Keep Capacity in Reserve.
Use it When the Work arrives.
The work is predictable. The volume rarely is.
Legal teams rarely struggle because they cannot identify the work that needs doing. The pressure usually comes from when it arrives, how much arrives at once, and who has capacity to absorb it.
01
WHEN WORKLOAD RISES
Existing staff absorb work outside their intended priorities.
02
WHEN CAPACITY RUNS OUT
Senior time is diverted into work that does not always require senior resource.
03
WHEN OUTSIDE HELP IS NEEDED
The process of sourcing, quoting and onboarding begins again. All while managing the existing load.
The cost is not the overflow. It is what the overflow displaces.
01
Senior capacity gets pulled downward
Experienced people spend time on work that could have been handled at a different level - while the work that actually needs their judgement waits.
02
The queue becomes the capacity plan
Important work is delayed simply because the right resource is already occupied. Urgency starts deciding priority.
When recurring work lands on an already committed team, the first response is often to absorb it. That can appear efficient in the moment. The cost shows up elsewhere.
03
Buying support becomes a repeated exercise
Each external instruction can trigger another cycle of scoping, quotation, approval, allocation and onboarding.
04
A variable problem becomes a fixed cost
Reserved Support is designed for the space between absorbing everything internally and expanding the team permanently.
Permanent recruitment may solve the pressure, but it commits the organisation to additional headcount whether the workload remains high or not.
THE MIDDLE GROUND
Keep capacity ready without turning variable demand into permanent headcount.
Reserved Support gives your organisation a standing monthly allocation of ACLS capacity. When work arrives, it is scoped, graded and allocated through the same established account - without rebuilding the commercial arrangement around every instruction.
WHAT CHANGES
Capacity already arranged
Recurring work enters an established ACLS relationship instead of starting from zero.
Repeated sourcing
A new requirement can mean another search, quote, approval and onboarding cycle.
Different work, one relationship
Defined, substantive and senior/complex support are all available through the same Reserved Support subscription.
One resource for one need
Different levels of work often require separate decisions about who should handle them.
Capacity planned in advance
A defined monthly commitment gives your organisation support capacity before the pressure arrives.
Reactive purchasing
Support is bought after capacity has already become a problem.
Reserved capacity without permanent headcount
ACLS capacity can be retained as a recurring resource without converting fluctuating demand into a permanent staffing commitment.
Permanent staffing response
Variable demand is answered with a fixed employment cost.
RESERVED SUPPORT
You reserve capacity, not a particular person, task or type of work.
The monthly allocation can move with the work. ACLS determines the appropriate level of support as requirements arise, while the relationship and commercial framework are already in place.
Use the capacity where the work is actually building.
Reserved Support is designed to absorb recurring legal-support work across different stages of a matter, from preparation and research through to drafting, review and case support.
The examples below show common uses, not the limits of the service. If your requirement falls outside these categories, we can assess it separately and confirm whether it can be supported within our lawful service scope and available capacity.
Every task is scoped before allocation, matched to the appropriate level of support and confirmed within the agreed commercial framework.
HOW WORK IS ACCEPTED
Scope confirmed
Appropriate grade applied
Delivery parameters agreed
One subscription does not restrict you to one type of task.
The capacity can move across different workstreams as your requirements change.
Research
Legal research
Focused research from defined instructions, including authorities, legislation, policy and supporting materials relevant to the issue being examined.
Case Support
Chronologies
Clear reconstruction of events, evidence and procedural history from the material provided.
Evidence
Evidence analysis
Identification, organisation and comparison of relevant evidential material to support the instructing professional's work.
Case Support
File & case support
Defined support tasks across active matters, including organisation, preparation, case progression and recurring file-based work.
Drafting
Drafting support
Preparation and development of documents from agreed instructions, source material and defined scope.
Review
Document review
Structured review of files, documents or evidence sets against an agreed purpose or review framework.
Evidence
Bundle preparation
Indexing, pagination, document organisation and preparation of structured bundles from supplied material.
Case Support
Litigation support
Recurring support across litigation matters or portfolios, including preparation, evidence work, research and document-based tasks.
From instruction to delivery, without restarting the process each time.
Once Reserved Support is in place, recurring work moves through one established ACLS relationship. The task changes; the commercial framework does not have to be rebuilt around it.
01
03
SUBMIT
ALLOCATE
Send the required task, material and timing through the agreed channel.
Work is assigned to suitable capacity based on competence and availability.
No need to identify grade yourself.
Work determines the resource level.
02
04
ACLS confirms support level and credit requirement before work begins. Frameworks and Schedules are in place to ensure calculation consistency.
SCOPE
Completed output is returned ready for use within agreed parameters.
DELIVER
Task is defined upfront.
Changes managed through ACLS.
The relationship is already in place. The task does not need a new commercial arrangement every time.
Recurring work can move through the same established account while its scope, grade and credit requirement are assessed individually.
The process stays consistent even when the work changes. What changes is the level of capacity each task requires.
That is where Support Credits come in.
How 'Credits' Work
Reserved Support uses one monthly credit bank across different levels of work. ACLS assesses each task according to its complexity, scope and level of responsibility, then confirms the appropriate credit cost before substantive work begins.
One credit bank. Different levels of support.
Credit Guide
Defined Support - Grade C
1 hour-equivalent = 1 credit
​
Substantive Support - Grade B
1 hour-equivalent = 1.5 credits
​
Senior & Complex Support - Grade A
1 hour-equivalent = 2.25 credits
You do not need to choose the grade. ACLS assesses the work and applies the appropriate level.
Your workload can change without your subscription having to.
One credit bank. Two different scenarios. Reserved Support allows your monthly allocation to follow the complexity of the work as it actually arrives.
MONTH ONE: Mixed Support
30
One monthly allocation
Support Credits
PROFESSIONAL
MONTH TWO: Senior-intensive
10 Grade C hour-equivelant = 10 credits
6 Grade B hour-equivelant = 9 credits
4 Grade A hour-equivelant = 9 creditsÂ
4 Grade CÂ hour-equivelant = 4 credits
4 Grade B hour-equivelant = 6 credits
8 Grade A hour-equivelant = 18 credits
Credits used: 28
Credits remaining: 2
Credits used: 28
Credits remaining: 2
Same plan. Different workload.
The subscription reserves capacity. It does not lock your organisation into one type of work for the month.
You do not need to predict the exact mix of support levels in advance.
LESS FORECASTING RISK
You commit to capacity - not to guessing in advance exactly what type of work will arrive.
The same credit bank can move across different support levels as requirements arise, so the subscription can respond to the work actually reaching your team.
CAPACITY FOLLOWS PRIORITY
The appropriate support level is applied according to the task's scope and complexity.
ONE COMMERCIAL FRAMEWORK
Recurring work can move through the same established account without rebuilding the arrangement around every instruction.
CONTROLLED TASK SPEND
Your credit bank is not an open clock.
Tasks are given a fixed or capped credit requirement before substantive work begins. Recorded working time does not increase what is deducted from the subscriber's balance.
The commercial boundary is established before delivery. Not discovered afterwards.
SCOPED
The task, required outcome, material assumptions and delivery parameters are defined before substantive work begins.
The requirement is understood before resource is committed.
COSTED
The appropriate support level is assessed and the task is assigned a fixed or capped credit requirement.
The subscriber knows the commercial boundary of the task in advance.
CONTROLLED
If the requirement materially changes, the effect on scope and credits is addressed before additional capacity is committed.
Additional work is not simply allowed to accumulate unnoticed.
SPEND CONTROL BUILT INTO THE TASK
Know the credit boundary before substantive work begins.
Reserved Support fixes or caps the credit requirement for a defined task before substantive work proceeds. Internal working time does not automatically increase the subscriber’s deduction, and a material change in scope is addressed before further credits are committed.
01
TASK DEFINED
The scope, required outcome and relevant delivery parameters are established before substantive work begins.
The requirement is understood before capacity is committed.
Internal delivery time and subscriber credit deduction are related, but they are not the same thing.
ACLS records working time for delivery management and performance control. That internal time record does not, by itself, increase the number of credits deducted from the subscriber.
Consultant-side inefficiency, avoidable rework or an ACLS estimating error does not automatically justify taking additional credits from the subscriber.
Additional credits are principally relevant where the requirement itself changes or further work is properly authorised.
You should know what the task is expected to consume before the work is materially underway.
02
CREDIT BOUNDARY SET
The task is ordinarily given a fixed or capped credit requirement before delivery proceeds.
The subscriber knows the intended commercial limit in advance wherever reasonably practicable.
03
CHANGE CONTROLLED
If the requirement materially changes, the effect on scope and credits is addressed before further capacity is committed.
Additional work is not simply allowed to accumulate without commercial review.
Engineered for complexity. Delivered with standing capacity.
Reserved Support provides legal teams with immediate access to professional capability without the timeline of repeated sourcing. It is built to absorb the recurring work that displaces senior judgment.
PARALEGAL CAPACITY
ACROSS ENGLAND & WALES
ACLS provides substantive paralegal support to organisations throughout England & Wales, managed from our headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent.
Senior & Complex Support
Substantive Support
Delivering core file-based work, evidence analysis and drafting across active matters.
Defined Support
Organisation, preparation and structured support tasks following defined instructions.
Substantive task delivery requiring advanced procedural experience, independent research and complex drafting.
All three levels are delivered through the same Reserved Support arrangement.
Quality & Professional Oversight
Standardisation
Capability Assessment
Accountability
Fixed Commercials
ACLS maintains internal standards protocols for document preparation and case progression to ensure consistent output quality.
Tasks are matched to professional capability, with complex work handled by senior consultants only.
Every task is managed by a known ACLS consultant, providing defined operational accountability for all delivery.
One monthly credit arrangement applies across all work, avoiding the requirement for repeated sourcing cycles.
ONE SERVICE. ACCOUNTABILITY STAYS WITH ACLS.
Reserved Support is designed to create continuity where there was once displacement.
WHEN THE WORK REQUIRES ATTENDANCE
Remote by design. In-person when the work requires it.
Reserved Support is structured so that ordinary subscription capacity remains focused on the legal-support work itself. Where an instruction requires ACLS to be physically present, whether for a hearing, trial, conference, on-site review or another location-specific requirement, the deployment is scoped separately around what the assignment actually requires.
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There is no one-size-fits-all travel charge. A short local journey and an international deployment are fundamentally different instructions. ACLS therefore assesses the destination, journey time, mode of travel, duration of attendance, level of resource required, accommodation where necessary and other foreseeable deployment costs before confirming the Travel Pack arrangement.
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The proposed travel arrangement is agreed before deployment wherever reasonably practicable, so the subscriber can see what physical attendance will involve before anyone travels.
Local attendance
A proportionate arrangement for shorter physical deployments.
Extended attendance
Travel, attendance and any necessary overnight requirements are scoped around the instruction.
International deployment
Transport, time, accommodation, local movement and the operational requirements of the assignment are assessed individually.
Reserved Support remains remote by default. The Travel Pack exists to manage the controlled exception.
This infrastructure ensures that your legal support subscription is never unintentionally consumed by the logistical requirement for travel. One bank stays dedicated to the work; the other bank manages the journey.
RESERVED SUPPORT PLANS
Choose the capacity you want to keep in reserve.
Each Reserved Support tier combines a defined volume of monthly capacity with a standing level of account service. The work itself determines whether Defined, Substantive or Senior & Complex Support is applied - not the subscription tier.
What changes between plans is the amount of capacity you reserve and the service infrastructure around the account - not the professional standard applied to the work.
Essential
A dependable monthly reserve for regular support needs, combining defined ACLS capacity with an established account relationship and clear visibility of credit use.
15 Support Credits per month
- Standard Reserved Support allocation
- ACLS account contact
- Monthly credit statement
Rollover: Up to 3 unused credits may roll into the immediately following month
- Access to Defined, Substantive and Senior & Complex Support as appropriate
- Fixed or capped task credit requirements
- ACLS determines the appropriate support level for each task
- One ongoing Reserved Support account relationship
£1,230 per month
plus VAT where legally applicable
Professional
Reserved Support for regular and varied demand, combining greater monthly capacity with stronger allocation priority, named account continuity and closer utilisation oversight.
30 Support Credits per month
- Priority over ad-hoc work where operationally possible
- Named ACLS account lead
- Monthly utilisation statement
- Periodic account review
- Access to Defined, Substantive and Senior & Complex Support as appropriate
- Fixed or capped task credit requirements
- ACLS determines the appropriate support level for each task
- One ongoing Reserved Support account relationship
Rollover: Up to 7.5 unused credits may roll into the immediately following month
£2,275 per month
plus VAT where legally applicable
Strategic
Reserved Support for sustained or higher-volume demand, combining substantial monthly capacity with enhanced priority, management information and active capacity planning.
60 Support Credits per month
- Enhanced allocation priority subject to capacity
- Named ACLS account lead
- Monthly management information
- Monthly capacity planning
- Quarterly service review
- Access to Defined, Substantive and Senior & Complex Support as appropriate
- Fixed or capped task credit requirements
- ACLS determines the appropriate support level for each task
- One ongoing Reserved Support account relationship
Rollover: Up to 15 unused credits may roll into the immediately following month
£4,330 per month
plus VAT where legally applicable
COMMON TO EVERY RESERVED SUPPORT PLAN
ALL SUPPORT LEVELS
Defined, Substantive and Senior & Complex Support are available as appropriate to the accepted task.
CONTROLLED TASK PRICING
Tasks are ordinarily assigned a fixed or capped credit requirement before substantive work proceeds.
ONE ACCOUNT RELATIONSHIP
Recurring eligible work operates through an established ACLS Reserved Support relationship.
THREE-MONTH INITIAL TERM
Each plan begins with a three-month initial minimum term.
WHEN REQUIREMENTS CHANGE
ROLLOVER
Unused credits may carry into the immediately following month up to the specific limit stated for the plan. Rollover does not continue beyond that following month.
ADDITIONAL CAPACITY
Additional Support Credits are £75 each plus VAT where applicable, subject to ACLS capacity and approval.
DOMESTIC & OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT
Where physical attendance is required, deployment and related travel are scoped separately according to the actual requirement.
Reserved Support reserves ACLS organisational capacity rather than a particular individual. Individual instructions remain subject to scope, competence, conflicts, lawful service boundaries, information-security requirements, deadlines and available capacity.
Subscription priority is an account-service feature and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of immediate commencement, unlimited same-day work or a fixed turnaround.
Not sure which level fits your workload?
Discuss the pattern, volume and type of support your organisation regularly requires. ACLS can help determine whether Essential, Professional, Strategic or ordinary ad-hoc support is the appropriate structure.