From Filing Cabinets to Fairness with Cezanne
TLWR? Here’s a quick summary….
When GN Law, a Finchley based legal aid law firm with a headcount of 70, swapped paper files and spreadsheets for the Cezanne HR software suite in 2024, the impact was immediate. Within weeks, HR processes became smoother, fairer, and more transparent for everyone:
- Employees gained access to their own records for the first time.
- Extra 12–15 hours each month freed up for more strategic HR work.
- A fairer, more inclusive bonus scheme was introduced across the firm.
- The first appraisal cycle achieved 100% completion rate.
- Six major HR spreadsheets retired.
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About GN Law
GN Law began in 2006 as a small mental health practice. Nearly twenty years later, the firm has grown to more than 60 people, working across multiple areas of law. With 80 percent of their work legal aid funded, they describe themselves proudly as a “proper high street law firm” that helps people with real problems.
We spoke with:
- Eszter Homonyik, HR, People & Culture Manager, who joined the firm in 2024 and brought first-hand knowledge of Cezanne to the role.
- David Duncan, Head of Finance and Business Operations, who joined the firm in 2012 and was involved in many of the HR processes, but since the arrival of Eszter and implementation of Cezanne has happily taken a back seat!
Too much paper, not enough visibility
Like many growing firms, GN Law’s HR processes had piled up over the years. As a result, their people operations were being severely hampered and not as efficient as they could have been. Challenges included:
- Employee records living in paper folders and Outlook inboxes.
- Appraisals were inconsistent, hard to find, and forms were often difficult for employees to access.
- Absence processes were handled in a standalone tool that lacked integration with other systems.
- Multiple spreadsheets tracked everything from training to probation.
As David reflected, “While the old approach got the job done, it didn’t give staff the visibility or voice they have today.
Bringing everything into one place
When Eszter joined, she knew from experience what was missing. “In my previous role we used Cezanne, and it was the best HR system I’d worked with. Here we had spreadsheets and separate tools, so bringing everything together in one system was the first big step.”
GN Law rolled out three of Cezanne’s core HR modules first:
People Management
The core HR system centralised all employee data, reports, and analytics, freeing HR from juggling multiple spreadsheets and systems.
Absence Management
The absence management software module made managing all absences much easier and more transparent. Employees now request leave through self-service, with managers approving directly in the system. Automatic calculations cover joiners and leavers, and team calendars let staff see who is off at a glance.
David commented that “We used to use Timetastic because it was simple. Switching to Cezanne was just as easy, so teams adopted it straight away. The difference is that now, when someone leaves halfway through the year, I don’t have to work out their holiday, Cezanne does it for me.”
Performance Management
The performance management software module introduced structured reviews, quarterly for fee earners and biannual for support staff, and achieved a 100 percent completion rate in the first cycle. More importantly, it unlocked a complete rethink of GN Law’s bonus system.
A better bonus structure
Previously, bonuses were tied only to billing targets. This worked for some departments, but others felt at a disadvantage and sometimes demotivated. By combining Cezanne’s structured appraisal data with financial metrics, GN Law built a new system that rewards people across eight different areas of performance, not just billing.
As David explained: “Some departments struggled to hit the old bonus targets. Now performance is judged on eight areas, not just billing. It’s fairer, more transparent, and far more motivating. We 100 percent wouldn’t have done this without Cezanne’s Performance module.”
The result is a bonus structure that recognises contribution more broadly, motivates more of the workforce, and strengthens fairness across the firm.
The implementation: support that stuck
GN Law saw demonstrable results quickly, with the core People Management module and Absence going live in weeks, with Performance following a short pilot:
- Guided rollout: Cezanne’s consultants supported the team with patience and quick responses.
- Structured learning: Recordings and training guides gave team members confidence.
- Custom fit: The system was shaped around GN Law’s needs, not the other way round.
Eszter recalls the difference Cezanne’s consultant, Aaron, made: “He was patient, supportive, and always quick to respond. Even weeks after go-live, if we had a question, he was eager to help. That gave us confidence.”
For David, the standout was flexibility: “With most systems you eventually find something you can’t do. With Cezanne, every time we asked if we could have a certain function or ability, the answer was always yes”
A shift in culture as well as process
The introduction of Cezanne didn’t just make things more efficient from a process perspective. It resulted in a complete culture shift for the business, meaning:
- Every single appraisal completed on time.
- 12–15 hours of admin saved each month, the equivalent of two full working days.
- Six spreadsheets retired for good.
- 100% of the team now manage their own absences online.
- A new bonus scheme tied to performance, boosting fairness and morale.
- HR time freed up for more strategic work such as advancing branding initiatives, reviewing internal policies and processes, and deepening engagement efforts.
As Eszter put it: “Previously, much of our time was spent on manual paperwork and follow-ups. Now, we can dedicate more effort to the bigger picture – enhancing engagement, improving the employee experience, and making our firm an even better place to work”
The future: confident to keep building
The successful introduction of Cezanne has meant the firm has already started planning what’s next, which includes the addition of the following modules:
- Payroll software integration, to bring salaries in-house.
- A learning management system, to make CPD and compliance training simple.
- Pulse Engagement surveys to gather feedback.
David summed it up: “The confidence is there. Whatever module we add next, we know it will work.”
