Guildford (UK) based TWM Solicitors LLP, which currently ranks No.213 on the Insider 250, has just announced it is to replace is current IRIS-based IT infrastructure with a new platform based around the LexisNexis Axxia DNA system. The firm, which will be rolling out the system across approximately 200 seats, will be using Axxia DNA to provide its accounts, practice management, BI reporting, workflow, case management and document management functionality. Commenting on the deal, the firm's head of IT Alan Barrett said "Our selection is the result of a very thorough consideration of similar solutions on the market. Axxia dna is without a doubt, the most sophisticated solution available. It not only meets our current requirements, but is a future-proof technology too, which is a major issue we face with our existing* solution."
*According to the Insider 250 archive, TWM were an AIM Evolution site.
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Tuesday, September 30
TWM swap out IRIS in favour of Axxia
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 30 Sep 2008 14:39 BST
New managed services offering for UK legal market
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 30 Sep 2008 08:45 BST
A new name in the market – Konetica – this week announced it had launched a managed IT services offering for the legal sector. The company say they are "offering a bespoke service which is tuned to the demands of individual law firms, Konetica offers an end to end service including 24 hour specialist IT desk support, infrastructure, software and technology updates that not only keep firms up and running but also pave the way for improved client service through IT innovation."
Founded by Malcolm Simms (the head of IT at Eversheds – he's currently still there on a part-time basis and leaves in December) and Richard Leonard (also ex-Eversheds) Konetica was created on the principle that "the partnership dynamic places unique demands on a firm’s IT department which only experts in the field can understand and service. As such, Konetica has developed a high-touch managed service which works either as a standalone service or in tandem with an IT department, leaving IT directors and CIOs free to focus on developing a strategy to drive the firm forward." Malcolm Simms, director, Konetica, comments “Whether it’s being able to email a client at two in the morning as final negotiations on an M&A go through or gather the information together for a particularly tricky litigation case, IT plays a critical part in the success of a law firm delivering its promise of a client centric service. We’re focused on providing a premium managed service which enables fee earners to simply get on with their job and IT directors the freedom to bring their true expertise to the fore.” Konetica commissioned research, conducted by Professor Joe Peppard from Cranfield School of Management, that reveals that CIOs of law firms are often too busy ‘keeping the lights on' to focus on strategy, innovation and business improvement in order to drive their firms forward in the use of IT. Professor Peppard, who holds the Chair in Information Systems, commented: “In many ways, the legal sector trails behind other industries in its adoption of outsourced IT services. In fact, many CIOs have been left frustrated as they have been forced to focus on IT operations rather than applying their knowledge and expertise to help push their firms forward to improve both firm performance and ultimately the service they provide to clients in what is an information and knowledge intensive industry.” Konetica say they will provide the expertise and agility that law firms require with the ability to broker the best deals with vendors and therefore offer the best value service. Konetica director, Richards Leonard adds “Considering that IT outsourcing has been in existence for over 20 years and has a current growth rate of seven percent, it’s somewhat surprising that the legal sector has not embraced the concept before now. Our aim is to bring the inherent cost and knowledge benefits of managed services whilst ensuring the service is specifically tailored to the legal sector.” Simms and Leonard told the Orange Rag they recognised the need for this type of service while they were working with Eversheds on the firm's recent outsourcing deal, which eventually went to Computacenter. They both also believe the current state of the economy is helping firms focus on their core businesses and looking to find ways to operate more efficiently and economically – and that even IT directors are actively examining alternative IT business models, rather than being stuck in the old 'turkeys don't vote for Christmas' mindset. Konetica say they currently have two deals on the table, including one with a law firm that is at an "advanced stage". Konetica will be hosting a series of breakfast briefings across the country over the coming months – starting in Birminghan in November – for managing partners, finance directors and IT directors to discuss how to shape their IT for the future. For more information on Konetica and to book a place at a breakfast briefing, visit www.konetica.com • Confusion corner: Although Prof Peppard talks about 'keeping the lights on' – Konetica has no connection with Peter Owen (by coincidence Simms' predecessor as head of IT at Eversheds) nor Owen's Lights-On Consulting business. Sorry Pete, you should have trademarked that phrase. Monday, September 29
More Legal Technology Insider FAQs
by
Charles Christian
on Mon 29 Sep 2008 19:21 BST
Question: Why has one of Legalease's publications – the Legal Technology Journal – been listing the Insider's email address news@legaltechnology.com as its contact address in a well known media directory? Does this mean the Insider is now part of the Legalease group?
Answer: Why – we haven't a clue. We are not part of the Legalease group – nor have we any desire to be. We have certainly never authorised them to use our address however we don't think they were deliberately passing off and suspect the explanation owes more to the bozo factor. We have now had the offending address removed.
BT limits wi-fi access to its wi-fi users
by
Charles Christian
on Mon 29 Sep 2008 09:08 BST
If the concept of 'cloud' computing is going to be the next big thing, then it's a pity nobody told BT. From next week BT Openzone customers in the UK will be cut off from public wi-fi provided by The Cloud.net and will lose coverage at thousands of hotspots as a result. A deal between the two firms will come to an end at 9am on October 2, BT told Openzone users in an email. Both home and business broadband subscribers will be affected.
The Cloud said commercial negotiations with BT had failed, adding "It's disappointing for BT Openzone customers that they will no longer be able to benefit from the convenience of our hotspots - we are disappointed that BT could not reach acceptable commercial terms, though we are certain everyone will understand that our service partners O2, Orange, AT&T, iPass and many others are happy to do business with The Cloud." In its email BT said "It's a decision we haven't made lightly. While we know this affects the wi-fi coverage you might be used to, or hotspots you regularly visit, the great news is that because the availability of wi-fi from BT has grown significantly in the past year, we don't think you'll be too disadvantaged." BT's customers will still have access to 3000 UK hotspots. (Guess somebody also forgot to tell BT that they no longer run a monopoly service.) Friday, September 26
New appointments at LexisNexis Axxia/Visualfiles division
by
Charles Christian
on Fri 26 Sep 2008 09:51 BST
Yesterday the Insider had a meeting with the senior management – Kate Holden, Edouard Tavernier and the newly appointed Tim Cheadle (see announcement below) – of LexisNexis' Practice & Productivity Management business – that's the division which in the UK runs Axxia and Visualfiles. And, guess what, despite rumours to the contrary, they do have a credible plan to integrate and take the two companies forward.
Holden was keen to stress that the priority for LexisNexis over the past 9 months had been meeting with the major customers* and staff of the two businesses, plus assessing the underlying technology platfroms and development plans – rather than rushing out attention-grabbing strategy statements (or 'doing an IRIS' as its known in the trade). The result has been some staff departures, because of the inevitable duplication of roles within the two companies – although the Visualfiles e-conveyancing/HIPs-related project teams have also taken a hit because of the collapse of the property market. As to what happens next, Holden says the latest announcement puts the final pieces of the management jigsaw in place and the next major development will be a joint Axxia/Visualfiles user conference in November. Sometime between then and the early new year, the group hopes to unveil its product development roadmap, including details of the long-awaited Visualfiles 'Project Manilla'. (* LexisNexis have been using NPS - Net Promoter Score - to assess customer loyalty. This is an approach originally developed by Bain & Co that ask customers a single question – usually "How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?". Based on their responses, customers can be categorized into one of three groups: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. In the net promoter framework, Promoters are viewed as valuable assets that drive profitable growth because of their repeat/increased purchases, longevity and referrals, while Detractors are seen as liabilities that destroy profitable growth because of their complaints, reduced purchases/defection and negative word-of-mouth. Companies calculate their Net Promoter Score by subtracting their % Detractors from their % Promoters. Proponents of the Net Promoter approach claim the score can be used to motivate an organization to become more focused on improving products and services for customers. All of which sounds a bit more scientific that the usual customer satisfaction surveys we hear about.) AND NOW THAT ANNOUNCEMENT... "LexisNexis has announced two new senior appointments to accelerate the growth of its Practice & Productivity Management business in the UK. This follows the acquisition and integration of Visualfiles, its case and matter management system, and Axxia dna, its integrated practice management system, under a single, unified organisation. Tim Cheadle has joined the company as UK General Manager and Product Champion, and Doug McLachlan has taken on the role of Commercial Director and Product Champion to lead the company’s UK Mid Law segment. "These appointments reflect the large investment that LexisNexis is making in the UK Practice & Productivity Management business following its recent acquisitions of the Visualfiles and Axxia. LexisNexis has integrated both acquisitions into a single organisation in order to maximise its resources and knowledge across both product sets to provide more product options, better services and enhanced support to its customers. "As General Manager and Product Champion, Tim Cheadle will oversee the operations in the UK and own the associated profit and loss, with a focus on expanding the company’s position as a leading supplier of the integrated practice and productivity solutions to the legal, corporate and government markets. Tim will report directly to Kate Holden, Senior Vice President, Global Practice Management Solutions. Cheadle, who previously served as Director of Product Solutions at Micro Focus where he lead the product management and solutions organisation across a large software portfolio, has also run his own hi-tech consultancy, and held a variety of senior positions at FormScape Software and at Imation Corp. "Doug McLachlan has over 20 years of market experience in the legal services sector. In his role as Commercial Director and Product Champion Mid Law, McLachlan is responsible for the product strategy, roadmap and profit and loss of the company’s products in this segment. Doug was at Axxia prior to the acquisition, where he held a number of senior technical, business development and marketing positions. McLachlan will report directly to Cheadle in his new role."
E-conveyancing giant warns of 'restructuring' and 'right-sizing'
by
Charles Christian
on Fri 26 Sep 2008 07:56 BST
MDA – the e-conveyancing systems group whose UK business includes the NLIS search channels Searchflow and Transaction Online – has issued a warning warned that its Q3 earnings will be below expectations given on-going weakness in the UK housing and lending market. The group is in the process of restructuring and right-sizing its UK products business.
Investment analysts Scotia Capital comment "We believe that MDA's management is being proactive in dealing with a deteriorating UK housing market. Our view is that the key catalyst to stabilizing the UK property market and positioning MDA's operations for improved trading conditions is improved liquidity in the UK mortgage market. "We are now forecasting housing sales in the UK of ~600,000 (previously 770,000) for 2008 as housing and mortgage markets continue to deteriorate. We will revisit our financial forecasts when the firm reports Q3 on October 29. We continue to be cautious regarding MDA's shares in the near term, as the firm faces significant pressure from sharp cyclical declines in the UK and US mortgage and housing markets." Wednesday, September 24
September Legal Technology Insider out now
by
Charles Christian
on Wed 24 Sep 2008 12:38 BST
The September issue (No.212) of the Legal Technology Insider newsletter (UK & EMEA edition) has just gone out digitally and will be hitting email in-boxes just about now. The print edition went out in the post yesterday, has already hit some desktops today, and will be reaching the rest of our subscriber base over the next few days (depending where you are located).
From the reactions we've already received, this month's editorial – about whether legal IT vendors should start considering online/web 2.0 type technologies, such as webcasts, rather than traditional direct mail & exhibitions – seems to have struck a chord... "LOVED the editorial!!! Nothing more to say really, agreed with everything you said." So here it is... Time for vendors to rethink Talk to any legal IT vendor today and you will hear grumbles about the declining effectiveness of their traditional marketing methods, particularly exhibitions, road shows and telesales. But, while it is easy (very easy) to pin the blame on short-term scapegoats (such as dozy telesales staff and unimaginative event organisers) a more fundamental question needs asking, namely has the world moved on and vendors now need to rethink their whole approach to marketing? What we have seen over the past 30 years has been a prevalence of ‘interruption based’ marketing, with prospects being ‘interrupted’ from their day jobs by mailshots, telephone cold-calling (both increasingly neutered by secretaries and PAs) and having to attend events. The theory among marketeers is we are now moving into the era of ‘permission based’ marketing, where instead of bombarding prospects with marketing materials they don’t want, materials are made available in a format prospects can access at their own time of choosing and convenience. Good examples of these include podcasts, webinars and videocasts. They allow audiences to access them when they want – and are increasingly being used as an alternative way of making first contact with prospects. True, they are not cheap – and it’s currently like the Wild West out there trying to sort the good webinar production companies from the rest. But there again, look at all the money vendors have wasted in the past on such things as glossy brochures that go straight in the bin without being opened?
Life imitating art - or something like that
by
Charles Christian
on Wed 24 Sep 2008 10:26 BST
So how much impact do TV programmes such as CSI Crime Scene Investigation have on real-life juries? A new psychological study from the University of Leicester aims to investigate how accurate people’s perceptions about forensic science are, where these beliefs come from, and how this forensic awareness may impact on jury decision making.
It will assess whether the jury system in the UK is influenced by the type of forensic-related programming potential jurors are exposed to, or whether their knowledge and understanding of forensic science through news media, literature or magazines has an impact on their courtroom decisions. The study will investigate how jurors interpret forensic evidence in court - and how this impacts on their decision making. Lisa Smith, from the Forensic Section of the University of Leicester School of Psychology, said: “In recent years the forensic science techniques available to police have become increasingly sophisticated and in some cases difficult to understand within the courtroom. “The increased attention given to forensic science in both the news and fictional media has also raised awareness of these techniques in the general public. The aim of this research is to understand how potential jurors perceive and understand various forensic science techniques, in order to determine how their attitudes and expectations may impact on their decision making in a courtroom setting.” Ms Smith added that jurors are faced with the very difficult task of evaluating many different types of evidence when reaching a final decision - which will ultimately change the lives of the defendants and victims involved in a criminal case. “As the complexity of forensic evidence increases with recent advances in technology, it is important to determine how well jurors understand the value of the evidence. “Forensic science is featured quite heavily in television programming and news media coverage, and this raises the public interest in forensic techniques. An important aspect of jury decision making is a juror's prior beliefs and knowledge, and this study aims to investigate how potential jurors' perceptions of forensic science impacts on their ability to evaluate different types of evidence. “This research will improve our understanding of how potential jurors use their prior beliefs about forensic science to inform their decision making when evaluating different types of forensic evidence. This can ultimately contribute to improvements in the way evidence is presented and explained to juries to ensure effective decisions are reached in the courtroom.” Volunteers are being sought to take part in the study. The on line questionnaire can be completed by following this link www.survey.bris.ac.uk/leicester/evidence Tuesday, September 23
More M&A activity & consolidation in UK legal IT market
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 23 Sep 2008 11:26 BST
Here is the full text of a statement just issued by Ultima – which came in 5 minutes ago and too late to include in this week's Insider newsletter...
The Directors of Ultima (the 'Directors’) are pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of JCS by Cognito Software Limited (‘Cognito’), a subsidiary of Ultima, today (23 September 2008) which is a substantial acquisition as defined in the AIM Rules. The operations of the two entities will be merged and will trade under the brand of Cognito, Ultima’s legal software brand. The cost of the acquisition was £268,664 and in JCS’s last unaudited accounts for the year ended 30 June 2008 the turnover was £284,636; generating profit before tax of £65,210. JCS’s unaudited net assets were £108,664 as at 30 June 2008. The enlarged Cognito will now have a client base of nearly 300 and will continue to provide software and services to the legal profession, along with marketing a comprehensive range of multi-user software for solicitors. The first Cognito product was originally developed in 1991 and the software has evolved to meet the expanding needs of an industry that is increasingly automating repetitive work. Founders Roger Jackson and Kerry Frater, who successfully built JCS into the longest standing member in the Law Society’s Software Solutions Guide, have been appointed Managing Director and Chief Technical Officer respectively of the combined company. Their experience and expertise will help formulate and drive the strategy for all Cognito products and services in the months and years to come. Cognito is now well placed to continue to achieve its key objectives of product development and increasing market presence. With the goal being to develop new versions of both companies’ software, the merger creates a substantially larger development team. This will allow for more aggressive and ambitious targets by combining the skills and expertise that both companies have built up over 17 years in the legal software market. The result will be a quicker and more functional software suite, well placed to take existing and new clients into the emerging requirements of legal IT. JCS also brings a number of innovations to the Cognito range. It already has in place the mechanisms and functionality for on-line identity checking, text messaging, stamp duty land tax submissions, integrated scanning, pdf document construction and merging, and is in the process of integrating a professional will production module. JCS also provides the option for complete turnkey solutions, supplying all hardware, software, support & services - giving clients the attractive option of a 'one-stop shop' for all of their IT needs. Humayun Mughal, Chairman & CEO of Ultima, commented: “We believe that this represents a fantastic opportunity to exploit the considerable synergies that exist between the two companies. This will allow us to more effectively achieve our two principal objectives which are of critical importance to our customers: market leading software, from a secure and innovative supplier. "The merger will result in a greater development team that I believe will enhance product innovation and development, along with a support & training team large enough to make the implementation more effective, and therefore the take up and return on investment of new software modules faster. Fundamentally I am confident that this acquisition will provide us with a larger client base and will be earnings enhancing for the Company.” Roger Jackson, Managing Director of Cognito Software Limited, commented: “This merger offers great potential for synergy between our two companies, as Cognito and JCS have their respective market strengths. Both organisations have abilities that will complement the other’s offerings and will in turn result in an enhanced merged company. The merger will make the new Cognito one of the leading suppliers of practice and case management software in the country, providing ongoing security for all our clients. The new Cognito will result in a structure that will work with and listen to the needs of its clients in order to create solutions that really make a difference.” • Ultima operates through two divisions: the Services Division and the Products Division. The Company’s Services Division is primarily responsible for supplying computer application software, related support and other services to the legal profession principally through the Cognito brand. The Products Division is responsible for the development and sale of consumer and specialist electrical goods, with a focus on renewable and low energy products. www.ultima-networks.com/Software-Division.html
APAC news... Interwoven deals in SE Asia
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 23 Sep 2008 09:49 BST
Interwoven has issued a round-up of recent business wins in the South-East Asia region, they include wins at J Sagar Associates, which has five offices across India. Plus leading Singaporean
law firms Allen & Gledhill, Colin Ng & Partners ,
KhattarWong – which also has offices in Vietnam and China, Rajah & Tann, Rodyk & Davidson – this was a competive swapout, in part prompted by the firm's plans for expansion into China, and
the WongPartnership – which also has offices in China and the Middle East. And two of the largest firms in Malaysia – Shearn
Delamore and Zaid Ibrahim & Co.
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