SoftwareOne case study

Innovation-driven Luxembourg law firm aims to lead with AI

Arendt, a Luxembourg law, tax and business services firm, partnered with SoftwareOne to explore and test use cases for Copilot for Microsoft 365 to enhance staff productivity by transforming their work and making routine tasks more efficient. Discover how SoftwareOne's Copilot Advisory service is guiding the organisation on its Workplace AI journey, accelerating the firm's path to innovation.

Arendt, a global business law, tax and business services firm based in Luxembourg, focuses on innovation and technological progress to strengthen its leading position. When Microsoft released Copilot for Microsoft 365, a workplace AI solution embedded in Microsoft 365 business applications, the law firm recognised an opportunity to explore its business potential. “It was really the perfect time because Copilot had just been released for public use,” says Jerome Bouthors, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Arendt. Convinced that increased employee productivity and efficiency accelerates innovation, Arendt wanted to explore the possibilities of Copilot and turned to its long-term partner SoftwareOne for help. As part of its holistic Copilot Advisory service, SoftwareOne identified key use cases and addressed business challenges that Copilot for M365 could tackle. Now, Arendt is launching proofs of concept (PoCs) that will help Arendt harness the power of GenAI to streamline document creation for legal teams and staff. Based on the results of these PoCs, Arendt intends to expand the use of Copilot throughout its organisation, setting an example as an industry leader at the forefront of new technologies.

Early Copilot for M365 adopter
to set an example as an industry leader at the forefront of new technologies
300 licences
already purchased to prepare all Arendt users to adopt Copilot for M365 
2 PoCs
to test Copilot for M365 document generation capabilities for improved productivity

Client: Arendt
Industry: Finance, Legal
Services: SoftwareOne Copilot Advisory Service
Country: Luxembourg

Exploring Workplace AI to support global growth and innovation

As one of Luxembourg's premier business law, tax and business services firms, Arendt stands at the forefront of legal, regulatory, and tax advisory services. With a global clientele that includes banks, insurers, multinational corporations, and public-sector organisations, the firm is deeply committed to maintaining its leadership position through continuous innovation and technological advancement. Despite its success, Arendt faces the challenge of managing the increasing demands of global growth, the need for modern IT infrastructure, and the constant pressure to provide up-to-date technological solutions.

The challenge: Enhancing efficiency and maintaining leadership

A significant part of the firm's daily operations involves the creation of a vast array of documents for both internal and external use. This process is not only time-consuming but also critical for maintaining the trust of their clients and ensuring the seamless delivery of services. Recognising the potential for technological solutions to address these challenges, Arendt identified an opportunity with the release of Copilot for Microsoft 365 to revolutionise their document creation process. The goal was twofold: to enhance employee productivity by streamlining routine tasks and to reinforce the firm's reputation as a leader in adopting cutting-edge technologies.

In its quest for innovation, Arendt turned to its long-standing partner, SoftwareOne, for guidance on integrating Copilot for M365 into their operations. This move was driven by the firm's belief in the importance of good communication and collaboration, not just for client retention but also for fostering a culture of efficiency and innovation among its employees.

Yannick Bruck, CIO at Arendt, encapsulates the firm's ethos when he states, “Innovation is part of Arendt DNA, as embodied by every partner.” The decision to adopt Copilot for M365 was more than just an embrace of new technology; it was a strategic step towards accelerating the firm's path to innovation. “That meant it was easy to quickly make the decision to adopt Copilot. But it’s not just about adopting it because it’s available – it’s about deploying it to accelerate our path to innovation.”

Understanding Copilot’s potential to serve clients more efficiently

In late 2023, Arendt started exploring the possibilities of Copilot for M365, under the expert guidance of SoftwareOne through its comprehensive Envision workshop, a cornerstone of their holistic Copilot Advisory service. This workshop brought together the company's most relevant stakeholders – its CEO, CIO, project manager, security consultant, and service performance manager – all eager to learn and contribute.

SoftwareOne showcased Copilot’s capabilities, illustrating how it could elevate the team's skills, spark creativity, and boost productivity. They demonstrated Copilot's integration with familiar Microsoft business applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams – highlighting its potential to streamline content creation, data analysis, document translation, and more.

The workshop enabled Arendt to visualise how Copilot for M365 could transform their work, making tasks like hiring, case document writing, and legal research more efficient. The SoftwareOne expert team also considered innovative uses, such as a chatbot for assisting legal teams with document review and case assignments, making the technology not just a tool but a catalyst for efficiency and innovation.

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The SoftwareOne Copilot Advisory guides organisations through three phases:

Envision: helping clients get to know Copilot for M365, so they can see what it can do for their organisation and how to develop simple use cases and a readiness plan.
Discover: Joint assessment of Copilot for M365 licensing, technology and organisational readiness, identification of use cases and creation of an initial implementation plan.
Solution: A pilot based on a pre-defined use case identified during Discover to measure the value of Copilot for M365 within the clients' organisation and build the broader deployment plan.

Now we are in the situation where we know what we have in terms of our foundation and what is possible. And we're exploring the possibilities with some PoCs to deploy that in a broader scope.

Yannick Bruck

Arendt, Chief Information Officer

By the Envision workshop's conclusion, Arendt outlined several key tasks aimed at evaluating and enhancing their readiness for Copilot adoption. Currently in the Discovery phase, the company is executing two proof-of-concept (PoC) projects to assess Copilot's practical applicability and effectiveness.

Copilot Advisory
Accelerate workplace productivity with workplace AI and understand your readiness to implement GenAI solutions like Microsoft 365 Copilot.
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Building a foundation for broader AI adoption

Based on the results of these proof-of-concept initiatives, Arendt intends to expand the usage of Copilot in other areas of its business by 2024. “Our focus is on thoroughly understanding each use case and ensuring we address any potential issues related to security, governance, or other factors,” Bruck said.

SoftwareOne is providing critical help at this phase, including design and architectural direction for the Copilot deployment. Furthermore, the company prioritises training and education to enable a seamless adoption process. A crucial endeavour presently in development is a training programme to educate employees on the skills needed to create effective AI prompts. The company is also taking steps to protect sensitive data, ensuring that it remains secure and is not accidentally shared via cloud-based platforms.

“It’s the beginning of a long journey,” says Bruck. It also reflects how the law firm’s relationship with SoftwareOne has evolved: where SoftwareOne was once primarily a partner offering software licensing services, it is now providing critical guidance for the firm’s larger and longer-term digital transformation.”

It’s the beginning of a long journey. Think about having AI as one of the pillars in our modernisation roadmap.

Yannick Bruck

Arendt, Chief Information Officer

Arendt have created an AI strategy with built-in safeguards against expanding deployments of generative AI techniques. That is to equip the organisation to comply with the EU's AI Act, which was passed in March and is set to become law in mid-2024. It can also utilise that policy as a guide for clients who are considering their own legal and regulatory compliance requirements with AI.

Arendt is definitely positioning itself as a digital-first firm. That goes hand in hand with embracing innovation in general.

Jerome Bouthors

Arendt, Chief Operating Officer

Conclusion: Leading with innovation

The initiative to integrate Copilot for M365 into its workflow is a testament to Arendt's commitment to remaining at the cutting edge of legal services. This strategic move not only aims to enhance operational efficiency but also to bolster the firm's stature as a trailblazer in the use of technology, thereby attracting and retaining top talent, and ensuring the highest level of service to its clients. Through this transformative journey, Arendt reaffirms its dedication to innovation, client trust, and global leadership in the legal sector.