Mallesons uses Atticus across its Corporate M&A practice. Two solicitors share their experience on a large real estate transaction and a 175-page prospectus.
Atticus is embedded in our day to day practice, enabling our legal teams to deliver work more efficiently and consistently.
Michelle Mahoney
Chief Innovation Officer, Mallesons
Corporate M&A lawyers Ella Seaton and Arslan Ahmed have both used Atticus to deliver exceptional client experiences on very different matters at Mallesons. Ella Seaton used Atticus on a large real estate matter involving multiple documents and teams from several organisations, while Arslan Ahmed had a week to verify a 175-page prospectus with 40 client collaborators.
Ella Seaton stated, "I would recommend Atticus as a useful tool for complex verification projects where collaboration, speed and accuracy are important."
Mallesons uses Atticus across many different types of transactions. These two matters show how Atticus adapts to suit each one.
On a large real estate matter involving multiple transaction documents, large teams from several organisations were working on the same sections simultaneously. The challenge was maintaining coordination as the documents evolved.
Ella Seaton said, "This matter moved extremely fast and was constantly evolving. Something that was set in stone one day, was deleted the next."
"Collaborators could access the workspace through their browsers and work on assigned tasks at the same time. This helped reduce the need for manual coordination and contributed to a smoother experience for both the legal team and the client."
On a 175-page prospectus for an ASX-listed financial institution, there were 40 client collaborators and a one-week deadline.
Arslan Ahmed said, "Various internal client teams were continuing to provide amendments throughout the verification period, creating a dynamic environment where version control and coordination were critical."
Where client verifiers were unfamiliar with the process, the Mallesons team could guide them directly in the workspace. "Atticus allows the Mallesons team to guide client verifiers who are not familiar with verification, reviewing their work on the go and providing feedback in real time."
Arslan added, "With a firm deadline, the entire verification process needed to be completed within a single week, which would have been significantly more challenging using manual processes."
The dashboard gives both the legal team and the client a live view of progress across the matter.
Ella said, "Atticus' real-time reporting and progress tracking functionality is particularly useful for tracking progress and understanding how many statements remain to be verified, how many require review and how many require drafting changes."
Both matters involved multiple document versions. Version Control carried linked evidence across automatically, so the team only needed to focus on what was new or had changed.
Ella told us, "The platform can transfer evidence to identical content when new document versions are uploaded, allowing the team to focus more on new or changed content rather than re-creating work that has already been completed."
Tags allow issues to be flagged directly against the relevant statement and raised with the drafter without requiring manual follow-up.
Arslan explained, "The tags allow for any issues spotted during the verification process to be easily identified and shared with people drafting the document, with the notes section allowing the reviewer to explain the exact issue and suggested amendment."
Sensitive documents that previously had to be kept separate can now be included in the workspace, with access controlled by the verifier.
Arslan said, "The ability to redact sensitive information and upload source documents means that information which previously would have had to be kept separate to the main document can now be included more easily within the workspace where appropriate."
For clients, Atticus can help make the verification process straightforward from the start. Ella shared, "From a client service perspective, Atticus contributed to a more polished and efficient process. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, which meant verifiers generally required minimal guidance before they could begin working through their assigned items."
Arslan agreed. "The ability to get up and running fast and have verifiers directly input into the workspace allowed for efficient completion and a seamless client experience."
Atticus has uplifted how Mallesons approaches verification and what it can offer clients as a result. It has also contributed to an improved experience for lawyers, supporting more efficient deal execution. Arslan said, "Using Atticus enables more senior people to have key sources prepared for them upfront, making the overall process more straightforward." This allows lawyers to focus more on applying their expertise rather than administrative tasks, and can support teams in managing tighter timelines when needed.
