Securing the Future with Smart Change: Dutton Gregory LLP Embraces Modern Legal Tech with Xperate

The Challenge: Outgrowing Legacy Tools

Dutton Gregory LLP, a successful mid-market law firm with over 150 team members across six offices, had reached a critical inflection point. Under the leadership of Paul Sams - an ambitious, tech-forward Managing Partner renowned in the legal community for his LinkedIn presence and trademark LEGO avatar - the firm recognised that its long-standing practice management system and document tools were becoming a barrier to progress

While those platforms had served them well, the systems lacked compatibility with modern legal tech tools and were increasingly a barrier to innovation. Paul Sams wanted to ensure his team had access to systems that streamlined their workload, enhanced client experience, and supported the firm’s values - particularly innovation.

Paul shared:

“We’d outgrown our systems. They weren’t helping us move forward, and they weren’t aligned with how we want to work or how we want to serve our clients,”

The Solution: Embracing Actionstep, Powered by Xperate

Recognising the need for a full transformation, Dutton Gregory selected Actionstep - a cloud-based, modern practice management system - as their platform of the future. The scale of the shift was significant: a wholesale replacement of their core systems used by every team, from legal service delivery to finance.

To lead the implementation, they were introduced to Xperate - recommended by their IT advisors, Baskerville Drummond, endorsed by Actionstep themselves, and supported by a long-standing relationship with Xperate’s CEO, Simon Hill. The connection felt natural. As fate would have it, one of Dutton Gregory’s offices is also based in Winchester, just a few minutes away from Xperate’s UK team office.

Cathy Kirby, Baskerville Drummond, commented:

“It was a pleasure to support Dutton Gregory through the scoping and procurement of their new PMS. This was a complex transformation, and collaboration was key. Working alongside Actionstep and Xperate, we saw first-hand the depth of Xperate’s technical expertise and their pragmatic, solutions-focused approach. Their ability to engage with both technical teams and end-users was instrumental in ensuring a smooth and successful implementation.”

Xperate began the project with a comprehensive discovery and scoping phase to gain a clear understanding of how each department across the firm, particularly Accounts, utilised the practice management system. This ensured the new system would be tailored to real-world workflows and business-critical functions. Following this, data from the legacy system was carefully extracted, transformed, and securely migrated into Actionstep.

Recognising that change can be daunting, especially in the legal sector, Xperate provided on-the-ground support by deploying floorwalkers across all offices during the first week of go-live. This proactive presence meant any issues or questions were resolved immediately and with minimal disruption, helping to ensure a smooth, confident transition for the entire team.

A Collaborative and Pragmatic Rollout

Mark Harman, Operations Manager at Xperate, describes the transformation as one of the smoothest and most rewarding projects he's been involved in.

“From the outset, Dutton Gregory were pragmatic and focused. Their internal resources were a game-changer - IT leadership, an internal project manager, two developers and a training team. That’s rare, and it made all the difference.”

The project kicked off in July 2024, with a go-live target of April 2025, timed to coincide with the firm’s financial year-end. Dutton Gregory’s PMS is the spine of the business. It’s used for all client matters, as well as back-end operations. Over the course of the implementation:

• Three full test migrations were performed and presented in both Actionstep and Xperate’s XSDM tool, providing access to legacy data. Due to the large quantity of sensitive data and information that needed to be migrated onto the new system, it was imperative for all the data to be accurate, correctly formatted and backed up securely.
• Discovery sessions were held with each legal department and internal operations teams to help redesign workflows and identify optimisation opportunities
• Xperate worked with a number of additional legal tech tools to ensure a smooth integration with the new PMS. This included InfoTrack for the firm’s conveyancing management and their adopted time recording system.
• Xperate embedded consultants in all 6 offices during go-live week. Change at this scale can be overwhelming for firms. It was very important for Paul Sams, Managing Partner, to provide his team with in-person support for any questions and troubleshooting to create a positive launch of the new PMS.
• Training was delivered entirely in person. Often, PMS training is delivered online; however, it was decided that in-person training was a better approach for this project.
• Support was tapered: onsite week one, remote week two, internal handover by week three.

Mark added:

“Some firms just want to replicate the old system. Dutton Gregory were different. They saw this as a chance to rethink. They didn’t want perfect on day one - they wanted to build momentum and improve continuously,” 

Results That Matter

The results speak for themselves:

• The project was delivered on time and on budget
• Dutton Gregory listed 200+ internal IT issues at the start of the project, which were reduced to just 20, all of which are now in the development phase
• Workflow development is now department-led, helping teams customise the system to their specific needs
• A better user experience for both staff and clients - the firm are now working with a more modern, cloud-based system that is more intuitive and allows for integration with their other legal tech tools, boosting client experience.

Paul Sams reflected on the project’s impact:

“Partnering with Xperate on this transformation has been one of the best strategic decisions we’ve made. It’s not just about upgrading systems; it has secured our future for the next 10 to 15 years. By futureproofing the way we operate, we can support the well-being of our team and our clients.”

He added:

“The Xperate team have been outstanding - straight-talking, honest, and genuinely easy to work with. Communication was clear throughout, and they delivered the project on time and within budget. They understood our goals and made them happen.”

Beyond Go-Live: A Partnership for the Future

Since going live, Xperate has continued to support Dutton Gregory with ongoing consultancy. The two teams are now working on integrations with various third-party tools. 

“This was a textbook example of a successful transformation project,” said Mark. “When both sides are collaborative, well-resourced, and committed to problem-solving, the results are powerful.”

About Dutton Gregory LLP

Founded over 70 years ago, Dutton Gregory LLP is a dynamic law firm with offices across the South of England. Known for its forward-thinking leadership and commitment to innovation, the firm continues to grow through smart investment in people and technology.

Considering a System Upgrade?

If your firm is facing the pressure of outdated systems or planning a transition to a new platform, we’re here to help. Whether you need expert support for a large-scale migration, custom integrations to fill in the gaps, or simply advice on where to start, Xperate brings the clarity, experience and capability needed to make change feel manageable.

Get in touch to talk confidentially about your firm's needs.