The Co-operative Group are one of the world's largest consumer co-operatives, owned by more than 5 million members. Perhaps most recognisable as the UK's fifth biggest food retailer, with more than 2,500 local, convenience and medium-sized stores; the Co-operative Group is also the UK's biggest Funeralcare provider, a major insurer and a legal service provider.
A Comprehensive Legal Team Structure
The Co-operative Group's legal team, led by the General Counsel, consists of a Head of Legal, four Legal Counsels, Solicitors, Trainees and Paralegals. Ben Taylor, Commercial Solicitor, explains that this diverse team structure enables them to handle a broad range of legal matters effectively.
Ben's role is multifaceted; while primarily focused on commercial contracts, he at times lends his expertise to other parts of the team, contributing as needed across diverse legal areas such as property, employment, and competition. One solution that has proved invaluable in Ben's varied legal practice is Lexis+.
“My kind of usage is largely on the lines of...random queries from the business...[I] use it as a sense check in terms of practice notes on certain topics.”
Using Lexis+
The legal team uses Lexis+ for conducting comprehensive research and accessing practice notes. Ben and the Co-operative team utilise the platform to delve into a plethora of legal topics, which range from random business queries to contributions in cases of intricate competition matters. Lexis+ allows the team to explore practice notes, gaining a deeper understanding of specific legal issues and providing detailed responses to the business.
“The updated search functionality of Lexis+ is a great feature, we can find what we're looking for quickly and easily.”
Legal Queries and Research
The team utilises Lexis+ for various purposes, such as handling random queries, accessing practice notes, obtaining precedent wording to adapt as necessary for their requirements, and conducting research.
Lexis+ has been instrumental in The Co-operative Group legal team's daily operations and serves as a safety net, allowing them to double-check specific legal points, supporting the team in making informed decisions and providing support and training for junior members.
“It's valuable to have Lexis+ as a safety net or to double check something. Accessing the legal research and practice notes is a useful reference point and helpful to juniors to learn and develop their own understanding of more nuanced areas.”
Extensive Range of Legal Areas
The team uses Lexis+ to handle queries related to its variety of core areas of focus, including: commercial contracts, property, employment, litigation, food regulation, and competition laws.
The breadth of practice areas and legal research covered by Lexis+ greatly benefits the team providing detailed responses and background information that help the legal team navigate different legal terrains.
“We do get a lot of random niche queries, so it's very helpful for research perspective to have a look and delve into the various practice notes.”
Cost Reduction and Value
The use of Lexis+ has enabled the team to reduce external costs by leveraging it for research and expertise. And proven its worth as a cost-effective tool in The Co-operative Group's legal arsenal.
By using Lexis+ for research and to access practice notes, the legal team can handle a wider range of legal matters without heavy reliance on external panel firms. This not only saves on costs but also streamlines their workload effectively.
“We can dig out and do a little bit of reading rather than have to approach panel firms which certainly helps from a cost-saving perspective. Rather than having to approach our panel firms and rack up costs, which we don't necessarily need to.”
Customer Support
The decision to select Lexis+ was primarily based on cost; however, the ongoing support and training from the LexisNexis team has been instrumental in helping The Co-operative Group's legal team members adapt to Lexis+ and maximise its potential.
“We have a good relationship with our account manager, always providing useful detail and information, it is helpful to have great customer service and the LexisNexis team to go to for additional training.”
Summary
Lexis+ has become an indispensable tool for Ben Taylor and the Co-operative Group legal team and proven its value through improved search functionality, cost savings, and comprehensive legal resources. With ongoing support and training from the LexisNexis team, the in-house legal team are set to fully utilise Lexis+ and explore its potential further.
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