Sec. I · The approach
We start with where the time is actually going.
Before anything is built, we follow the process from start to finish: who does what, which systems are involved, where information gets copied, what gets chased and where a fee earner has to step in.
We map the work first.
We find the steps that repeat, the people doing them and the points where the process still depends on somebody remembering, checking or moving information manually.
The proposal comes from that map, not a price list.
We build around what you already use.
Case management, Microsoft 365, accounts, document storage, AML providers and the other systems already in the firm.
Where they can support it, Aurelius connects the gaps between them rather than adding another platform for fee earners to manage.
We keep it running.
If an integration changes, something breaks or the process needs adjusting, Aurelius maintains the build.
You deal directly with the person who designed and built it.
Sec. II · What we build
The repetitive work around legal work.
The strongest opportunities are usually processes that happen constantly and still require somebody to check, chase, copy, update or progress them by hand.
Legal judgement stays with the firm. The repeatable handling around it is what we automate.
Enquiry response
An enquiry arrives and somebody has to notice it, capture the details, send the right response, route it and remember to follow up.
Aurelius can handle that sequence immediately, so enquiries do not sit waiting for somebody to check an inbox.
Matter opening
Client details, engagement paperwork, ID and AML requests, records created, documents stored and the matter opened.
The repeatable steps run automatically, while anything requiring a check, approval or professional judgement goes to the appropriate person.
Chasing
Missing ID. Unsigned documents. Client information. Lender responses. Outstanding forms.
The system tracks what is missing, sends the agreed reminders, stops when it arrives and escalates when somebody actually needs to intervene.
Your fee earners stop writing the same follow-up email.
Calls you cannot take
A prospective client who reaches voicemail may simply ring another firm.
Calls can be answered, the relevant details collected and the enquiry put in front of the right person without a fee earner having to take every initial call.
Billing, WIP and aged debt
Completed work sits unbilled. WIP goes unreviewed. Debt gets chased later than it should.
Aurelius can surface what needs attention, trigger agreed reminders and escalate exceptions before work or cash gets forgotten in the system.
Live reporting
WIP in one system. Debtors in another. Enquiries somewhere else.
Aurelius brings the information together and keeps it current, so nobody has to rebuild the same spreadsheet before every partner meeting.
Sec. III · How it works
Start with one process.
A process review
We go through the process properly: what happens today, who touches it, which systems are involved, where time is being lost and which steps actually require judgement.
It usually takes around 45–60 minutes.
If there is nothing worth automating, I will tell you.
A recommended solution and fixed proposal
I come back with a clear recommendation for what should be built, how it would work, which systems it would use and where your team would still step in.
We go through it together, with the build cost and ongoing running cost set out clearly, before you decide whether to proceed.
You know what will be built, how it will work and what it will cost before you commit.
Build, test and run
Once agreed, Aurelius builds the automation inside the agreed environment, connects it to the relevant systems and tests it against the real process before putting it live.
From there, I continue to monitor, maintain and update the build under the ongoing engagement.
Nothing goes live until it has been tested against the real process.
Sec. IV · Recent work
Systems built to remove the work behind the process.
Aurelius is now focused on law firms. These are existing systems built for businesses in other sectors.
The industries are different, but each started with the same problem: a recurring process depended on somebody noticing what had happened, moving information and taking the next action manually.
A fully automated membership programme
An independent jeweller wanted to introduce recurring membership revenue without creating another administrative workload.
A customer signs up through Stripe and, from that point, onboarding, renewals, failed-payment recovery and lapsed-member follow-up run automatically. The business does not need somebody checking who joined, whose payment failed or who needs chasing.
A new revenue line without a new administrative job.
Inbound enquiries qualified and routed automatically
Every enquiry previously needed somebody to open it, look up the business, decide whether it was a good fit and work out which account manager should receive it.
The system now enriches each enquiry with company information, assesses it against agreed criteria and routes it to the right person automatically.
Response time reduced from hours to under four minutes.
First to new vacancies without checking careers pages by hand
The recruitment firm needed to know when target companies advertised new roles, across far more careers pages than its team could realistically monitor manually.
The system checks each one every morning, identifies new vacancies and flags them before the working day begins.
Every new role is identified on the morning it appears.
Sec. V · About
Aurelius Innovation is Alex Hawkins.
I'm Alex Hawkins, an LLB graduate, SQE candidate and founder of Aurelius Innovation, based in Folkestone, Kent.
I started Aurelius because software often handles most of a process while leaving somebody to manage the gaps between systems. That is the work I build around.
Every client works directly with me from the first process map through to build and ongoing support. No account managers. No junior build team.
The system runs in infrastructure controlled by your firm.
If you already have suitable cloud infrastructure, Aurelius builds within it. If not, I can set up a dedicated cloud environment using accounts created for and controlled by your firm.
Your firm retains administrative control of that environment. Aurelius receives only the access needed to build, monitor and maintain the system, and that access remains under your control.
Before anything goes live, we document what the system can access, how information moves between your existing systems and where it is processed.
Any external AI service, API or other processor required by the build is identified as part of the architecture before deployment.
Where Aurelius processes personal data on your behalf, the appropriate written data-processing terms are put in place.
Aurelius Innovation is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, registration number ZC229429.
Legal judgement, professional decisions and appropriate human oversight remain with the firm.
Sec. VI · Questions
Common questions.
What does it cost?
Every build is priced individually.
After the first call, you receive a fixed proposal showing the build cost and ongoing running and support cost separately.
You commit to nothing before seeing the numbers.
Do we need to change the software we already use?
Usually not.
We start with the systems already in the firm and build around them where they can support the automation.
If an existing system creates a limitation, you will know before the build starts.
Will this replace legal judgement?
No.
Aurelius handles repeatable administrative steps.
Where a decision, approval or review requires professional judgement, the system hands it to the appropriate person.
Who owns the system?
Your firm's data remains yours, and the accounts used to run the system are held in your firm's name and under its control wherever possible. Everything the system produces from your firm's data is for your firm's use.
You also retain the right to continue using the completed system within your own practice, including if the ongoing Aurelius support arrangement ends.
Aurelius retains the reusable frameworks, methods and underlying components used to build the system. In practical terms, you can continue using what has been built for your firm, while the underlying Aurelius intellectual property remains available for use in other builds.
The exact licence and ownership position is set out clearly in the agreement before work begins.
What happens with our client data?
The system is designed to run in infrastructure controlled by your firm wherever possible.
If suitable infrastructure already exists, Aurelius builds within it. If not, I can create a dedicated cloud environment using accounts set up for and controlled by your firm.
Your firm retains administrative control. Aurelius receives scoped access for the purposes of building and supporting the system.
Before deployment, we agree what data the automation can access, where it is processed, how it moves between systems and whether any external service or processor is required.
Where Aurelius processes personal data on your behalf, the appropriate written processing terms are put in place.
How long does a build take?
A focused build typically takes around five weeks.
The actual timetable depends on the process and systems involved and is confirmed before work starts.
We have never used AI. Is that a problem?
No.
We start with the process, not the technology.
If automation can remove enough manual work to make a build worthwhile, we work out the right way to do it.
Sec. VII · Get in touch
Bring me one process that keeps taking people's time.
The first step is a proper look at how the process works today.
Tell me where the manual work is, who is doing it and which systems are involved. I will work out what could realistically be automated and whether there is enough value in doing it.
If there is not, I will tell you that too.