Case Studies

Launching a Secure Legal Joint Venture

Law

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The Client

Our client is a joint venture law practice specialising in international construction and infrastructure, dispute avoidance and dispute resolution. The practice combines the resources, experience and strengths of two established firms one UK-based, one based in the Middle East giving international clients access to the independent strengths of both through a single point of contact and integrated systems.

The practice advises on major infrastructure programmes and high-value arbitration, drawing on experience of international custom and practice in more than 30 countries. Its people work across the United Kingdom and the Middle East, supporting clients, tribunals and project teams in three time zones.

Our Role

Cloudscape was appointed at the formation stage of the joint venture, engaged to design, build and operate the technology platform on which the new practice would depend. The mandate was unusual in that there was no existing estate to modernise: the requirement was to create a confidential, jurisdiction-aware working environment for two independent firms from a standing start, and to have it operational before the first joint matter was opened.

Our engagement spans strategic planning through our vCIO service, project delivery, cyber security and continuous support across all three regions. We act as a seamless extension of the practice, with direct accountability to the partners.

Challenges

  • Establishing a single, confidential working environment for a joint venture formed from two independent law firms operating in three jurisdictions
  • Satisfying divergent regulatory and data protection obligations across multiple jurisdictions
  • Protecting legally privileged and commercially sensitive material from targeted attack
  • Preventing conflicts of interest and uncontrolled information flow between the parent firms
  • Removing delay and duplication from cross-border document handling
  • Supporting fee earners and clients across multiple time zones
  • Preparing the practice for responsible adoption of AI

Solutions

  • A cloud-only Microsoft 365 modern workplace built on a single practice identity, with a matter-centric SharePoint and Teams architecture — no on-premise servers, no VPN and no shared drives
  • Data residency held in the UK and EU, with retention, records and information governance policies mapped to applicable regulatory requirements, and a DPIA completed ahead of go-live
  • A Zero Trust security architecture combining conditional access, phishing-resistant MFA, Intune-managed encrypted devices and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Endpoint, backed by 24/7 monitoring
  • Matter-level ethical walls enforced through need-to-know permissions, governed external guest access with automatic expiry, data loss prevention and a full audit trail
  • A single authoritative document set with secure co-authoring, version control, mobile and offline access, and encrypted client file sharing
  • A follow-the-sun service desk giving continuous weekday cover, with Teams-based collaboration and telephony and zero-touch device provisioning through Windows Autopilot
  • A Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness programme covering permission remediation, sensitivity labelling, an AI acceptable use policy and a controlled pilot for document review and drafting

Business Impact

  • Platform delivery New joint venture environment designed, built and live in 4 weeks, with no disruption to live matters
  • Availability 99.9% platform availability sustained since go-live across regions
  • Document retrieval Immediate cross-border access to matter files
  • Onboarding New fee earner or paralegal provisioned in under 2 hours
  • Security posture Entra identity management with hardened Microsoft 365 environment
  • Confidentiality Zero confidentiality or privilege incidents recorded since go-live
  • AI adoption Copilot pilot returning efficiency gains every week on review and drafting tasks
  • Commercial position Documented compliance and security position now used to support client due diligence
Client testimonial

Don’t just take our word for it

“Bringing two established firms together as a single practice depends entirely on our clients trusting us with confidential information. Cloudscape understood that from the first conversation. They built us an environment that lets our lawyers work on the same matter, at the same time, with the confidence that privilege and confidentiality are properly protected. It has removed friction from the way we work and given us a platform we can grow into.”

Andrew

Solicitor and Director

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