Founded in 1900, Colin Biggers & Paisley (CBP) is an Australian legal practice with offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, advising local, national and international clients with particular expertise in insurance, construction and property.
Jiyoung Park (CFO) and Katrina Rossow (Risk and Compliance Manager) led the firm's AML/CTF project. First AML came onto their radar at an AML conference around September 2025. Jiyoung noted:
"Every time we saw a demo from First AML, it was quite impressive."
The situation
Jiyoung and Katrina started work in earnest from "ground zero" approximately ten months in advance of the 1 July deadline.
A decentralised model was selected as it seemed to be the most effective option with three offices, one AMLCO and the desire to have a system that could be operated by each legal team who had a good understanding of their matters and clients.
Added to this, CBP was in the final stages of rolling out a new conflicts and business intake system, due to go live in March 2026. The AML platform they selected had to work alongside that rollout, not compete with it.
The solution
CBP evaluated two AML platforms before appointing First AML. The deciding factor was fit. With their conflict and intake system rollout already asking a lot of the team, CBP wanted an AML system which legal teams could intuitively use. First AML was “more user-friendly, digestible and easy to use," Jiyoung said.
In addition, the First AML process and team helped clinch the deal. During the demos from the First AML team, Jiyoung noted that "[The lead sales person] was so clear and patient.”
Peer validation also gave them comfort in having made the right choice, "We did not feel as if we were implementing First AML on our own… a number of law firms were using the same system." Finally, once they got to onboarding, "the team being available and responding overnight was really helpful."
It wasn't all plain sailing though. Before configuration could begin, CBP found it difficult to map its AML workflow while its AML program was still evolving as AUSTRAC continued to update its guidance through late 2025.
As regulatory guidance continued to develop, so did its policies and procedures, making it challenging to configure a workflow for a process that wasn't yet finalised. Working closely with First AML’s onboarding team helped bridge that gap, translating the platform's capabilities into a solution that could flex alongside the firm's evolving AML program. From there, CBP configured First AML's structure to work within its decentralised model.
Jiyoung explains,
“First AML is able to be tailored to what we need as a business. We were able to set up different offices to fit in with the way that we work and we were able to do training the way we wanted, using the integration with our conflict management and new business intake system. Having the flexibility made the whole experience smoother.”
The firm ran a soft launch through May and June so lawyers could train ahead of 1 July.
The results
A month after go-live, the process set up by CBP is working as intended.
Adoption confidence is progressing as expected. The lawyers who regularly handle AML have engaged with the platform and process and are "just doing it". Those using it occasionally are still building confidence.
The ongoing support has been well received by Jiyoung and the team,
“Even now post go-live there's a lot of support available to us. When someone can't answer the question after a few emails, another expert jumps in and helps us. The customer service that First AML provides is really appreciated.”
CBP had roughly three and a half months to configure, test, train and launch the First AML platform and are satisfied with the early results.
About First AML
First AML comes from the perspective of both a technology provider, but also as compliance professionals. Prior to releasing, First AML’s all-in-one AML workflow platform, we processed over 2,000,000 AML cases ourselves. Understanding the acute problem that faces firms these days as they try to scale their own AML, is in our DNA.
That's why First AML now powers thousands of compliance experts around the globe to reduce the time and cost burden of complex and international entity KYC. First AML stands out as a leading solution for organisations with complex or international onboarding needs. It provides streamlined collaboration and ensures uniformity in all AML practices.
Keen to find out more? Book a demo today!