Case Study
I'm a lawyer. I don't know a thing about IT, nor should I have to worry about it.
Richard Bate, Managing Director of Richard T Bate & Co, on why he no longer has to think about IT at all, after Atema took over a business-critical project mid-lockdown, following a billing dispute that ended his trust in his old provider.
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About Richard T Bate & Co
A Tetbury law firm handling other people's most sensitive moments.
Richard T Bate & Co is a commercial and residential conveyancing, family law, probate, wills and trusts practice based in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. As an SRA-regulated firm, it carries specific regulatory responsibilities and holds sensitive client information that has to be protected properly, not just backed up and hoped for.
That regulatory reality is exactly what Richard felt his old IT provider never properly understood, and it shaped what he went looking for in a replacement.
The change
Before and after Atema.
Lost trust
A server that was paid for, and a threat of legal action anyway
The relationship with Richard's previous IT provider started reasonably well, but the service quickly fell short of what had been promised. Support was slow, and problems were often dealt with using temporary fixes rather than anything that addressed the underlying cause, so the same issues kept coming back and the firm increasingly felt like a low-priority customer.
The breaking point came during a major technology project. Richard T Bate & Co had purchased and paid in full for a new server as part of rolling out a new business-critical internal system. After the server was delivered, the supplier's billing department repeatedly claimed the firm hadn't paid for it and threatened legal action. Work on the project stopped while the dispute was investigated, and weeks later the supplier accepted no money was owed, but by then Richard's confidence in them had disappeared. The firm was left having already invested in a critical new system it still needed finished, with no trust left in the company responsible for delivering it.
Richard spoke to three local IT providers. Atema stood out for its existing experience with legal practices, and specifically its experience with the software the firm was trying to deploy.
“Professional, knowledgeable, but most of all personable.”
There wasn't a high-pressure sales moment that convinced him. It was the opposite.
“Just speaking to them, you can tell that they genuinely care. No pressure, no rush. The right thing at the right time.”
Taking over mid-crisis
A business-critical project, handed over in the middle of lockdown
The timing made the switch particularly daunting. Atema was being asked to take over halfway through what Richard describes as the most technologically challenging project the firm had undertaken, while also operating during the height of the COVID lockdowns. Access to the premises was restricted because of vulnerable staff, working arrangements were disrupted, and the new system still needed to be delivered. Richard expected the transition to be difficult.
“Honestly, no problems at all.”
Atema staged as much of the server work off-site as possible. When the equipment came back to the office, it was effectively ready to go, keeping disruption to staff to a minimum. There were some initial problems with the new software, but rather than leaving Richard to deal with the software company himself, Atema worked directly with the supplier and resolved them.
“They just got it sorted. No fuss.”
Richard also felt Atema took ownership throughout the process. Communication was clear and concise, and whenever the firm needed to make a decision, Atema explained the available options and the implications of each.
Life since
Support that actually understands the job
Asked to describe the difference between the old support arrangement and Atema, Richard doesn't hesitate.
“Night and day.”
Requests are answered promptly and with useful information, rather than vague responses. Just as importantly, Richard believes Atema understands the environment a law firm operates in: the regulatory bodies it answers to, and the client information that has to be protected properly. The relationship has also moved beyond reactive support. Atema regularly advises the firm on ways technology can improve how staff work and make the business more efficient.
When it mattered most
A multi-day power cut, and the fix that removed the risk for good
One of the clearest examples of the relationship came when the firm's premises suffered a major power cut lasting several days. At the time, all of Richard T Bate & Co's systems and data were hosted within the office, so an extended loss of power was a real threat to the firm's ability to operate. Atema quickly moved the server off-site and reconfigured staff's home devices so everyone could keep accessing the software they needed.
Rather than treating that as the end of the incident, Atema then helped the firm remove the underlying risk altogether. Richard T Bate & Co has since moved from infrastructure hosted entirely within its offices to a fully hosted cloud environment. Staff, who were previously largely dependent on working from the firm's premises, can now work from wherever they need to.
What it means to hand it over
One less thing to worry about
For Richard, one of the biggest benefits is simply no longer needing to think about IT at all.
“I'm a lawyer. I don't know a thing about IT, nor should I have to worry about it. Atema take all the worry out of it and just get the job done.”
His advice
To anyone on the fence about switching
Richard's recommendation is not to let fear of changing provider keep a business stuck with something that isn't working.
“Don't hold back. To be successful you can't be stuck in the mindset of 'it's always been done this way'. Work with a technology partner that understands you, your business and technology. That's the magic.”
“Anyone can make a promise. Atema consistently deliver every time, in every way.”
Richard Bate
Managing Director, Richard T Bate & Co
Richard T Bate & Co is based in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, one of the areas Atema covers for on-site IT support, alongside Wiltshire, Swindon and Bristol.
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