Solicitors Case Management Systems have launched a free guide to the Solicitors Code of Conduct 2007 will which finally come into force on 01 July 2007, outlining how their software can help ensure compliance with the code.

SRC, the UK’s exclusive WinScribe Platinum Partner, have teamed up with Voicepath to implement WinScribe 360D at London based law firm Vizards Tweedie (Vizards). The new WinScribe 360D integration module, developed by WinScribe in collaboration with SRC and Voicepath, enables closer coupling between organisations using the WinScribe digital dictation solution and outsource transcription providers. WinScribe 360D allows users to maintain full control over typing work even when sent out to a third party transcription service.

The implementation at Vizards seamlessly integrates their WinScribe digital dictation solution to transcription systems at Voicepath, who provide outsourced services to Vizards. The solution ensures that when dictations are sent for transcription by Voicepath the author maintains full visibility of the work, and is able to monitor the status of dictations.

This latest development is part of both SRC and WinScribe’s dedication to providing customers with enhancements to enable them to realize additional business benefits and savings. Firms adding WinScribe 360D to their WinScribe digital dictation deployment now have a ‘single-step’ outsourcing solution which, based on business rules, automatically routes dictations for completion by an off-site typist, providing as simple and accountable a process as giving it to someone in the next room. Conceived with the needs of busy law firms in mind, it makes it possible for WinScribe users to reap the cost and efficiency benefits of outsourcing work without compromising on control, visibility or security.

Chris Hart, CEO at SRC said: “Adding the 360D module to a WinScribe deployment puts the user in control of their work again. We’re excited to work with Voicepath and to offer WinScribe users an even better dictation and document creation experience.”

Designed to be intuitive for individual fee earners to use, the WinScribe 360D module is powerful enough to automatically keep track of outsourced work as it progresses through the outsource provider’s internal systems. The integration is also very flexible, allowing firms to set ‘rules’ for automatic routing of dictations to the appropriate resource, for example, file notes are outsourced whereas its own secretaries retain responsibility for transcribing documents such as client letters. In this way it ensures firms make best possible use of internal and external resources at all times. The WinScribe 360D module utilizes XML based messaging and so can be easily interfaced to a wide variety of outsourced transcription providers and systems.

Vizards IT manager, Robin Mace, comments: “We have found that fee earners and secretaries are very comfortable using the integrated solution and have been able to get to grips with it extremely quickly. It is also a very intuitive system, as the status of each transcription is automatically updated on our WinScribe system as it is handled by Voicepath.”

SRC’s Chris Hart adds: “We are delighted that this project has resulted in a system which has benefits for all parties. We look forward to rolling out similar integrations to new and existing customers throughout the UK.”

Voicepath general manager, Richard Bate, concludes: “While an increasing number of law firms are interested in investigating outsourcing, a barrier to its wider uptake has always been the perception that once work has been outsourced there is no control or visibility of what has happened to it.

“Consequently, we are delighted to have been able to work with SRC and WinScribe on a solution which is very simple for users and provides instant status information wherever the work maybe. We are confident that it will lead to many more firms reaping the benefits of outsourcing.”

Private client specialist, Mogers, has become the latest law firm to use onshore transcription outsourcing through Voicepath to make more effective use of its support staff while ensuring its clients receive the excellent service they expect

Bath-based Mogers concentrates on providing legal services to high net worth individuals, meaning that its business depends on it dealing efficiently and discreetly with its clients’ affairs.  Prior to using Voicepath, it had been mindful for some time that outsourcing office support functions could increase productivity during busy or short-staffed periods, but had shied away from doing so for security reasons.

Practice manager Chris Collins explains: “We often deal with very sensitive information and high profile cases.  This means data protection is a critical issue for us and the central reason why we decided never to send any Mogers work offshore.  Offshore outsourcing companies were, we found, quite vague in terms of what they could promise in terms of confidentiality.  Voicepath, however, provided assurances that all of its operations complied with stringent confidentiality and security measures.”

A key benefit to Mogers was that Voicepath had recently signed a formal agreement with BigHand, the firm’s digital dictation workflow system provider, to become one of their first integrated Outsourcing Agency Partners.  This has enabled Mogers to become one of the earliest adopters of the outsourcing module, which makes sending a dictation from the BigHand3 system to Voicepath, as easy and secure as sending it to an internal secretary. 

On completing a dictation the fully integrated workflow technology allows fee earners to elect to send work to Voicepath, which appears within BigHand3 as another ‘secretary’.  The encrypted voice file is then sent via a secure internet connection to one of Voicepath’s nationwide network of transcriptionists, who complete and return the document within one or 24 hours depending on its urgency.

After a successful pilot Mogers is now in the process of making the Voicepath service available to all users. 

Chris continues: “We decided before outsourcing a single piece of work that we would only select a provider which guaranteed to provide a service that was as good as or better than our internal staff.  Voicepath was able to promise and prove that and, moreover, it has allowed us to use our own resources in a more focused and skilful way.  Instead of having their time taken up by typing, our secretaries can now concentrate on the more legal side of support work.”

Being able to call on Voicepath’s help as and when it is needed also means Mogers is no longer reliant on expensive and unreliable temporary secretaries for providing sickness and holiday cover.

Managing partner, Derwent Campbell, comments: ”Before embarking on this project we worked on the guiding principle that our work should be kept in the UK.  Voicepath stood out as they were able to offer us this and spoke a language which we, as a law firm, understood.  What’s more, their willingness to work with us and our other technology providers to develop with a workable system for outsourcing as well as providing an excellent service has proved extremely useful to the firm.”

Voicepath general manager, Richard Bate, concludes: “We are delighted to be able to extend the benefits of the Voicepath service to another prestigious UK firm, and work with BigHand to create a ‘one click’ system to make outsourcing work.

 
“With data security and client confidentiality an ever pressing issue for the legal sector, being a completely UK-based outsourcing company gives Voicepath a significant advantage.  We look forward to an increasing number of law firms recognising how using Voicepath can benefit them.”   

Article from Computer Weekly here on the Stephenson Harwoods choice of Windows XP over Vista. As far we can see most law firms are making the same choice for similar reasons. Vista is not a popular choice, hence the step up in the Microsoft Marketing campaign telling us how compatible Vista is with existing software and hardware devices. Looks like they still have a lot of convincing to do.

Leading south west legal practice Michelmores is implementing a secure remote access system from AEP Networks to support its growing demand for mobile working and to provide a contingency for emergency situations. The 260-staff Exeter and London-based firm is also considering using the system to create secure portal areas on its network which will be accessible to clients and partners.

Security was a key requirement for Michelmores, which provides legal services to major institutions, large companies, government departments and public bodies nationwide. The AEP Netilla Security Platform (NSP) Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network (SSL VPN) appliance has been configured to perform an in-depth integrity scan of all devices before permitting web-based thin client access to Michelmores' Wide Area Network (WAN) via Citrix.

"Based on the system's client integrity check, users will be automatically allocated one of five pre-defined access levels to company applications and resources. The most trusted level -- the only one that will allow information to be transferred to and from our WAN -- will be reserved for those identified as using Michelmores provided kit," said Simon Clarke, IT Manager for Michelmores, who has been working with specialist remote access systems integrator Community Internet to roll out the NSP.

The NSP was installed by Community Internet in June 2006 following a successful one-month trial. It currently supports 25 concurrent users who are given access to Microsoft Office applications, email and Michelmores' time recording and digital dictation software. It is being rolled out to more users and is expected to be taken up by around 35 percent of the workforce initially.

NSP replaces a Cisco 'thick' client VPN that did not use Citrix. Michelmores had outgrown the system and wanted a more scalable solution with greater functionality, a high level of security and tight integration with Citrix. Working with Community Internet, Michelmores evaluated SSL VPNs and found that the NSP met a key requirement of securely handling the complex issues involved in allowing end users to synchronise Microsoft Outlook email onto their encrypted laptops.

"It sounds easy, but we found that NSP was one of the few systems we could rely on to synchronise Outlook while maintaining effective security. This was important to us as we wanted users to have access to email while offline rather than only while connected. A synchronized and encrypted local copy of their emails on their PC hard disk was the only option," said Clarke.

Business continuity was also one of the drivers for the new system, which is configured so that it can easily be modified to support additional users in the event of an emergency.

"If we were a City law firm we would probably be able to relocate to one of many contingency centres that are operated in London. But in the South West of England there are no such facilities and remote-working technology is one way for us to remain productive in the event of a disaster," explained Clarke.

Business Continuity is also supported by Michelmores' use of a wireless broadband connection from Community Internet. The Red Kite high performance WiMAX-ready fixed-wireless 5MB connection is delivered to a wireless base unit in the Michelmores' Exeter office.

"In an emergency, if we unexpectedly need to have a bigger connection to support more staff working remotely via the NSP, one phone call to Community Internet can instruct them to scale our wireless link at the touch of a button to 10 or even 20 MB. With fibre or copper links we'd have a 40-day lead time to do this."

A mobile phone-based two-factor authentication system from VASCO has also been implemented with the NSP to enhance security. The VASCO Java client installed on employee mobile phones will generate a random code that users must key in before accessing the WAN.

Longer term plans involve using the NSP's secure V-Realms facility to create secure areas on the Michelmores network where clients can access information, as well as a partner sections to facilitate greater collaborative working.

LexisNexis, have announced the release of the newest version of their litigation management software, Concordance(TM) 2007. The enhanced software features a new user interface, new tools and integration with additional litigation support tools from LexisNexis allowing users to work faster and more effectively.

Concordance is widely used in the States (used in 95 of the top 100 law firms) but less widely established in the UK although it has always been popular in the Irish Republic.

It offers attorneys maximum control over the e-discovery and case management process, helping them identify, organize and analyze information throughout a legal case so they can collaborate with colleagues to formulate and execute winning litigation strategy.

In response to customer feedback, Concordance 2007 features a completely revised, Microsoft Outlook(R)-style user interface for greater attorney familiarity and easier navigation - promoting quick adoption and greater productivity. This new interface is consistent with the built-in Concordance online review tool, FYI(TM). Whether users access litigation documents from their desktop, laptop or the web, they have a familiar and seamless experience.

To reduce the time and cost of document review Concordance 2007 expands its e-mail import Wizard to bring e-mail and e-documents together into Concordance in a single step. The new version also includes Simple Search technology, allowing non-technical reviewers to quickly and effectively locate key documents with little prior Concordance experience. Additionally, it incorporates EverQuest's Cognition(R) search technology to deliver significantly higher levels of relevant document search results than previous versions of Concordance.

Additionally, Concordance 2007 benefits from integration with other legal research and litigation tools provided by LexisNexis.

For example, Concordance 2007 gives clients the choice to perform online research within the software through its integration with LexisNexis Total Litigator, an online destination providing litigators a complete and integrated set of tools and services to help them smoothly manage cases through each step of the litigation lifecycle.

Users simply highlight a subject in a document text with Concordance and send it to Total Litigator where a search can be conducted through the different online LexisNexis research sources for which the user has access. Integration with Total Litigator makes Concordance 2007 the first litigation management software in the industry to offer the ability to perform legal research from discovery documents, increasing attorney productively and case knowledge.

Concordance 2007 also includes new time-saving integrations that give litigators the power to send a set of litigation documents from Concordance to CaseMap in bulk instead of one fact at a time. Additionally, users are able to link to Total Litigator from within Concordance navigation for access to other litigation support tools, such as CaseMap, File & Serve, Applied Discovery and CourtLink.

European mid-market private equity investor HgCapital has sold IRIS Software, a UK provider of software to accountancy practices and their customers, and Computer Software Group, a UK provider of software to legal practices and not-for-profit institutions, to Hellman & Friedman for an enterprise value of £500m. HgCapital has announced that it will continue as an active shareholder in the combined business.

CSG have recently purchased Aim, LaserForm, Videss and Mountain Software, all previously independent providers of legal accounts and case management software.

HgCapital acquired IRIS in July 2004 and CSG earlier this year.

Nic Humphries, head of TMT at HgCapital, said, 'The success of our investments in IRIS and CSG demonstrates the strength of HgCapital's research-led sector strategy. From 2003 we conducted substantial top-down research to identify the potential of subscription-based SME software business models as a core target area ahead of the market.

'Our ownership of IRIS then gave us a platform to identify complementary investment opportunities, and CSG was a perfect fit, offering a similar business model, a complementary customer base and a complementary management team,' Humphries continued.

Dawn Advice – a rapidly expanding legal advice charity – has selected the Proclaim Case Management software solution from Eclipse Legal Systems.

The Newcastle-based organisation currently employs over 60 staff, and is looking to more than double this headcount over the next 12 months.  An independent registered charity, Dawn Advice provides legal help to consumers in areas such as debt, housing, employment and welfare issues.  A member of “adviceUK” (www.adviceuk.org.uk), the organisation provides its services and education programmes on a national basis, and is one of the main providers of Community Legal Service Direct (www.clsdirect.org.uk / 0845 3454345).

Dawn Advice will be initially rolling out a 45-user Proclaim Case Management system to its in-house advisors.  The organisation is working with Eclipse to tailor Proclaim to its specific areas of work, and to create caseflows to streamline processes and drive quality enhancements for advisors and clients alike.

The charity considered offerings from 3 suppliers, using the Law Society’s Software Solutions Guide 2007 as the basis for its research.  

Thorntons Law LLP has selected the FloSuite application to automate and manage the firm’s entire New Client and Matter Inception processes. Secondary target applications include cheque request, cash receipt, HR and others. The firm will also utilise existing FloSuite integrations for its Elite PMS system.

Thorntons Law LLP is a rapidly growing firm employing over 300 staff. It is an ambitious, full-service law firm, investment manager and property specialist, with two offices in Dundee, and further offices in Edinburgh, Forfar, Arbroath and Perth.

FloSuite was selected following an in-depth review of leading BPM products. This included a detailed evaluation of technical capabilities and reference sites.

FloSuite has also been selected by  Appleby Global, with the off-shore legal firm’s first deployment already live in its Cayman Islands office.

Appleby is one of the largest and most respected providers of sophisticated, specialised offshore legal, fiduciary and administration services. With over 600 lawyers and staff, it is uniquely positioned in the key offshore jurisdictions of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Jersey and Mauritius, as well as the financial centres of London and Hong Kong.

ISYS Search Software (www.isys-search.com), a global supplier of enterprise search solutions for business and government, today announced Carey Olsen has implemented ISYS:web 8 for its advanced search functionality and ability to connect with Interwoven’s WorkSite product.  
 
Carey Olsen is the largest law firm in the Channel Islands and serves a client base consisting of heads of state, governments, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, global and national corporations, professional firms and private clients.  With ISYS:web, the firm can now search across databases, file systems, websites and knowledge found in Interwoven WorkSite via its internal intranet.  ISYS provides a common interface to search all bodies of information stored by the firm.

Carey Olsen uses ISYS’ On-The-Fly Categorisation feature – which automatically builds relevant categories with each results set – and further leverages it by connecting it with Interwoven metadata.  This generates meaningful categories with each search that users readily recognise from their work with FileSite, enabling quick drill-down of results and rapid information gathering.  In addition to its ability to connect with Interwoven, Carey Olsen chose ISYS for its ability to work with existing security protocols, its value and its ease of implementation.

ASB aspire LLP – a new business launched by Top 100 practice, ASB Law – has selected Eclipse’s Proclaim® software as its core Case Management system.

The firm will run in parallel with ASB Law, focusing on volume, process-driven legal work: specifically residential conveyancing and remortgaging; personal injury and uninsured loss recovery.

Sally Dunscombe, ASB aspire’s Managing Director, comments: “This is a natural way forward for ASB law.  Services such as conveyancing, PI and loss recovery require supervision by lawyers and legal opinion at certain stages, but the underlying process is essentially administrative.  By teaming highly trained individuals with Eclipse’s Proclaim® system to drive processes and define actions, efficiencies and profitability will be maximised.”

ASB aspire’s initial implementation will see a 50-user Proclaim® Case Management system rolled out to key teams.  The firm is also taking Eclipse’s integrated Proclaim® Accounts system, and the FileView online case tracking tool.

Andrew Clinton, ASB Law’s Managing Partner, adds: “In many ways, the development of ASB aspire is a practical response to the findings of the 2004 Clementi review of the legal services market and the Government’s subsequent Legal Services Bill which is likely to come into force in three years’ time.  The legal landscape is about to change and firms are facing new challenges and opportunities.  Creating a strong foundation now is of paramount importance, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Eclipse.”