the absence in the market of a cloud based, API first platform for managing legal matters and assets through the whole lifecycle, with data driven automations and streamlined workflows, combining the best of technology with experienced legal staff to deliver better services more efficiently. We started building it in 2016 to upgrade Trade Mark Direct and to licence to others, and innovative law firms are gaining a competitive edge.
LawLoop is different, and solves a problem for many others rather than one I experience directly. On the supply side, I know of lawyers who after successful careers building a franchise of clients within a large law firm, would like the independence, autonomy and control of their own time and destiny that would come from starting their own firm. For some the aim is to build their own firm, whilst for others it's to continue to practice with no desire to employ others, have offices, or manage overheads.
Whilst on the client side I know of firms and their owners - some of whom have been clients of Trade Mark Direct for many years - who would like more attentive, varied and diverse legal service provision. With differentiated service levels, maybe fewer frills, direct no nonsense commercial advice. And without the law firm overheads - and dare we say inefficient delivery methods - that billable hours and the internal economics of big law do nothing to deter.
Over the last few years, having seen the slow real adoption of new ways of delivering legal service, I’ve thought a lot and discussed a lot (thanks to the many for the conversations), about how to offer something different, better and meaningful in the provision of legal services. What is the essence of legal practice if not the identification, management and mitigation of certain business risks? How to more closely align interests and incentives between lawyers and their clients? What demand is there for differently structured and remunerated legal services, and do GCs really want innovation here or are existing habits too strong?
LawLoop is the first step to solving some of these, a ‘meta’ firm connecting experienced senior lawyers with each other and with clients. A pain killer for both lawyers and clients wanting different provision of advice. For some this will be expert advice on an occasional or novel matter. For others it might be more of an ongoing, part-time in-house role.
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