Amin: Potential to disrupt the consumption of legal services
A private equity company that last year bought two major volume conveyancing firms has now taken a minority stake in a solicitor-owned legal technology company for £1.5m.
Inflexion Private Equity is backing Lavatech Ltd – developer of the inCase platform – which aims to offer lawyers an innovative client communication channel and drive in-house efficiencies.
Last July, Inflexion bought Stockport firm O’Neill Patient, one of the top five conveyancing firms in the UK, and helped it immediately acquire Stoke firm Grindeys, another major player in the market.
InCase was launched in 2013 by solicitor Sucheet Amin, who is also senior partner of Manchester personal injury law firm Aequitas Legal. The app enables users to send secure documents and pictures, obtain electronic signatures and keep clients informed in the progress of cases.
It also has an instant message facility and facial recognition security, as well as being the only provider to scan and verify clients’ passports via Apple and Android devices using ground-breaking NFC chip reading technology. NFC, standing for near-field communication, is a method of wireless data transfer.
Targeted at conveyancing and personal injury firms in particular, the app is currently used by over 40 firms, with the aim of doubling that figure over the next year – O’Neill Patient is set to become its biggest user.
Mr Amin, a former president of Manchester Law Society, said: “Apps such as inCase have the potential to disrupt the consumption of legal services and bring the sector up-to-date with other industries in terms of its use of tech.
“Users are already benefitting from quicker transaction times for clients and reduced workloads for lawyers. This investment will enable us to scale-up quickly and make trailblazing improvements to the platform’s capability.”
Upcoming features include a payment facility and secure video conferencing.
Andrew Neville, investment director at Inflexion, said: “Now more than ever, consumers need reassurance from experts. Client satisfaction has never been so vital and inCase delivers a smart solution to this very real industry problem.
“The business benefits from insider knowledge of the sector and this, coupled with a whole host of exciting developments in the pipeline, demonstrates an opportunity for significant growth.”
