About Fidler & Pepper Lawyers
Fidler & Pepper specialise in conveyancing and private client legal services.
Whilst the firm is based on good old traditional values, there is a total commitment to being a modern company providing a professional yet cost efficient service. By using the latest technology, they aim to reduce transaction times and deliver a first-class customer service, without the legal jargon.
The problem
Like many conveyancers, Fidler & Pepper have been dealing with a rising tide of regulation as efforts to tackle financial crime step up. Complying with these legal and regulatory obligations to verify the source of a client’s funds and wealth is becoming as complicated and protracted as it is critical. With the CLC highlighting Source of Funds as a significant issue in their 2023 Risk Agenda, Fidler & Pepper were keen to ensure they were ahead of the curve by carrying out an independent AML audit through Legal Eye to thoroughly prepare for any regulator audit.
As the complexity and importance of regulatory checks has grown, technology has increasingly evolved to help tackle the challenge. This is particularly vital in conveyancing, where additional time spent on checks directly impacts productivity and the bottom line. Shrewd firms like Fidler & Pepper have embraced this technology to bring efficiency to their business alongside an improved client experience.
The Armalytix solution
Working with Armalytix has allowed Fidler & Pepper to transform their Source of Funds and Wealth process:
‘Armalytix significantly streamlines our processes, allowing us to save valuable time. It really helps us to quickly manage the verification of source of funds and wealth for our clients right at the outset of a transaction. By obtaining comprehensive information during the initial client contact, we have reduced the back-and-forth, ensuring full compliance with anti-money laundering regulations without sacrificing efficiency.’
Naomi Mather, MLRO – Fidler & Pepper
The importance of making the journey intuitive and easy for clients should not be underestimated. Downloading, collecting, or screenshotting bank statements, answering the necessary questions, and providing evidence are not always pleasant experiences. To make the client experience as smooth as possible Fidler & Pepper have integrated Armalytix into their InCase app, breaking the Armalytix record for a client integration on the way. This was a key part of the project, as Naomi continues:
‘Integration with our existing systems was crucial for us. We aimed to ensure that using Armalytix felt organic for our clients, smoothly blending into the overall client journey. Furthermore, integration with our internal case management system instilled confidence in our staff right from the beginning. This minimized the need for extensive training and downtime, enabling them to confidently navigate the system with new clients.’
As part of the ongoing relationship and with a desire to make Armalytix better for both firms and clients, Armalytix held an innovation day with Fidler & Pepper and other partners. It was an opportunity to get together, share success stories and shape the future of Source of Funds.
The chance to share experiences and insight into how things can work better was engaging and important for everyone involved and created an excitement about what’s next. As Naomi says:
‘The Innovation Day highlights Armalytix’s forward-thinking approach as a company. Connecting with fellow Armalytix users, sharing insights on optimizing the system’s capabilities, and actively participating in the platform’s development was really useful. Contributing to the discussion about Armalytix’s future plans for the upcoming year and understanding how Fidler and Pepper could benefit was not only interesting but also gave a real sense of collaboration.’
Using Open Banking technology with other data sources can transform how law firms request, prepare and verify their clients’ financial information. Ultimately a data-driven, paperless and time-saving future is the Armalytix way.
This article was submitted to be published by Armalytix as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
