McKinnes Wilson and First AML

Preparing for reform

McInnes Wilson is a national full-service law firm with more than 400 people across six offices. As Australia's Tranche 2 reforms approached, the firm recognised that compliance would require more than simply implementing a new process. It presented both a challenge and an opportunity: to build a framework that was defensible and compliant while also strengthening risk management, improving client onboarding and creating greater consistency across the business.

COO Cathy Reynolds and CIO Robyna May led the project team, spending almost 18 months preparing the firm for the changes ahead. Their objective was not only to meet new legislative obligations, but to embed stronger risk awareness and more efficient processes across the firm.

The challenge

With no existing framework to adapt, McInnes Wilson was building its approach from the ground up. While it was clear that some practice areas, such as commercial and property, would be more directly affected by the reforms, the firm wanted a practical and consistent approach that could be applied across all practice groups.

The project team saw an opportunity to improve more than compliance. While meeting the new obligations was the objective, they wanted to build a program that reflected the broader purpose of the reforms, and the role legal practices play in protecting the integrity of the financial system. At the same time, they saw an opportunity to strengthen matter opening, enhance risk management practices and ensure lawyers and support teams understood their role in identifying and managing risk. Rather than treating the changes as a regulatory exercise, the goal was to embed a more informed and considered approach to risk across the firm.

As Cathy Reynolds explains:

"We're a national law firm. We care about the community, the economy and the bigger impact."

The solution

Following a competitive evaluation process, McInnes Wilson selected First AML.

A key factor in the decision was user adoption. When the platform was demonstrated to future users, teams quickly understood how matters would progress through the system, what information clients would be asked to provide and what actions would be required at each stage. This gave the project team confidence that implementation would be practical and achievable across a full-service firm navigating significant regulatory change.

The experience extended beyond the platform itself. The onboarding hub and educational resources had clearly been designed with users in mind, providing practical guidance that helped demystify the new requirements and build confidence. For a firm introducing entirely new obligations across multiple practice groups, the availability of well-considered learning materials was an important part of supporting adoption and helping users understand not just what they needed to do, but why it mattered.

As Reynolds observed:

"People walked in expecting it to be scary and difficult. What they found was a process that clearly guided them through what was required and what needed to happen next. It removed much of the uncertainty and helped people build confidence quickly."

Several additional factors influenced the firm's decision:

• Native integration with Actionstep, supporting a more streamlined matter-opening process.
• Clear guidance on client due diligence cost recovery, helping address one of the more challenging implementation questions.
• Flexibility to align workflows with McInnes Wilson's risk profile and operating model.
• Access to specialists who provided practical guidance throughout the project.

The results

The firm's primary objective was to introduce the new requirements with minimal disruption to client service and day-to-day operations. The rollout achieved exactly that.

During the first weeks of implementation, teams continued to prioritise client work with limited impact on productivity. While the project team invested significant time supporting users and refining processes, there was no significant decline in productivity during the transition.

By the second week, user queries had largely settled into consistent categories focused on understanding designated services and navigating the new process.

One of the most significant outcomes was the level of ownership taken by practice groups. Initially, the firm expected some aspects of the program may need to be centralised. In practice, teams successfully integrated the requirements into their existing workflows, supported by Division Executive Assistants and the broader project team. This helped lawyers build a stronger understanding of their obligations in the context of their own clients and matters.

For Robyna May, another positive outcome was how easily the platform could be tailored to the firm's needs.

"I've been impressed by how flexible the platform is. We've been able to configure it to suit our requirements without it becoming difficult to manage."

Today, McInnes Wilson's program reflects the original vision behind the project: a firm-wide approach that is practical, transparent and embedded within everyday operations. What began as a regulatory reform initiative became an opportunity to strengthen risk management, improve processes and build confidence across the business.