Legal Consultant Limelight: Seelin Naidoo

In an increasingly technology-centric world, law firms know that it is vital to stay current on the latest financial, administrative and IT innovations. Seelin Naidoo, CEO of Frontline Managed Services, has devoted his career to making the technological component of law firm management as easy as possible. The company offers litigation services including eDiscovery, document review and digital forensics, as well as providing IT, financial and help desk services. As he explains, “With our service delivery model, our law firm clients can focus on legal work while we handle everything else.”

A leader at various management companies before moving to Frontline Managed Services in 2004, Naidoo has decades of experience in staying on the cutting edge of legal services, increasing Frontline’s footprint in the U.S. and opening three international branches of the firm. He was named a Lawdragon Global 100 Leader in Strategy and Consulting this year.

Lawdragon: Tell me a bit about how Frontline Managed Services assists lawyers.

Seelin Naidoo: Frontline Managed Services is a global provider of administrative, financial, IT and litigation managed services for legal and professional services firms. Our offerings include the largest help desk for legal, A/R financial services, eBilling, cybersecurity, NOCS, eDiscovery and our latest offering, the Legal IT Operations Platform. The Legal IT Operations Platform combines the power of ServiceNow with workflows and processes we have developed specifically for the legal industry. The platform allows firms to take advantage of it without the cost and implementation responsibilities. 

Our team of experts provides scalable and efficient solutions that reduce response and delivery times. By engaging Frontline Managed Services, firms take control of their client management process with increased efficiencies thus reducing costs and increasing client profitability.

LD: What do you find satisfying about working in this industry?

SN: It is not only satisfying but fulfilling to provide clients with value they haven’t been able to unlock previously.

Frontline is frequently engaged because of our comprehensive service offerings. From client intake, help desk and network monitoring to billing and cash application, each service line is integrated and customizable to fit the client needs based on size and resources.

It’s also rewarding to have an excellent team that drives our success. Through respect for one another, our clients and our business partners, we foster an environment of trust and fairness in all interactions. This dynamic with our clients drives our long-term relationships.

LD: Are you noticing any trends in the legal industry in terms of the work you’re doing?

SN: More so now than ever, the legal industry is embracing virtualized services. Firms must adjust their service delivery models to meet new operating environments. Although many lawyers are back in the office with in-person client meetings and court proceedings, law firms still want to preserve aspects of virtual and hybrid services. From our perspective, technology is the facilitator and enabler of the modern law firm.

From our perspective, technology is the facilitator and enabler of the modern law firm.

Another trend we are seeing outside of virtualization of technology is IT and financial outsourcing of services. Law firms are more inclined to outsource business functions they previously handled in-house with scalable solutions to grow their business.

LD: Do you have an example of a recent matter you’ve handled that fits into one of those trends?

SN: For the last few years, the Frontline team has been developing the Legal IT Operations Platform powered by ServiceNow to help our clients unlock productivity and run more efficient and profitable law firms. The platform was purpose built with the assistance of client input and our highly experienced management team to offer a truly unique instance of ServiceNow specifically for the legal industry.

ServiceNow is the foundation for all digital workflows and connects people, functions and systems across organizations. As a widely recognized and highly regarded brand, ServiceNow was the ideal platform to expand our previous IT operations platform for legal workflows. To serve our legal clients, we took the world-class ServiceNow platform and expanded it with new configurations to support firms’ IT departments, facilities, administrative services, management, reporting and more. We created the Legal IT Operations Platform based on our clients’ experiences and the millions of tickets we’ve managed. This allows us to provide our clients with the right solution that’s tailored to their needs.

LD: Why should law firms be embracing technology – and how do you help them do so?

SN: Technology is an integral part of lawyers’ day-to-day activities, which directly impacts productivity and efficiency. Every solution we offer is backed by world class technology. Moreover, we’ve built and expanded upon the technologies we offer to apply them to our law firm client base.

As firms grow and update their workflows, necessary administrative tasks are challenging. Docketing, client intake, conflict checks, contract management and hiring hurdles are time consuming to manage, especially for smaller firms with limited admin resources.

Our consulting strategy involves creating personalized workflows as a service. As firms’ needs grow, so do our service lines. We provide tailored services that optimize operations for law firms across the world.

LD: On a personal note, tell me about your career path – what led you to Frontline Managed Services?

SN: Prior to joining Frontline Managed Services, I served as Chief Executive Officer of CMS Operations (also known as Cash Management Solutions), which eventually became Intelliteach; senior vice president at Trustinus, a global outsourcing company; and Vice President and General Manager of Kelly Services outsourcing division.

In 2004, I joined Frontline (formerly Intelliteach) and am proud to have built a diverse and forward-thinking leadership team during my tenure. I led the company through a successful business transformation and spearheaded the acquisition and integration of Intelliteach in 2012. I also led the expansion of our global footprint through the opening of offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and our legal process operating center in Goa, India.

LD: What would you say is your team’s mission?

SN: Our number one objective is client satisfaction and delivering on the promises we make to our clients. We recruit team members who have a high level of passion for serving our clients.

LD: Looking ahead, does Frontline have any plans for the future you can discuss?

SN: We’re always keeping an eye on the market for new trends and are ready to adapt and expand our services to best serve our clients. In the long term, we may expand to other professional services outside of legal such as accounting.