Garnett Williams Powell strengthens compliance and financial control with Osprey Approach

Greater confidence in compliance, clearer financial reporting and a more flexible approach to managing accounts have helped Garnett Williams Powell Solicitors strengthen its control over financial processes.

Garnett Williams Powell Solicitors is a long-established law firm based in Rhyl, Denbighshire, serving clients across North Wales and the surrounding areas. Its experienced team provides a range of private client services, including conveyancing, wills and probate, estate administration and Court of Protection work.

As the firm continues to focus on delivering a high standard of client service while meeting its regulatory responsibilities, the firm identified areas where its existing accounts system could be improved. In particular, it wanted greater confidence in its approach to compliance, more clarity around financial reporting and a system that would make essential accounts processes easier to manage.

This prompted a review of its options and requirements from a practice and accounts system perspective. Following that review, the firm chose Osprey Approach, with compliance, reporting and ease of use among the key factors behind its decision.

Sian Williams, practice manager, worked closely with Osprey throughout the implementation and says compliance was a fundamental consideration when choosing a new system.

“Our previous system didn’t give us the confidence we needed around SRA compliance, so we had to find a solution we could trust.”

Putting compliance and reporting at the heart of the decision

The ability to produce clear and structured month-end reports was another important factor in the firm’s decision.

“The big sell for me in choosing Osprey was the way the end of month reports are done.”

For Garnett Williams Powell, having confidence that its accounts processes were properly supported and aligned with regulatory expectations was particularly important. At the same time, making month-end and period-end processes easier to manage offered a practical benefit for the firm.

Osprey’s reporting functionality was therefore a defining factor in the decision to switch systems, with the firm finding that other providers did not offer the same level of clarity around month-end and period-end processes.

“The month-end and period-end reporting was a key factor. Other providers didn’t offer the same level of clarity, but with Osprey it’s all there and easy to manage.”

Having the necessary reports readily available has helped make these processes more structured and manageable, while providing greater visibility over both client and office accounts.

For a firm where accuracy and compliance are critical, that additional clarity provides an important level of control and confidence.

Making financial management easier day to day

While compliance and reporting were key considerations, ease of use was also important when Garnett Williams Powell assessed its options.

Sian found Osprey’s setup more straightforward than some of the alternatives the firm had considered.

“I preferred Osprey’s setup… it’s more user-friendly,” says Sian. “What I like about it is you can see all the accounts on one page – it is a lot easier to see it on the screen in front of you.”

That simplicity has also made a difference to the practicalities of managing month-end processes.

Previously, completing month-end meant coming into the office, regardless of whether the work fell on a weekend or Bank Holiday. With access to Osprey’s portal, Sian can now use the system from home, reducing some of the administrative burden associated with these essential tasks and giving her greater flexibility.

Support that makes a difference

The level of support available was another consideration for Garnett Williams Powell when choosing a new provider.

Previously, Sian had been responsible for managing support issues herself. With Osprey in place, members of the wider team can contact Osprey’s support team directly when they need assistance.

The firm’s previous experiences with support had also influenced its decision to change systems.

“We’d had poor experiences with support, which made a big impact on our decision. With Osprey, we know we’re supported when we need it.”

For Sian, the responsiveness of Osprey’s support team has continued to be valuable beyond the initial implementation.

“When I’ve asked for support, I find that you really don’t have a great deal of time to wait. We have a response always within the hour – if not within 15 or 20 minutes. To me, that is worth so much more.”

Building confidence in financial management

Since implementing Osprey, Garnett Williams Powell Solicitors has strengthened its accounts processes and gained greater confidence in the accuracy, compliance and control of its financial management.

For Sian, that confidence is ultimately the most important outcome of the change.

“It’s given us the confidence that our accounts are accurate, compliant, and under control.”

Read the full case study here.

Kindly shared by Osprey Approach