Harcourt & Bruce operate from three offices across Essex, each running a different, ageing phone system tied to lines the UK's ISDN switch-off would soon retire. Email and file storage were split across an old on-premise server, and with client data at the centre of everything the firm does, the partners were increasingly worried about their GDPR position.
Fee-earners needed a system that worked identically wherever they were sitting, without weeks of disruption to client-facing work.
39D designed a phased migration that unified all three offices onto a single VoIP phone system, ported every existing number and rolled out softphone apps so fee-earners could work from any location. Alongside this, we migrated the firm's email and document storage onto a fully hosted Microsoft 365 environment, and ran a full GDPR Consultancy engagement to review data handling, retention and staff training.
The firm now runs as one connected practice rather than three separate offices, with calls, email and files behaving identically wherever a fee-earner is working. Monthly telecoms costs fell by 32%, and the firm passed its most recent GDPR compliance review without a single major finding.
Partners now receive plain-English quarterly reports covering both IT performance and data-protection posture.
Moving to VoIP and Microsoft 365 felt daunting, but 39D planned every step. Our fee-earners didn't lose a single billable hour to the migration.Managing Partner, Harcourt & Bruce Solicitors
