The problem
New claimants are often at home, unwell or far away, so signed paperwork comes back slowly by post. If you open 12 claims a month and each pack takes 20 minutes to post, chase and file, that's 240 minutes, 4 hours a month.
What the AI does
Legalesign is an e-signature service for legal documents. You upload the client care letter and funding agreement, send them to the client to sign, and track who has signed in a real-time view with an audit log. Solo Pro lists automated reminders and Advanced and Qualified signatures at £25 a month excluding VAT. Your solicitor decides which documents can be signed this way and checks the signed pack before work starts.
A worked example
A PI firm in Newcastle opens about 12 claims a month. A caseworker sends each new client a signing link for the client care and funding documents and Legalesign tracks who has signed.
Before
20 minutes to post, chase and file each new client's pack: 4 hours a month
After
About 8 minutes to send, check and file each pack: 1.6 hours a month
What it's worth
About 2.4 hours a month saved (12 minutes x 12 claims = 144 minutes), worth around £72 if caseworker time is worth £30 an hour. Each claim has two documents (client care and funding), so 24 a month; Solo Basic's fair use is 20 documents, so Solo Pro at £25 a month excluding VAT is needed. Solo plans are single-user; more than one sender means Team at £15 per user (2 to 5 users).
How to set it up
- Ask your COLP and professional indemnity insurer whether and how each document can be signed electronically.
- Choose Solo Pro at £25 a month: it lists reminders and bulk send, and 24 documents a month exceeds Solo Basic's 20.
- Upload your client care letter and funding agreement and set up the signing order.
- Send a test to a colleague and check the signed copy and audit log.
- Ask Legalesign where data is held and for its data protection documentation, and record the answer.
What goes wrong
- Funding and client care documents have formal requirements. Do not assume an electronic signature satisfies them; check with your COLP and insurer.
- Legalesign's pricing page doesn't state where data is stored. Ask before sending claimant documents, which can contain health information.
- Prices exclude VAT. Solo Pro has fair use of 100 documents a month. Solo plans are single-user, so several senders need Team at £15 per user.
- A claimant on a phone may sign without reading. Offer a call to go through the documents first.