— Bespoke Software Development —

Building Software that Builds on 3E

Whilst 3E offers a whole lot of functionality, it was designed and built many years ago with the result that it can feel rather clumsy to use - indeed, many firms don't expect fee-earners to use it directly.

The good news is that it's actually quite easy to access 3E data and run 3E processes without ever using the normal front-end because all the functionality is exposed using web services. This is called the Transaction Service in 3E and is the same interface that IntApp use for Open and Integrate.

Anyone with coding skills in C# or VB.Net can use it to build an application which could be a standard windows application or a browser based system, that makes working with 3E a more pleasurable experience.

For example, here's a system I built for Nabarro that aimed to simplify the process of making payments from Client Account and avoiding the need for pieces of paper to travel around the office collecting signatures.

1 of 3: PaymentFlow elegant user interface
2 of 3: Status of a request within the workflow
3 of 3: Approval screen for partners
Payment requests can be one of three different types:
  • A simple request to pay a matter disbursement such as counsel fees or stamp duty land tax. The funds to pay the request must already be available in client account.
  • A payment to be made once funds are received, such as during the completion of a property purchase.
  • A repayment of funds to the client in order to close the client account. Any interest due will be added to the account balance.

Requests can be accompanied by supporting documentation which will then be stored against the resultant 3E Trust transaction as an attachment.

The workflow runs through a number of stages:
  1. A payment request is created (any member of the firm can enter a request).
  2. Where a legal secretary started the request, then their fee-earner will need to check and confirm that the details are correct.
  3. Approval for the payment must be given by one or more partners.
  4. The payment is then prepared on the bank's system by a member of the cashiers team.
  5. The transaction details are double-checked by a different cashier.
  6. The payment is released by one or more senior members of the finance team.
  7. The payment is completed, and all details recorded on 3E.

Approval is indicated by one or more partners reviewing the request details and any supporting documentation supplied. To prove their identity, they must enter the password they use to log into the firm's network.

The number of approvals required can be configured according to the firm's requirements. This can be set up so that larger payments require extra approval, with different limits set for different currencies. Separate rules can be made for satellite offices.

Once approval is given, the system runs the Trust Transfer process in 3E in order to reserve the funds required to make the payment.

If bank fees are incurred, a disbursement will be added to the matter.

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J Saffron Consulting is a limited company registered in the UK. Registration Number 06363955.

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