LEAP Legal Software, a global leader in cloud-based legal practice management solutions, has fundamentally transformed its talent acquisition strategy, achieving remarkable efficiencies and a 100% internal referral rate for US hires over the past 12 months, thanks to its strategic adoption and continuous utilization of Workable’s applicant tracking system (ATS). This eight-year partnership underscores a significant shift in how growing technology companies can leverage sophisticated HR technology to optimize hiring, reduce costs, and build diverse, high-performing teams across multiple international markets.
LEAP Legal Software: A Pioneer in Cloud-Based Legal Practice Management
Founded over three decades ago in Australia, LEAP Legal Software has evolved into a global powerhouse, serving small law firms with cutting-edge cloud-based solutions designed to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and improve client service. With offices spanning Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, LEAP employs approximately 900 individuals worldwide, cementing its position as a critical technology enabler in the legal sector. The company’s innovative approach has resonated deeply within an industry traditionally slow to adopt digital transformation, positioning LEAP as a key driver of modernization for independent legal practices.
The US arm of LEAP, specifically responsible for pivotal support, sales, client success, and implementation roles, operates under the keen oversight of Susanne Poole. As the dedicated leader for all aspects of people, recruitment, and culture, Poole’s role encapsulates the multifaceted challenges and strategic importance of human resources in a rapidly expanding technology enterprise. Her journey, like many HR leaders in scaling tech firms, has seen her navigate periods as a "team of one," shouldering the immense responsibility of maintaining a robust hiring engine while simultaneously managing a broad spectrum of HR functions. This context highlights the critical need for efficient, scalable tools that empower lean HR teams to operate with the agility and impact typically associated with much larger departments.
The Pre-Workable Era: Navigating Recruitment in a Growing Enterprise
Prior to integrating Workable in December 2018, LEAP’s recruitment processes were managed through a module embedded within its existing Human Resources Information System (HRIS). While technically functional, this setup proved to be a significant source of friction, creating bottlenecks and inefficiencies at nearly every stage of the hiring pipeline. The interface was clunky and lacked intuitive design, hindering user adoption and frustrating hiring managers.
A primary challenge stemmed from the system’s inability to automate critical communications. Susanne Poole found herself constantly engaged in manual follow-ups, physically tracking down hiring managers, and repeatedly reminding stakeholders to provide candidate feedback or move applications forward. For a single-person HR operation supporting a rapidly scaling company, this administrative overhead was not merely inconvenient; it was unsustainable. Industry data from organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) consistently show that manual administrative tasks can consume up to 60% of an HR professional’s time, a burden amplified in fast-growth environments.
Furthermore, the previous system severely limited job board access and distribution capabilities. In an era where talent acquisition demands broad reach and targeted advertising, LEAP found itself constrained, unable to effectively disseminate job postings across the volume and breadth required by a growing technology company. This limitation was particularly acute for a business operating across multiple international territories, each with distinct talent pools and preferred recruitment channels. The inability to manage UK and US hiring effectively from a single, integrated platform necessitated disjointed processes, leading to inconsistencies in candidate experience and a fragmented overview of global talent pipelines.
Susanne Poole succinctly captured the prevailing sentiment: “I needed our recruitment to be much more efficient and I needed it to be able to talk to the recruiting managers around the business instantly. We struggled with our previous system in doing that.” This statement underscores the fundamental need for an Applicant Tracking System that could not only automate workflows but also foster seamless collaboration across geographically dispersed teams.
The Strategic Pivot: Identifying Workable as the Ideal Solution
When LEAP embarked on evaluating alternative recruitment solutions in 2018, the organization was still very much in its startup phase, characterized by rapid scaling and a keen eye on operational costs. Consequently, price was a significant factor in the selection process, effectively ruling out some of the larger, more expensive enterprise-grade platforms that typically cater to established corporations with extensive HR departments. However, the decision to partner with Workable was not solely economic; it was deeply rooted in a strategic alignment with LEAP’s identity as a technology-driven company.
Susanne Poole sought a platform that mirrored LEAP’s own innovative spirit – a smart, intuitive solution that would require minimal change management efforts to ensure widespread adoption among hiring managers, many of whom were not accustomed to complex HR software and already juggled demanding primary responsibilities. The goal was to find a system that could be embraced effortlessly across six countries, minimizing disruption and maximizing utility.
Workable distinguished itself from the initial demonstration. Its user-centric design, robust feature set, and forward-thinking approach immediately resonated with LEAP’s requirements. Poole noted, “Workable felt like it had its finger on the pulse. It spoke to what we needed and it was just smart. And Workable has always really delivered on that.” This sentiment speaks to Workable’s reputation for combining powerful functionality with an accessible user experience, a critical factor for successful HR tech adoption.
Key functionalities that significantly influenced LEAP’s decision included Workable’s advanced people search capabilities and its multi-board job distribution network. These features were particularly vital given LEAP’s imperative to recruit across diverse geographies, each with unique talent pools and recruitment landscapes. The ability to consolidate both UK and US hiring efforts onto a single platform, eliminating the need for parallel and often disparate systems, offered an elegant solution to a complex operational challenge, promising consistency and streamlined oversight.
Seamless Implementation and Widespread Organizational Adoption
The transition to Workable across LEAP’s global operations was, by Susanne Poole’s account, remarkably straightforward and free of significant disruption. This ease of implementation stands in stark contrast to the often-arduous process of rolling out new enterprise software, which frequently entails extensive training, user resistance, and unforeseen technical hurdles.
To facilitate adoption, Susanne strategically distributed concise learning videos to hiring managers and conducted a limited number of targeted workshops. This blended approach, combining self-paced learning with interactive sessions, proved highly effective. At the time of implementation, LEAP employed between 500 and 600 individuals, a scale at which frictionless rollouts are by no means guaranteed. The inherent intuitiveness of the Workable platform was the decisive factor, allowing users to quickly grasp its functionalities without extensive guidance.
Poole recalled, “People weren’t confused by what we were trying to get out of it. They embraced it quickly. I don’t recall this giving us any hiccups.” This rapid and unproblematic adoption underscores a critical design philosophy: an ATS should be built for the end-user, not just the recruiter. By making the platform accessible to hiring managers who possess full-time jobs outside of recruitment and have minimal patience for overly complex software, Workable successfully integrated into LEAP’s daily operations, demonstrating its practical utility and user-friendliness. This widespread acceptance was instrumental in unlocking the system’s full potential across the organization.
Quantifiable Impact: Reclaiming Time and Driving Efficiency
The most immediate and profound operational impact of migrating to Workable was the significant reclamation of time for Susanne Poole and her team. During LEAP’s phase of rapid scaling, the previous system’s deficiencies had created an enormous administrative burden. The incessant cycle of chasing feedback, sending reminders, and manually coordinating various stages of the recruitment process consumed an inordinate amount of Poole’s week.
With Workable’s automated communication features, pipeline reminders, and real-time candidate status updates, this overhead largely vanished. Poole estimates that she reclaimed "Easily about 20 hours a week back in 2018. There was so much chasing because we didn’t have a system that spoke to everyone and kept everyone honest.” This statistic is particularly striking. Twenty hours a week, approximately half of a standard work week, represents a substantial gain in productivity. This liberated time was not merely saved; it was strategically reallocated towards higher-value, more impactful work. Instead of administrative drudgery, Poole could focus on enhancing candidate quality, engaging in strategic hiring conversations with leadership, and proactively building a robust talent pipeline. This strategic shift has been instrumental in reducing LEAP’s dependency on expensive external recruiters for a significant portion of its role categories, further compounding the financial benefits.
A Referral Strategy That Yields 100% Success
One of the most impressive outcomes of LEAP’s Workable partnership is the extraordinary success of its internal referral program. Over the past 12 months, a remarkable 100% of LEAP’s US hires have originated from internal referrals. This figure is not coincidental; it is the direct result of a meticulously crafted talent strategy, built upon the foundation of LEAP’s existing high-caliber workforce and powerfully enabled by Workable’s integrated referral functionality.
Rather than adopting a scattergun approach of widely distributing job postings and sifting through thousands of applications for operational and support roles, Susanne Poole implemented a highly deliberate and targeted strategy. This approach emphasizes trusting the existing employee network, leveraging Workable to efficiently manage the entire referral pipeline, and prioritizing candidates who come recommended by current employees who possess an intrinsic understanding of the organization’s culture, values, and operational demands.
Poole articulated this strategic choice: “To the point where I don’t even post the role on the job boards at the moment. We took a very deliberate approach to do the referral piece.” This demonstrates a profound confidence in their internal network and the effectiveness of Workable in supporting such a focused strategy. The benefits of a strong referral program are well-documented across the industry: referred candidates typically have higher retention rates, faster time-to-hire, and better cultural fit. Workable’s system streamlines the submission, tracking, and management of referrals, moving beyond manual, often chaotic processes to a structured, integrated workflow that incentivizes employee participation and ensures fair consideration.
For critical operational and support roles, Workable has consistently delivered qualified candidates, entirely eliminating the need for external recruiter spend. This cost efficiency is a monumental advantage, particularly for a company experiencing steady growth across diverse international markets, where agency fees can significantly inflate recruitment budgets, often ranging from 15% to 30% of a hired candidate’s annual salary. The ability to bypass these costs while simultaneously enhancing candidate quality and fit represents a dual strategic victory.
Elevating the Candidate Experience Through Reliability and Efficiency
The candidate experience, a critical component of employer branding and talent attraction in a competitive market, has significantly improved since Workable’s implementation at LEAP. Automated messaging ensures that every applicant receives timely, professional responses at each stage of the process, regardless of the ultimate outcome. This reliability means no candidate "falls through the cracks," fostering a positive perception of LEAP as an organized and respectful employer. In today’s talent landscape, where candidates often share their experiences online, a consistently professional process is invaluable for maintaining a strong brand reputation.
One feature that Susanne Poole particularly champions is Workable’s self-scheduling tool. This functionality eliminates the cumbersome manual coordination of calendars across multiple stakeholders and candidates. Instead, candidates are empowered to select interview times that align with their own schedules. This autonomy significantly reduces the back-and-forth communication that often delays the hiring process, making it faster and more respectful of the candidate’s time.
Poole enthused, “Self-scheduling is brilliant. It connects your calendar, you push it out to candidates, they pick a time that suits them. It stops so much unnecessary back and forth. It is a huge time saver and it always works.” This efficiency gain is not just for the candidates; it frees up valuable administrative time for HR and hiring managers, allowing them to focus on qualitative assessments rather than logistical arrangements. The average time to hire, now at a consistent four weeks, and time to fill, averaging six weeks, across a global organization, are testament to the streamlined processes enabled by Workable. These metrics are competitive within the tech industry, indicating a well-oiled recruitment machine capable of consistently attracting and onboarding talent.
Fostering Structural Fairness: The Strategic Imperative of Anonymized Candidates
One of Workable’s features that Susanne Poole highlights with particular enthusiasm is candidate anonymization. For LEAP, a company that views diversity not merely as a compliance checkbox but as a genuine competitive advantage, the ability to remove identifying information from candidate profiles before they reach hiring managers is a profound strategic choice.
Unconscious bias is an inherent human tendency. Well-intentioned hiring managers, often unknowingly, may gravitate towards candidates who share similar backgrounds, names, or demographics. Anonymization directly disrupts this pattern by ensuring that the initial evaluation focuses solely on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and experience, rather than any potentially biasing personal details. This structural intervention creates a more equitable playing field, aligning with LEAP’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Poole emphasized the impact: “It takes out that unconscious bias thing that we all have, much as we don’t want to have it. Our diversity is definitely our superpower. By anonymizing candidates, you’re just finding the people that have what you need. It is so smart and it was so easy to set up.” This statement highlights a progressive understanding of diversity as an organizational strength. Research consistently demonstrates that diverse teams are more innovative, make better decisions, and achieve superior financial performance. By implementing anonymization, LEAP is not just fulfilling an ethical obligation; it is strategically enhancing its talent pool and, by extension, its competitive edge. The ease of setup further underscores Workable’s commitment to practical, impactful features.
Eight Years of Continuous Innovation: A Partnership for the Future
What Susanne Poole values as much as any individual feature is Workable’s unwavering commitment to continuous evolution and innovation. The platform LEAP initially adopted in 2018 and the Workable system they utilize today are, in her words, "meaningfully different, in all the right ways." This ongoing development ensures that Workable remains at the forefront of HR technology, adapting to new market demands, incorporating user feedback, and anticipating future recruitment challenges.
Poole observed, “The innovation that has come out of Workable, I can’t keep up with it. The Workable we had in 2018 is completely different to the Workable we have now, and that is how it should be.” This dynamic nature is crucial for a technology company like LEAP. Choosing a hiring platform that consistently innovates is not merely a preference; it is a fundamental requirement for staying competitive in the rapidly evolving talent landscape. The partnership with Workable ensures that LEAP’s talent acquisition strategy is always supported by cutting-edge tools and capabilities.
Broader Implications for HR and the Legal Tech Sector
LEAP Legal Software’s journey with Workable offers compelling insights for the broader HR community and the legal tech sector. It demonstrates that strategic investment in intelligent ATS solutions can yield profound returns, transforming recruitment from an administrative burden into a strategic advantage. For scaling companies, the ability to operate a lean HR team while achieving global reach and high-quality hires is a testament to the power of automation and integrated platforms.
The success of LEAP’s 100% referral strategy highlights a paradigm shift in talent acquisition, moving away from a sole reliance on job boards towards cultivating robust internal networks and leveraging existing employee advocacy. Furthermore, the proactive implementation of features like candidate anonymization underscores a growing understanding that structural fairness and diversity are not just ethical considerations but critical drivers of innovation and business success.
As the legal tech industry continues its rapid expansion, companies like LEAP will continue to require sophisticated tools that can keep pace with their growth, global aspirations, and evolving talent needs. The long-standing partnership between LEAP and Workable, now spanning eight years, serves as a powerful case study for how a well-chosen HR technology partner can be instrumental in shaping a company’s talent strategy, fostering efficiency, and driving sustainable growth in a competitive global market. The relationship, characterized by mutual evolution and continuous improvement, shows no signs of waning, setting a benchmark for strategic HR tech partnerships.
