How the OCC Core Group Model works:

• One or more firms express a particular need to VinciWorks
• VinciWorks communicates the need to other OCC firms
• Firms with a like interest attend an initial meeting to determine if the requirement are non-competitive and fit the OCC model
• A self-selecting group of firms create a Core Group and attend at the first Core Group facilitated meeting to discuss detailed features, content and requirements
• VinciWorks produces a high-level specification document often with some early screen designs, a general structure and ball-park development costs
• VinciWorks will attend on individual Core Group firms to extract detailed specifications and requirements
• VinciWorks creates a first mock up and or detailed specification that is circulated to all Core Group for feedback
• Once feedback is aggregated a Core Group meeting is called to sign off on the content/structure/specification and costs
• An arrangement is agreed with Core Group firms on pricing and specific cost or other advantage granted to the Core Group in compensation for their contribution
• If required a third party expert consultant or development team is appointed
• The project is developed and or project managed by VinciWorks
• The finished solution is alpha and beta tested and then first implemented by the Core Group firms
• The tested and approved solution is offered to other firms at a license fee determined by the Core Group
• Uptake by the Core Group and other OCC firms establishes the new solution as an almost instant standard
• The Core Group remains responsible together with VinciWorks for ensuring the solution remains current.

The combined investment in intellectual as well as financial resources by all Core Group firms ensures that the solution is of the highest quality in terms of practical requirements, reduces the risks one firm takes in trying to develop a solution independently of peers and reduces the costs to each individual firm by sharing the costs with the other Core Group firms.

Since its inception in 2003 the OCC has spawned 10 Core Groups:

• UK Anti Money Laundering Core Group
• UK Risk Management Core Group
• Anti-Bribery & Corruption Core Group
• Data Protection Core Group
• E-Mail@Risk Core Group
• SRA Accounts Rules Core Group
• Outcome Focused Regulation Core Group
• Learning Management System Core Group
• Risk Management System Core Group
• HK Anti Money Laundering and Risk Management Core Group
• Swedish Anti Money Laundering Core Group

UK Anti-Money Laundering Core Group
In 2004, 14 leading law firms formed the OCC under the banner of collaborative development with the intention to create a benchmark for the industry and set best practice standards for the legal profession. They achieved this by pooling their knowledge, resources and costs to design appropriate exercises and tools to train lawyers in AML. These firms formed the Anti-Money Laundering Core Group and together collaboratively wrote the content for the first versions of the courses and continue to take responsibility for its updating. See: AML Courses

Risk Management Core Group
Following the deployment of the AML courses, the number of reports to the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) or Compliance Officer increased dramatically, proving that online learning does raise awareness of risk. As a result, a group of 16 self selecting OCC firms (including 8 of the original AML Core Group) formed a new core group to tackle the larger task or raising awareness of risk generally by development a series of Risk Management Awareness Courses. See: Risk Management Courses

email@risk Core Group
Bird & Bird, Herbert Smith, Macfarlanes and Nabarro supported the development of a specific course dealing with the risks of email usage in a professional setting. As email has become the primary communication medium, these firms funded and oversaw the development of an innovative course training lawyers to mitigate the potential risks that email and Blackberry use,expose. See email@risk course