Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers to the questions
solicitors actually ask.

Drawn from real conversations with UK firms in early access. If yours isn't here, email hak@vpnetworks.co.uk and we'll add it.

Where is my client data stored?

Entirely on your firm's hardware. Susan runs as a Docker stack on a server you own (or a private VPS you control). No client data is sent to any cloud unless you explicitly enable an external AI provider, and even then it's redacted of common UK PII before leaving your network.

Is Susan SRA compliant?

Susan implements SRA Accounts Rules controls including Rule 4 reconciliation, Rule 7 client interest, Rule 12 accountant report exemption logic, AML gates on matter creation, conflict-of-interest checking, and a 7-year audit log retention policy. It is your responsibility to operate the system in accordance with SRA Standards and Regulations.

What hardware do I need?

For a small firm (1–10 users) running the on-server AI: a workstation or small server with 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and a recent NVIDIA GPU (RTX 4060 or better). For larger firms, or for cloud-AI mode with Ollama disabled: any modern Linux server or Windows machine running Docker Desktop with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD.

Can I use Claude or ChatGPT instead of the on-server AI?

Yes. Susan supports four AI providers: on-server Ollama (default — fully private), Groq, Anthropic Claude, and OpenAI. External providers require explicit consent in settings. When external AI is enabled, prompts are scrubbed of UK-specific PII (NI numbers, postcodes, sort codes, phone numbers, emails) before being sent, and every external call is logged to the audit trail.

How much does it cost?

£35 per user per month, billed annually. No hidden fees, no per-feature unlocks, no AI usage charges (the on-server AI is included). Optional hardware costs £6,000–£22,000 one-time depending on firm size; the alternative is a UK-based VPS for £400–£2,500 per month.

Do you offer a free trial?

We're running a Pilot Programme for the first cohort of customers — a 6-month engagement at 50% off the published price in exchange for structured feedback and a written reference.

How long does setup take?

From a clean machine with Docker installed, a fresh setup takes 15–45 minutes — most of it is the AI model download. The setup script asks three questions (firm name, admin email, admin password), generates all secrets, and brings everything online. You can be drafting your first matter the same day.

What happens when you release an update?

Updates are pulled from a private Docker registry. You receive a one-line update command (docker compose pull && docker compose up -d). Your data, settings, and uploaded documents are never affected by updates — only the application image is replaced.

What happens if I cancel?

Your data is yours. Susan provides full database export tools and an encrypted backup format you can restore on any machine. We have no commercial incentive to lock you in — the architecture is intentionally portable.

Is the source code open source?

No. Susan is a paid commercial product. The Docker image is private. We chose this model so we can charge fairly and continue developing the product without diluting professional support.

Can I customise Susan to match our brand?

Yes — Susan has a built-in branding studio with 8 colour themes, 5 document header styles, 4 typography pairings, custom firm logo on all generated documents, configurable footer (address, phone, email, SRA number, VAT number), and per-user email signatures. Point and click — no design skills required.

Does Susan integrate with our existing email and calendar?

Yes. Susan connects to any IMAP mailbox (Outlook, Gmail, Microsoft 365, Fastmail, etc.) for incoming email, and any SMTP server for outgoing. Calendar events generated by Susan can be synced via standard ICS feeds. See all integrations →

Can the AI make calls or take voicemails?

Yes — with a Twilio account configured, Susan can answer incoming calls with a custom voicemail greeting (read by the AI voice), transcribe the caller's message, summarise it, detect intent, match it to an existing contact if possible, and create a follow-up task on the matter automatically. This is optional and requires a separate Twilio subscription.

Is my AI assistant trained on my firm's data?

No. Susan does not fine-tune any AI model on your data. The on-server AI uses a pre-trained model (Llama 3.2 by default) that runs locally and treats each request as stateless. Your data is never used to train any model — yours, ours, or anyone else's.

Still have questions?

Email hak@vpnetworks.co.uk or book a 30-minute demo and we'll answer them in person.

Book a demo →