I suspect that we're all under the illusion that the average law firm partner has some longer term strategy about them, rather than 'grab what you can this year'. Whilst IT budgets (or any other 'support' expenses for projects) are still centralised overhead and not allocated directly, then 'Pet Project' items will still get funded as long as the rest of the Partnership shares the burden. Certain Partners will still travel First Class, even while they send memo's about how green they are... and they will spend money while the Partnership shares the burden. That will, perhaps, see us through... However the lowering of PEP in the forthcoming year is focusing minds ... In truth, most law firm Partners only look a year ahead at best. They do not understand or care about investment in the longer term (and why should they, when a third of them are looking to retire in the next 5 years?). The supplier community should really focus at providing services and software on a basis Partners can grasp - year-on-year, as a service rather than an 'investment'. It's the only thing they understand...