4 ways Co-op transformed their legal operations with LawVu | Legal tech UK

Following the successful implementation of LawVu, this article explores how Co-op moved from a fragmented, siloed legal function to a proactive and integrated operation, delivering strategic value to both legal and the wider organisation.

Across the UK, in-house legal teams face a unique set of pressures: balancing increasing business demands, regulatory complexity, and the need to demonstrate value organisation-wide.

The experience of Co-op’s legal department, shared on a recent webinar with LawVu, exemplifies how a forward-thinking approach to legal operations and the adoption of the right legal tech helped Co-op overcome these hurdles.

Click here to replay the webinar. 

Setting the stage for digital transformation with legal tech

Implementing a new legal tech platform represents more than a software change. It requires aligning strategic goals, robust change management and clear communication throughout the business. For Co-op, the journey started long before the technical deployment, with a focus on solving issues common to many in-house teams across the UK: compliance risk, inconsistent processes and limited visibility.

The role of change management

At Co-op, this began with transparency and inclusion. Andrew Hay, Head of Legal Operations & Secretariat at Co-op, said, “Change is tricky. We all like what we like, and being told to do things differently isn’t easy. You have to create a sense of urgency – a ‘burning platform’ if you will – so people understand why the change is necessary. We needed to emphasise the risks we faced if we didn’t change.”  As a result, the project was driven by a cross-functional implementation group, with representation from the full breadth of Co-op’s legal activity: property, employment, commercial and disputes. This ensured buy-in from every corner of the legal department, reflecting the collaborative approach.

“Having top-level sponsors like our General Counsel was also critical,” Andrew noted. “When leadership visibly supports change, it sets the tone for everyone else to follow.”

Preparation is key

Andrew pointed out that data retention and governance standards require rigor. “We invested 18 months in data cleansing and process mapping prior to introducing LawVu. We cleared out data we no longer needed and prioritised understanding what information was vital to store. That work made the formal project much smoother.”

Working closely with end users, the team ensured the new system would meet the needs of English legal practice, while streamlining matter management and intake processes.

Choosing legal tech built for adoption

Co-op opted for a legal operations platform designed for ease of use and accessibility; minimizing time spent on training and support. “When we saw the drag-and-drop feature during the demo, I knew it would hook people in,” Andrew said. Simplicity for users delivers quick wins. It is a feature many legal teams look for knowing that their business partners expect rapid results.

Legal tech implementation and adoption

For many legal teams, data migration is often a source of anxiety, especially with legacy systems and GDPR requirements. Co-op’s approach was meticulous, ensuring all information was transferred securely and efficiently: 3,500 active matters and 25,000 archived matters migrated over a single weekend.

“The data migration weekend was dull and boring, but that’s exactly how it should be,” said Andrew. “If anything exciting happens during data migration, it’s probably not a good thing.”

Instead of undergoing formal training, Co-op focused on practical checklists and ongoing user support. Regular demonstrations helped to keep team members engaged and also fostered good communication between Co-op and LawVu.

Outcomes for Co-op

According to Andrew, Co-op’s shift to the LawVu legal workspace has resulted in the following advantages:

Reduced legal risk

Centralising documents and data has sharply reduced the risk of missing or misfiled information. “Previously, there was always a constant risk that something critical might be stored in the wrong place or overlooked,” Andrew said. “Now, with everyone onboard and using LawVu, that risk is dramatically reduced.”

Increased efficiency

Improved visibility, compliance and workload allocation have freed up Co-op’s legal team to deliver more strategic value. Adoption rates have far surpassed expectations, aided by visible sponsorship from leadership and the intuitive workflows established at the time of implementing LawVu.

“Everyone in the legal team at Co-op is using LawVu now. Before LawVu, there was a significant risk around documentation – it was scattered throughout emails. I now have a much more robust record of what’s happening, and LawVu has reduced our exposure for not having complete matters.”

Data-driven decision making

LawVu delivers timely insights into matter progression and team capacity with easy to use out-of-the-box reporting dashboards, allowing resources to be proactively allocated across Co-ops legal teams, and for risks to be identified early on. “With better progress tracking, we can look at how close we are to matter completion and allocate resources appropriately,” said Andrew.

Stronger engagement

Andrew also noted that team morale has improved through regular involvement in system configuration, ongoing feedback and accessible support to LawVu. “It was the work we put into the implementation and the planning of the transition to LawVu that contributed to the overall success in adopting a new system. People knew how [where] they needed to work; it was very clear. And we’ve continued to involve them in discussions and gather feedback since, so they are also included. It’s not just from the top.”

Ongoing transformation for Co-op’s legal team

Transformation is ongoing. Co-op plans to integrate matters handled by external panel firms and streamline intake processes for the wider business. The aim is to enable self-service for routine queries while ensuring that legal expertise is focused on higher-value, more complex work.

“We need to trust people in the business to handle routine decisions with the right tools so our solicitors can focus on high-value, high-risk matters,” Andrew said.

Key lessons from Co-op

Co-op’s move to LawVu provides valuable and actionable insights for any in-house legal team considering change, such as:

• Investing in thorough data preparation and process mapping up front
• Building cross-team consensus with project champions at every level
• Seeking legal tech that aligns both legal’s and the organisations processes and workflows
• Fosters engagement with the chosen vendor through transparent communication and continuous feedback
• Emphasises and aligns both risk reduction and strategic value for the wider business

“You can’t over-communicate during change,” explained Andrew. “Engage everyone early and often, give them a voice, and then prove you’re listening by taking action. That’s how you build the trust needed for meaningful transformation to take root.”

For in-house legal teams questioning their legal operations or the next step in your transformation journey, Co-op’s story illustrates that legal operations, with the right legal tech in place, can and should take a leading role in powering business performance.

Take the first step toward smarter legal operations

Are you ready to shift your legal operations from reactive to proactive? Discover how having the right legal tech like LawVu along with a clear implementation plan in place, can streamline your legal operations, reduce risk and empower your legal team to deliver greater value to the business.

Click here to book a demo of LawVu so you can experience the legal tech platform that helped Co-op reduce risk, improve visibility, and boost team engagement.