WEIGHTMANS emerging technology , delivering real benefits for businesses and allowing them to reach their potential .
“ Many years ago , a consultant who worked in legal IT said to me that in law firms , if it isn ' t somebody ' s job , it doesn ' t get done ,” he says . “ So , three or four years ago , we created a very small innovation team with an even smaller budget just to see what we could do and get off the ground .”
A number of tools have since been developed , from a lawyer-led , outsourced HR department service to a scalable product that assists universities who are having to deal with students claiming compensation off the back of lecturer strikes . Then , around six months ago , Weightmans ’ product and innovation department was launched , with an aim to systematise the firm ’ s approach to developing products and services .
“ We ' ve already got 60 potential ideas that have gone through a vision stage ,” Whittle says . “ We ' ve narrowed those down to 30 at the first cut , and we need to narrow them down again .”
One such tool is an automated service which helps organisations calculate their casual workers ’ holiday pay .
“ There was a recent Supreme Court judgement that confirmed how employers are supposed to calculate holiday pay for casual workers ,” he explains . “ It completely affects any organisation which has seasonal workers , whether that is schools who employ term time people or retailers who employ people over Christmas .”
As a result , Weightmans built a holiday pay product allowing clients to push as much of their case load as they want to the firm , who will handle the cases and communication using their holiday pay tools .
“ Off the back of that , we ' ve also built a relatively straightforward fixed fee approach
EXECUTIVE BIO
STUART WHITTLE
TITLE : CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION OFFICER
INDUSTRY : LAW PRACTICE LOCATION : LIVERPOOL UK
Stuart is a qualified lawyer by trade but moved in to IT in 2003 , taking on responsibility for Weightmans ’ IT department in 2005 . In 2010 he was promoted to IS and Operations Director , a Board role . From 2017 Stuart took on the role as Business Services and Innovation Director and most recently has taken on a new role , Chief Technology and Innovation Officer to help Weightmans build solutions for clients .
He has a MSC in IT , is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a qualified coach and was recently named Legal Week ’ s Legal Innovation Trailblazer .