Insights · Owner-sided writing

Notes on control, dependency and how firms actually run.

Written from inside a working law firm — not a generic SaaS whiteboard. No innovation theatre, no empty optimism.

Preparing for an SRA AML inspection: what your firm should be able to show

What the SRA asks for before an AML inspection, what happens on the day, what a sound AML policy covers, and a ten-day readiness check.

Read→

Compliance

6 min read

Your firm-wide risk assessment: keeping it live rather than annual

What the SRA expects in a firm-wide AML risk assessment, the mistakes it keeps finding, and the changes that should prompt a review long before the anniversary comes round.

Read→

Compliance

6 min read

Source of funds on conveyancing files: a practical checklist

What the SRA expects when you check where a buyer's money comes from, the mistakes it keeps finding on files, and a checklist your fee earners can follow on every purchase.

Read→

Compliance

5 min read

Policy version control: why "which version applied on that date?" matters

Why law firms need to know which version of a policy was in force on any given day, what the rules require you to record, and what good version control looks like.

Read→

Operations

5 min read

Case management on Microsoft 365: keeping Outlook and SharePoint, adding the workflow

Most small firms already run on Outlook, SharePoint and Teams. The case for adding matter workflow on top of them, rather than moving everything into another system.

Read→

Operations

6 min read

Choosing case management for a small firm: questions to ask any supplier

A supplier-neutral list of questions for owner-managed law firms choosing a case or practice management system, covering exit, data, compliance, workflow and cost.

Read→

Compliance

6 min read

COLP and COFA duties in a small firm: what the role actually requires

What the SRA requires of a COLP and a COFA, what its December 2025 review found about how compliance officers cope, and how a small firm can make the role workable.

Read→

Autonomy

4 min read

How owner-managed law firms can escape software lock-in without burning everything down

The real problem is rarely one bad platform. It is dependency — and escaping it requires better judgment, not a bonfire.

Read→

Founder note

4 min read

Why I built CaseMinder: a law firm owner's answer to generic legal SaaS

Not a prettier box. An operating layer built around how a firm actually works — and against the logic that firms should adapt to the product.

Read→

Compliance

4 min read

What compliance retainers often miss about how a law firm actually runs

Compliance that looks respectable on paper but drifts from reality is theatre. A stronger model treats it as a live, inspectable system.

Read→