How can Škoda Auto improve internal and external communication for its Legal Department?
A day in the life of a Škoda Auto in-house lawyer is as versatile and fast-changing as the automobile industry itself. The need for communication of the status and needs of the Legal Department, both internal and external, was as important as ever for Škoda Auto with a legal team spanning 18 seats and over 36,000 employees globally.
Mirroring their company motto “Only the best is good enough for our customers,” Škoda Auto’s Legal Department was in search of the best legal matter management software to help them exemplify the company’s inventive spirit that drives them every day.
Approach
Škoda Auto wanted a matter management solution that would allow them to have more impactful discussions with management, while also increasing visibility within their Legal Department and to the business, through tracking and communicating their team performance.
Having consulted with the LegalTech advisor team at InvestCEE (Xakia’s local implementation partner for Central and Eastern Europe), Škoda Auto’s legal team was intrigued to manage improvement of their legal operations through outsourced software. Drawing on the expertise of InvestCEE, Škoda Auto were able to bridge the gap between legal operations needs in the local market and technology solutions designed specifically for corporate legal departments.
Škoda Auto identified Xakia as the means by which they could establish a new — and improved — method of communication, a matter management tool purpose built for in-house legal teams with the promise of helping one of the world’s oldest car manufacturers communicate like a modern Legal Department.
“With a dashboard overview of all matters handled by our Legal Department, Xakia helps us accurately track internal and external legal capacity. We are better positioned to communicate the needs and current status of the in-house team and ensure we provide adequate support to internal business clients.”
Jiří Pařík
Data Protection Manager
Results
Xakia’s legal matter management software and our customer success team have helped Škoda Auto reach its unique goals (and discover new ones).
More efficient capacity allocation and Legal Department operations
More efficient capacity allocation was a tangible benefit of Škoda Auto’s adoption of the Xakia matter management solution. With a dashboard overview of all legal matters, the team can accurately track internal and external legal capacity and implement efficient and effective task management.
Workload targeting and accurate capacity measurements ensure no time is wasted on overlap work. A central source of truth ensures a complete record of who worked on what, for whom and when — removing the guesswork and repetition that haunts in-house legal teams long after the legal matter has been forgotten.
“Reviewing reports and dashboards within Xakia has provided an easier way to allocate tasks and communicate internally within our legal department.”
Vítězslav Traurig
Legal Counsel
Improved communication and business operations
Investing in the digital transformation of Škoda Auto’s Legal Department helped to optimize overall business operations within days. The legal team was previously viewed as a passive support team, but with Xakia, the Legal Department has a proactive and direct influence and has achieved an enhanced management view.
The in-house Legal Department at Škoda Auto is better positioned to communicate matter status and to provide more than adequate support to internal business clients.
Side benefit
A favorite among the Škoda Auto legal team:
- Efficient and effective onboarding
- Intuitive configuration of Dispute Logs — no tech savvy necessary!
Better conversations about the needs of the Legal Department
Immediately after the adoption of a modern matter management system, the team was having more targeted discussions with management regarding the short- and long-term needs of the Legal Department to service the goals of the company. Regular legal reporting to management has become a breeze and the Škoda Auto team now run weekly management reports.
Xakia gives Škoda Auto’s Legal Department the tools to use targeted communication to influence decision making and effective change at a management level.
“The reports and summaries we regularly export from Xakia are key to elevating our communication with business departments.”
Jiří Pařík
Data Protection Manager
So what does the future hold for the Škoda Auto Legal Department? Škoda Auto is both proactive about team management on a day-to-day basis and driving long term efficiency improvements with learnings gained from their legal data insights.
If you have any questions about the matter management case study with Xakia or would like further guidance in your legal operations initiatives, leave us a note below!