Whether giving greater visibility and insight for business growth or offering new ways of working smarter, faster and better, Shoosmiths EIGHT Connected Services products were designed specifically to meet the needs of our clients.
And not just any needs – those that our clients told us are most important to them.
Twelve months on from the launch, we’ve looked at some of the success stories to come from Shoosmiths EIGHT and how our innovative range of products are helping clients thrive.
Sarah Holford – head of legal and compliance, Scania
Sarah Holford is Scania’s head of legal and compliance and was an early adopter of matters+, which enables in-house teams to effectively manage the thousands of matters passing through their department each year.
Since its introduction, matters+ has become integral to Sarah’s team and the way they now work, with positive effects on engagement with the business, and on teamworking throughout the legal function.
The culmination of Sarah’s success in harnessing legal tech saw the Scania team win 'Most Transformative In-House Legal Team of the Year' at the Legal Business Awards 2021.
“A huge thank you to the Matters+ team and Shoosmiths for their support. I’m very excited to work alongside you both to explore the future of legal tech. Let's keep this going!” said Sarah, after winning the award.
“A huge thank you to the Matters+ team and Shoosmiths for their support. I’m very excited to work alongside you both to explore the future of legal tech. Let's keep this going!
Andy Smith – Managing Director, Snap Finance
Andy Smith is the Managing Director of US based company Snap Finance. Andy was one of the first to take advantage of Shoosmiths new Financial Services Compliance (FSC) function. Shoosmiths launched its non-legal Financial Services Compliance product in July 2021as one of the suite of products that sit within the firm’s non-legal solutions proposition, Shoosmiths EIGHT Connected Services. Previous to the development of Shoosmiths FSC, clients were either spending too much time looking for a compliance professional or obtaining compliance advice through legal teams at legal charge out rates. Being able to deal with one team of legal and compliance professionals would ultimately save clients time and make the process more efficient for clients and for the firm, with compliance experts advising on compliance, leaving lawyers to focus on the law.
“Shoosmiths Financial Services Compliance offering was a real game changer for us. Compliance can be overwhelming. It was such a relief to discover Shoosmiths were able to provide us with legal advice and access to compliance professionals. It saved us hunting around for compliance experts, saving us time and money” – Andy Smith
Ian Blackwell - legal & compliance director, Next plc
Hundreds of stores and millions of customers means, inevitably, Ian Blackwell and his team at Next have thousands of legal problems to solve – big and small. Often under tight deadlines.
By using Cia®, part of the Innovation Lab of Shoosmiths EIGHT, the power of AI accelerates the review of many of the team’s day-to-day contracts to put time back in their diaries.
Put simply, Cia® reviews your contracts, pinpoints the key risks and deviations from market norms and automatically generates corrective drafting, saving up to three to five hours of contract review time.
“If you’re looking to save time and get the basics done in a timely and effective manner, leaving you to get on with the complex bits of your job, it does just that - no questions about it. My team try to add value wherever we can. Cia® means time is given back to us in the day, so we can do just that. For me, AI like Cia® is a no-brainer.”
Cia® has also been likened to a magic trick by another household name client, who wrote this on LinkedIn:
“Well worth a try! It's like a magic trick. Cia helps contracts disappear from your inbox, then reappear Marked Up. Saying abracadabra is optional but recommended.
Building on the ‘New How’ initiative Shoosmiths launched in 2020, Shoosmiths EIGHT Connected Services was developed to help clients thrive by working smarter, faster and better in an increasingly complex world, where the pace and magnitude of change has never been greater.
See how Shoosmiths EIGHT Connected Services can help you and your business.
Disclaimer
This information is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any of the information given. Please contact us for specific advice on your circumstances. © Shoosmiths LLP 2025.