The Law Centre

"Hyphen8 didn’t just help us build a system—they helped us build our confidence. Their advice, support, and transparency have been invaluable from day one."

Who is the Law Centres Network?

The Law Centres Network (LCN) is the membership body for Law Centres across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Together, they protect legal rights and provide access to justice for people who need it most.

Supporting 42 individual Law Centres, LCN exists to help centres thrive, collaborate, and amplify their collective voice. By improving back-office operations and digital capabilities, LCN empowers Law Centres to focus on frontline service delivery.

The Challenge 

Law Centres were facing significant operational challenges due to outdated, paper-heavy systems. Key processes like HR, funding, and document management were managed through spreadsheets, with little integration or central visibility.

LCN recognised the need for a smarter, scalable system that could reduce admin, enhance collaboration, and strengthen the infrastructure supporting their vital work.

"Our systems were functional but fragmented.

Staff were drowning in admin, and it was hard to get the big-picture view we needed to support Law Centres strategically."

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The Challenge: Disconnected Systems Slowing Progress

Law Centres were facing significant operational challenges due to outdated, paper-heavy systems. Key processes like HR, funding, and document management were managed through spreadsheets, with little integration or central visibility.

LCN recognised the need for a smarter, scalable system that could reduce admin, enhance collaboration, and strengthen the infrastructure supporting their vital work.

  • Pain Bullet

    Manual, Time-Consuming Processes

    • Heavy reliance on spreadsheets and paper records.

    • Administrative tasks like managing annual leave or HR data were inefficient.

  • Exclamation Bullet

    No Single Source of Truth

    • Teams lacked visibility over key data like funding pipelines or HR activity.

    • Business continuity was at risk due to siloed, unstructured systems.

  • Pain Bullet

    Limited Digital Skills & System Confidence

    • Staff had low confidence in adopting new tools.

    • Centres needed a system that was easy to use and tailored to real roles.

The Solution: A Scalable Salesforce Package for Law Centres

LCN worked with Hyphen8 to develop a packaged Salesforce solution for back-office operations. Designed to be repeatable and easy to deploy, it allowed LCN to roll out a consistent system across multiple Centres.

Hyphen8 provided developer support, best-practice advice, and packaging expertise—while LCN’s internal team led design, configuration, and engagement.

  • Rocket Bullet

    Building a Repeatable, Scalable Solution

    • Developed a Salesforce package for HR, funding, and office management processes.

    • Rolled out to four Centres as a pilot, allowing testing and iteration before wider release.

  • Rocket Bullet

    User-Led Design and Adoption

    • Delivered a user-led design process where staff helped shape the system.

    • Introduced simple, intuitive tools like report builders and automation for HR tasks.

  • Rocket Bullet

    Expert Guidance and Technical Support

    • Hyphen8 acted as a trusted advisor, supporting packaging, configuration, and problem-solving.

    • A dedicated Hyphen8 contact ensured smooth delivery and knowledge-sharing throughout.

The Impact of working with Hyphen8

%
Back-office data now centralised in Salesforce, improving access and collaboration.
Centres up and running on Salesforce within 3 months.
hours per team saved, significant reduction in admin time through automated HR and funding reports.

The Impact  

Law Centres now operate with greater efficiency, visibility, and self-sufficiency, allowing them to spend more time on what matters—supporting the communities they serve.

  • Smile Bullet

    Improved Operational Efficiency

    • Replaced spreadsheets with structured data and automated workflows.

    • Saved time on admin tasks like leave tracking and trustee reporting.

  • Tick Bullet

    Better Data Visibility & Decision Making

    • Teams can now build and refresh reports instantly.

    • Senior staff can track funding pipelines and HR trends in real-time.

  • Smile Bullet

    Confident, Skilled Teams

    • Centres are more confident using digital tools.

    • LCN now has a self-sufficient Salesforce lead with a scalable framework to support the Network.

Making an impact

"I showed a colleague our new report builder, refreshed it live, and they were blown away. It’s transformed the way we work."

— Alex Charles, IT & Digital Officer, Law Centres Network

System which does everything across the teams.
At AdviceUK, the journey of supporting over 700 advice centres across the UK has been long and evolving. Under the stewardship of Silvia Denaro, Head of Systems and Technology, the organisation has made significant strides in integrating technology to streamline operations. With a mission to assist advice centres that provide first-line support to people in need, technology has become pivotal in ensuring smooth operations and effective service delivery. The implementation of Salesforce was a significant milestone, but even with a robust system, there were complexities that needed expert intervention. This is where Hyphen8, a Salesforce Partner led by Elaine Forth, made a profound impact. We sat down with Silvia to talk about how the team uses Salesforce to scale their mission and how Hyphen8 has helped them in their journey.

Why Did You Choose Salesforce and Hyphen8?

Hyphen8 didn’t just help us build a system—they helped us build our confidence. Their advice, support, and transparency have been invaluable from day one."

— Alex Charles, IT & Digital Officer, Law Centres Network