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This issue: 210 (June 2008)
| Next issue: 211 (24 July 2008)
Advertising & editorial deadline for next issue: 21.07.08
Publisher & Editor: Charles Christian | Tel: 01986 788666 | Fax: 01986 788808 | Email: news@legaltechnology.com

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Top 10 in this issue of Legal Technology Insider:
 
1. IRIS Legal makes another acquisition
2. June's big deals
3. Product launch of the month: Version 5 from nFlow - is this DDS 2.0?
4. Editorial: Insider launches legal IT spend survey
5. Thought Leader: Why does IT training matter?
6. Eclipse joins the SaaS generation
7. It's a green machine
8. Insider to launch North American edition
9. Readers' poll: Is digital dictation just an interim technology?
10. Transcription closed shop warning

 
Or log in to read this issue online: www.legaltechnology.com/latest
 
> Editorial
> Headline stories
> Other stories
> News in brief
> People & places
> Digital dictation news in brief
> Fresh on the radar
> Marketing IT news in brief
> Job of the week
 
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Regulars

Useful links
> Legal Technology web site
> Contact us
> Jobs
> Latest events
> The Orange Rag blog
> All about the Insider
 
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Editorial: The Insider launches legal IT spend survey ... with Charles Christian
 
During the course of the past few days, the IT heads of the UK’s 300 largest law firms will have received an invitation to take part in the Insider’s (and, as far as we know, the UK legal market’s) first major survey into law firm IT spending patterns.

We are looking at not just the technologies now on firm’s shopping lists (for example, just how much interest is there really in Microsoft Sharepoint) but also how this year’s budgets relate both to last year’s figures and next year’s planned IT spend.

The results of the survey, which will be published in various formats free of charge in October, will hopefully dispel some of the myths surrounding the legal IT sector in the UK today, including: is it in recession, do firms spend so much on staff and routine maintenance/support that they cannot afford new stuff, and, is training the Cinderella of the legal IT world? Along with all this, the results will also provide a valuable peer-to-peer benchmark, as firms will be able to look at the data to see not only which technologies similar sized firms are investing in but also how much (in real terms or as a percentage of turnover) they have spent, are spending and are planning to spend.

To simplify the management of the survey and collation of data, survey forms are being distributed electronically via Tikit’s eMarketing Solution system running on Interaction. However, strict Chinese walls are in place, with data only being seen by myself and the identity of all respondents remaining strictly confidential.
 
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Headline stories

 
IRIS Legal makes another acquisition
The IRIS Software Group has announced the acquisition of OPSIS Limited. Headquartered in Dublin, OPSIS has a strong presence in the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland legal software markets, as well as selling into English and Welsh law firms. The official statement says “The acquisition will enable IRIS to significantly extend its customer footprint in Ireland and at the same time, it marks a further step forward towards IRIS’ goal to provide the legal profession with the widest range of quality software products to suit every size and type of practice.”

Although OPSIS is probably best known in the UK market for its 1-to-5 user Small Practice System and its Millennium Solo system for sole practitioners it also has PMS and case management offerings suitable for firms in the small-to-mid size range. The UK offices are in Stamford, which OPSIS took on after acquiring the old Stukeley Computers business.

The official statement from IRIS goes on to say “As IRIS Legal have done with GB Systems in Scotland, there are no plans to consolidate the product range within IRIS Legal and the business will continue to be run independently by its existing management team, who are remaining with the business.”
 
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June's big deals

Five Interwoven DMS and search wins
Two more law firms – Rickerbys and Kennedys – have signed up for the Worksite DMS from Interwoven, while three more – Bond Pearce, Osborne Clarke and Taylor Wessing – have ordered the Professional Edition of Interwoven’s Universal Search (IUS) system. Phoenix Business Solutions are implementing IUS at Osborne Clarke, in a project that will also see IUS integrated with Sharepoint.

Seddons upgrade to FWBS Matter Centre
West End commercial firm Seddons has upgraded its existing OMS 2K matter management software to the new FWBS Matter Centre system. The upgrade followed a full market evaluation that saw a long list of five suppliers come down to a short-list of FWBS and LexisNexis Axxia DNA. The project also includes a move from Paragon accounts to the Indigo PMS.

OchreSoft gets Gordon Brown
Law firm Gordon Brown Associates, which has offices across the North East, including three estate agencies, has selected OchreSoft Technologies’ Intelliworks conveyancing case management system for its property business. The firm will also be using Intelliworks new facility for the online submission of SDLT returns.

Reed Smith new KM solution
Reed Smith LLP, currently ranked one of the 15 largest law firms on the planet, has selected Recommind’s MindServer Legal system to provide the backbone for the firm’s knowledge management platform. The firm has also selected Recommind’s Decisiv email filing management system.

 
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Product launch of the month: Version 5 from nFlow - is this DDS 2.0?
DDS workflow systems developer nFlow used its recent user conference as the forum in which to preview Version 5 of its software. This is a product nFlow sees as the start of what it calls ‘DDS 2.0’ because “all current DDS systems are incremental updates to first generation products” whereas “nFlow v5 is the first system in its class planned and built from the ground up on a mature understanding and experience of what firms want.” nFlow’s Rob Lancashire said this may seem a bold claim but “we are passionate about what we do.”

The new system, which is currently in beta and due to start shipping in September, has been two years in development with nFow engineers working with Microsoft consultants to create a .NET system that nFlow believe will not only create a technical differential between them and the rest of the market but also give firms a system that is easier to implement, support and use. There is insufficient space here to go into the under-the-bonnet stuff about support for SaaS, Web parts for Sharepoint and Silverlight however what should be of immediate appeal is that other than a technical upgrade charge of £1400 per firm there are no other upgrade costs. In addition, because both the current v4 and the new v5 systems use the same data core and can coexist on the same network, there are also no data migration costs. Upgrade training is available online but nFlow say the interface is so intuitive that many users will not require any retraining, thus providing another saving.

Thought Leader: Why does IT training matter?
by Joanne Humber, director, Phoenix Business Solutions

Put simply: an IT system implementation can only be measured as a success by assessing the competence of its users. Investment in new systems or software is justified if it shows a return on that investment in terms of improved business processes, whether they are intended for the IT department or used throughout the firm. If you are introducing a new email archiving system and need the IT team trained or moving to a new DMS and need to train everyone – ensuring that users are able to competently and confidently work with the new technology is essential.

Involving your training team, whether in house or outsourced, at an early stage makes good business sense for many reasons. Trainers are often the ‘acceptable face of IT.’ They are the people who will be up there in front of the users, delivering the message. Bringing them onto the project team helps provide early feedback and assessment of the impact of any changes on working practices.

Identifying change management issues before they begin to bite can make the difference between acceptance and rejection of technology changes. Training staff can communicate with the eventual users of a system during the project, with an emphasis on the positive benefits both for the individual and the firm, and explain the likely impact and the proposed timescales. Areas where training can play an important part:

• Testing – trainers can be used to test new systems effectively by providing a realistic approach to the issues. They work with users constantly, they understand where proposed changes will impact most.

• Preparation – Support materials should be prepared and tailored to suit the different ways that individuals learn. Some people feel most comfortable referring to a full detailed manual and others work best with a quick guide and intranet links to computer based demos.

• Delivery – all training should start with the IT support team so that they are fully conversant with the system before other users are trained. Classroom, workshop, seminar, desk-side sessions, e-learning... the method of delivery needs to be flexible, again to suit individual learning styles.

• Follow up floor walking/support – ideally undertaken by the trainers, encourages users to feel confident that any issues are dealt with quickly. E-learning or computer based modules provide valuable back up to trainer-led sessions or can be used to deliver a step-by-step introduction to even the most difficult concepts when trainers are not available. Professional trainers/training organisations will be able to advise and deliver a full range of options.

• Scheduling – needs to be sensible. Half an hour is not long enough to communicate a complex concept but it may be fine to show a simple new workflow. The professional trainer is the person who will know how long it will take to deliver a message in the most effective way.

• Review – after a new system is implemented and its users have received their initial training, it is important to review their competence. Help Desk calls can reveal areas where users are struggling and where help is needed.

Training matters – carefully planned and totally relevant – without it much of the investment in IT projects is wasted!

Eclipse joins the SaaS generation
Eclipse Legal Systems is the latest vendor to offer a software as a service (SaaS) option. Although Eclipse has been offering both client/server and thin client (Terminal Services or Citix) implementations of its Proclaim case management for some time, the new version is a fully hosted option, delivered via a browser, complete with new pricing structure to maximise its availability to smaller firms. Commenting on the move, Eclipse sales director Russell Thomson said “Vendors have seen a lot of stop start in this area, with hosted solutions, ASP and services of this ilk being taken up somewhat tentatively. We held fire in providing an SaaS option until both technological maturity and market needs are present together. We have listened to existing and prospective users and are now able to provide an SaaS solution that maximises the inherent efficiencies of the model, while keeping costs at a practical and attractive level for all shapes and sizes of law firm.”

In other SaaS related news...
• Managed services specialist e-know.net has launched ShareHost, a new hosting and back-up service, including consultancy and disaster recovery, for law firms keen to take advantage of Microsoft Sharepoint. For details call Michael Pickford on 01952 236236.
• Kingsley Napley has rolled out a new hosted/SaaS-based CRM system from Really Simple Systems (0870 383 1247). The firm’s marketing exec Dani Harrod said the firm looked at a range of CRM systems before opting for RSS, which they felt was quicker, easier and more cost effective to set up. Really Simple say their hosted CRM system is suitable for organisations with between 5 and 200 users. www.reallysimplesystems.com

It's a green machine
This looks as if it could be the start of a whole new thread in Insider news coverage. After carrying very few stories on ‘green’ issues, last month started the ball rolling and there’s more this month, beginning with the news that Taylor Wessing has become the first UK law firm to be awarded BSI ISO 14001 environmental certification.

Commenting on the award, partner Simon Walker (who heads the firm’s environmental awareness committee) said “Carbon offsetting is fine but in a way is a bit of a cop-out. We wanted to take a more proactive approach.” Measures the firm has taken include recycling, a more rigourous approach to switching off electrical equipment, and taking the train instead of the plane (or using internet conferencing) for internal meetings in Paris and Brussels.

• We mentioned Irwin Mitchell’s use of Verdiem power management systems last time, now here’s another. It is called PC Power Down (0808 137 1010) costs from £175 per computer (it can also handle peripherals) and there is also a network version available.
www.pcpowerdown.com
• Finally, make a date for the Green IT Expo, which takes place at The Barbican in London on 4 & 5 November. This is a free conference looking at green business IT strategies.
www.greenitexpo.com

Insider to launch North American edition
Legal Technology Insider is launching an American edition of the Insider focusing on the large firms sector of the US and Canadian legal IT industry. Called American Legal Technology Insider, it will follow the UK newsletter’s approach to content and formula of covering vendor and industry news as real news. Initial responses have been positive, attracting comments such as “we definitely need one of these for North America,” “a much needed addition to the legal IT media panorama over here given the consolidation” and – our favourite – “awesome”.

American Legal Technology Insider will be published in a digital only format – as a PDF file – and will be available free of charge either as a download from the Insider and 3rd party websites (including www.insidelegal.com) or delivered directly to your email in-box as a file attachment – to subscribe just email altisubs@legltechnology.com with the word subscribe in the subject line. Issue #1 will be published on Thursday 7 August 2008 and then monthly from Wednesday 10 September.
www.americanlegaltechnologyinsider.com
– from mid July.

Readers' poll: Is digital dictation just an interim technology?
For our latest Readers’ Poll, we asked whether digital dictation is a transitory, interim technology* that will be rendered redundant by newer developments? We had a good response that saw some very definite views expressed.

• The first question was ‘are self typing lawyers more cost effective than lawyers who dictate’ – which produced a resounding ‘no’ from 68% of respondents. That said, 60% did say they believed law students should be taught touch typing at law school – although we are not sure why as almost the same number (56%) said incoming trainees should not be tested for their typing ability.

• There was also an almost unanimous (83%) verdict that lawyers should not be deprived of secretaries just because they are adequate self typists, which does make sense because a good legal secretary has always done a lot more than type.

• We also asked about training, with 72% of respondents saying dictation training should become a standard part of induction at all firms, and 62% saying law firms should not teach trainees to touch type.

• Turning to future trends...
– 63% said they did not think a growing generation of computer literate lawyers would make dictation obsolete in 10 years;
– 72% said they did not think speech recognition would make dictation obsolete in 10 years; and
– 65% said they did not think speech recognition would make self typing obsolete in 10 years.

So, forget speech recognition and keep on dictating.

* And yes we realise that all technologies are transitory – however while some may have had a relatively short lifespan (like the audio cassette tape midway between vinyl albums and CDs – and yes we know CDs are themselves threathened by MP3 file downloads) – others enjoy a surprising longevity. For example, the QWERTY/Sholes keyboard was patented in 1874 to prevent the most frequently used keys on a mechanical, spring-driven typewriter keyboard from jamming. 134 years later it is still in use despite the fact the digital keyboard on a PC has no such jamming problems. (For the record, Thomas Edison invented the first dictation recorder in 1877.)

Readers' Poll will be back in the autumn after we have completed our Legal IT Spend Survey.

Transcription closed shop warning
Richard Phillips, a founding director of transcription bureau OutSec is concerned law firms are not considering the issue of soundfile format when selecting DDS workflow systems. “Does the workflow software convert files from a standard format to a proprietary one for internal distribution? If so,” he warns, “it will have to be re-converted in order for it to be read externally. Some DDS suppliers charge for this service or charge the transcription company receiving the work a licence to convert the files.”

“The question of licences and charging,” he adds, “is important in considering how workflow systems can offer maximum flexibility to firms wanting to outsource. Some workflow suppliers charge by the typist, by the hour of dictation or by author. It is vital to ensure no additional costs are incurred when the decision to outsource is taken as this will be a considerable barrier to free choice and may jeopardise the whole project.”

“There are even some workflow suppliers who have an approved list of online transcription companies and take a monthly commission from them, based on the amount of work submitted by their customers to them. Other transcription companies who do not sign up for this are effectively barred from handling any work for these customers. In this instance, the firm is in effect paying twice for the workflow process and being restricted in its choice of outsourced typing bureau.”
   

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Other stories

Two new consultancies
News of two new consultancies in the market... Legal IT industry veteran and former AIM managing director Jim Chase has launched the Jim Chase Consultancy (07775 917846) to provide strategic advice to law firms on their business objectives, operational models and change management. And, Bill Kirby and Allan Carton have formed the Managed Services Consultancy to help firms evaluate the options for outsourcing all or part of their IT and, where appropriate, to procure and manage the transition from inhouse to managed. Kirby and Carton will continue working with their existing consultancies (respectively Professional Choice and Inpractice).
www.jimchase.co.uk
www.managedservicesconsultancy.com

Tikit enhances its emarketing system
Tikit has launched a new and more intuitive version of its eMarketing Solution. Enhancements to the Tikit system include a web console management utility, advanced link tracking and graphical campaign reporting. The Tikit system, which is effectively a campaign management tool that integrates with the LexisNexis Interaction CRM, is now used by over 140 organisations as a way of using their CRM data to drive customised e-marketing campaigns, including newsletters and event invitations, direct to the recipients’ email in-boxes.

Simon Ellison-Bunce, the head of Tikit’s CRM product development, said the new functionality was designed to provide feedback that users could build into future campaigns. For example, once a newsletter or email shot has been sent, the link tracking functionality will quickly and easily enable firms to see how many of the emails have been opened, by whom and how many users clicked on a link. The firm is also able to see how long it took users to interact with a piece of content and whether repeated clicking on a particular link suggests they tailor their next communication to focus on that topic. “The new functionality,” said Ellison-Bunce, “is about more than just counting emails. It is about giving a real and strategic insight into the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.”

All change for wills
Following the decision by LexisNexis Butterworths to drop its Will Creator software, users of the system can now obtain support direct from Documents Plus Ltd (DPL – 01732 867792), who are the people who developed the product in the first place. DPL have enhanced the product, so it now also generates a context-sensitive plain English commentary explaining to clients what the various clauses in their wills actually mean. The enhancement was prompted by user comments that it sometimes took longer to explain the provisions of wills than it did to draft them. The upgraded version of the product is available both from DPL and from Sweet & Maxwell, who market the product as Express Wills. Express Wills also contains extensive will precedents and lasting power of attorney forms.

Aderant building up local domain expertise
Following the success of its relationship with Timesoft in the Benelux zone, Aderant head of sales & marketing Don Howren said the company was extending this ‘go to market strategy’ of ‘regional domain expertise’ by forming a similar relationship with Auckland (New Zealand) based IT implementation consultancy Jiggy Interactive.

Jiggy has been working on Aderant CMS and Keystone projects since 2001 and, as well as having a similar relationship with Interwoven, has also developed its ‘Open’ range of PMS and DMS add-on utilities, including its OpenCounsel matter management system for inhouse legal departments.
www.jiggyinteractivecom

The Insider has also been catching up with Timesoft since the MBO earlier this year from founder Martijn Voorhuis. Jeroen Kersten, one of the team of three directors involved in the MBO, said that while it was very much business as usual, the one difference Timesoft customers would start to notice was a greater focus on the provision of services. He added that Timesoft would continue to develop specific products both for the Benelux and broader Aderant markets. The porfolio already includes a dedupe utility for data cleansing, a fixed asset module and software for notaries.

Separately, Voorhuis told the Insider that after 12 years it was time to move on and he was taking the summer off to consider the “many options” that had opened up.

• Lawyers and notaries Dijkstra Voermans have become the latest Dutch legal practice to select Aderant Expert as its new PMS. The sale and implementation is being handled by Timesoft.

Law firm gathers some MOSS
As part of a longer term project, Farrer & Co has become one of the first firms in London to use Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server 2007 Enterprise (MOSS) as the key technology platform for its new intranet. The firm describes its existing system as ‘a difficult and expensive to maintain ASP-based intranet, custom SQL database driven meeting room booking system, long range events system and other home-grown databases’ and recognised the need for a new system that would ‘improve internal communications, enhance efficiency and effectiveness and ease the editorial process’.

Farrer & Co, who have now released details of the first phase of the project, identified MOSS as the platform and engaged ICS Solutions (01256 403867) to design and build both the intranet and the new host server-farm. In addition, ICS also configured the Sharepoint security and user groups, as well as standard and built-in approval workflow processes. As Farrers were anxious for existing methodologies and practices to be maintained when the new system went live, ICS also migrated the functionality of a number of the firm’s core business applications. MOSS Search was also configured to support searches from intranet content and to work alongside Sysero* federated search to encompass the firm’s knowledge and document management systems.

Commenting on the project, Anthony Stables (who leads the inhouse IT team at Farrer & Co) said “The advantage of using MOSS is its a well grounded technology Microsoft are committed to, one that will continue to evolve and invade the ECM (enterprise content management) as well as portal and workflow technology arenas. The ability to search all areas of a firm’s knowledge from a central point highlights the hidden value of unstructured data sources.”
* The SyseroKS (knowledge search) system is sold and supported in the UK by UC Logic. Other legal market users include Freshfields, Bird & Bird and Martineau Johnson.
www.uclogic.com

Climb every mountain
Nathan Hayes, the head of infrastructure and technology at Osborne Clarke, is heading off to the Alps in early July to climb Mont Blanc in order to raise money for Scope, the cerebral palsy charity. Hayes, who has already scaled some peaks in the Alps to raise money for Scope, has now decided to climb a ‘real’ mountain. He already has some commercial sponsorship, courtesy Mimecast, Phoenix Business Solutions and PureTech, but you can help him raise more by visiting www.justgiving.com/natmontblanc

Still in the realms of charitable endeavour, admiration and congratulations to Quill’s southern account manager Clare Tuck, who raised £1000 for breast cancer charities in last month’s Playtex Moon Walk late night marathon-length walk around London; and to the seven members of nFlow who recently took part in the 5K Race for Business in Chelmsford, to raise money for the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity trust.

Quote, unquote
“It’s like the Waltons out there, they’re all really happy and settled in their firms. Or could it be they’re staying put because of the state of the economy?” ...a London law firm IT director on why there are so few vacancies at the moment.

10 years ago today...
June 1998 was an exciting time. AIM, now part of the IRIS Legal Group, had just lost its second managing director (Peter Garton) in less than a year (John Wilde was Garton’s predecessor). AIM’s deputy chairman Mike Booth said this was “business as usual”. Axxia and Microsoft became involved in a war of words after Axxia described Windows NT 4 and SQL Server 6.5 as “unstable”. Microsoft’s UK development manager told the Insider this was typical “propaganda” from systems houses “struggling” to port their Unix applications to NT. And, Keystone (now part of Aderant) was entering what would become its annus horriblis when its flagship UK site – Ashurst Morris Crisp (now Ashurst) – dropped its Keystone implementation and switched to CMS Open (now also Aderant) amid what was described at the time as a ‘bloodbath’ among the firm’s senior management.

 
 
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News in brief
 
Lewis Silkin swap in Copitrak
Lewis Silkin is replacing its incumbent Equitrac technology with new cost recovery software and terminals supplied by Copitrak Systems.

Two more sign up for Laserforms
Two more London firms – Kemp Little LLP and Lawrence Stephens – have signed up for the IRIS Laserform catalogue of electronic legal forms.

PM Law upgrade with Linetime
Long-time Linetime users PM Law (Proddow Mackay) are upgrading from their incumbent Linetime Practice 2 system to the supplier’s newer Liberate product. The firm is also taking Linetime’s new .NET case management system, which will be rolled out to 175 users and replace an inhouse developed system.

SoftDesign win outsourcing deal
SoftDesign Services (020 8293 3123) has agreed an outsourcing arrangement with Buss Murton Solicitors that, whilst still at an early stage, is already resulting in major savings in overall IT spend.

ECHR overhauls service desk function
The European Court of Human Rights has overhauled its IT help desk operation with the installation of ICCM’s e-Service Desk.

New services from Legal Inc
Lit support specialist Legal Inc has agreed terms to become a strategic hosting partner for Anacomp’s CaseLogistix software. Legal Inc has also been appointed sole UK-based AP for the FTI Ringtail system and announced a joint venture with Millnet – called SmartCode – to improve the quality, speed and affordability of document coding services.

NetworkLaw goes virtual
Thames Valley virtual firm NetworkLaw, which was set up by Marcus O’Leary, has turned to Intercept IT to provide a pay-as-you go hosted ‘online desktop’ so staff can work from any location at any time.
www.intercept-it.com

Tollers revamp website
Tollers LLP has revamped its website around a new content management system and an ‘info-docks’ feature that allows regular visitors to customise the information they view on the site. The new site was designed in conjunction with BSolve IT Limited (01536 723253).
www.tollers.co.uk

Email quarantine – just say no
Ashurst is the latest large firm to switch to Mimecast’s SaaS approach to email management as a way of avoiding the problem of ever increasing numbers of spam and false positive messages waiting for review in quarantine. The firm’s IT systems manager Paolo Picone said key factors in the Mimecast service that were decisive in its selection were support for a rolling 10 year archive of all emails, that Ashurst retained policy control, and a tamper-proof record of emails with a data trail for compliance purposes.

New source for audio visual
Reseller AK-IT Solutions UK has partnered with audio-visual (AV) specialists Design Integration to offer a more innovative approach to AV pojects within the legal sector. The companies have already worked with Berwin Leighton Paisner and foresee other legal applications, such as using video technology to record discussions and conferences between legal teams and clients, and to then store the footage in matter files within their document management systems.
www.akon-line.com

DMC working with LexisNexis legal
Print and scanning systems supplier DMC Business Machines is working with LexisNexis UK’s legal software arm (Axxia and Visualfiles) to develop a document scanning management ‘connector’ that can be directly embedded within the Visualfiles cases management and Axxia DNA practice management systems. The work with Visualfiles is already complete and the Axxia project is underway.
www.dmcplc.co.uk

BCM Hanby Wallace select Phoenix + Interwoven
Irish law firm BCM Hanby Wallace has awarded Phoenix Business Solutions a contract to implement its document, email, records and know-how management infrastructure based on Interwoven’s Worksite, Records Manager and Universal Search products.
• On 15 July, Phoenix is holding a presentation at its London offices on the DTE Axiom time capture system.
     

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The Insider web site

For the latest legal IT news, jobs, events and information, visit the Insider web site - www.legaltechnology.com, described by The Times newspaper as "the definitive online resource for legal technology information".
And don't forget our breaking news blog The Orange Rag.
 
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People & places
 
Holiday over so soon?
Well that didn’t take long? Last month we reported that Neil Renfrew had departed from Tikit to enjoy a life of hedonistic pleasure – but now he has decided to go ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ and will be joining Thomas Eggar as the 550 user firm’s head of IT, starting in July.

New alliances veep at Equitrac
As part of a new initiative to expand support for channel resellers (including Canon, HP, Sharp, Ricoh and Xerox) Equitrac has appointed Noel O’Dwyer as vice president of marketing & strategic alliances. O’Dwyer, who will also oversee Equitrac’s new global alliance marketing team, is described as ‘an office equipment industry veteran’ whose recent track record includes a similar role at eCopy. IDC analyst Michael Orasin said the appointment showed Equitrac was “broadening its strategy to address office solutions beyond document accounting.”

Other appointments & moves
Billback Systems has appointed Lucia Romeu as its newest sales consultant – her territory will include Spain as well as parts of the UK. Solcara has appointed three senior sales managers, including Mark Harding (previously with Bighand) who will have responsibility for the legal and professional services market. Legal IT marketing agency PureTech has recruited Michelle Gunter as an account director. Vendors she has worked with in the past include Metastorm and Informix.

Rebranding for TTL
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Cheltenham-based Total Telecommunications Ltd is rebranding. The company originally used the TTL brand to distinguish itself from sister company TNC but from 1st July both trading arms will become one company: Total Ltd. There are no changes to the company’s business or ownership.

Ron Goodman
We’re sad to report that Ron Goodman, who we first encountered at Pilgrim and, more recently, at Timeslice, died in April as a result of pulmonary fibrosis. An added poignancy is that he had only retired a few months previously.

 

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Digital dictation news in brief

SRC to integrate DDS with firm’s Interwoven Worksite
Top 250 firm Boyes Turner has selected SRC Winscribe as its DDS platform. The firm said key factors were the support for mobile working and the ability to integrate with Interwoven DMS.

Mullis & Peake go with nFlow
Mullis & Peake has rolled out nFlow DDS in its Romford office and will be deploying it in other offices via Citrix.

New dictation platforms available
Grundig’s range of digital dictation products now support Linux-based thin clients within a Citrix environment. Bighand has launched a Windows Mobile (5.0, 6.0 and 6.1) edition of its DDS software. And, Winscribe’s own mobility suite, which already supports Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices, has been extended to support the Symbian platform, starting with the Nokia N95.

 
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Fresh on the radar

 
Serco
The last time we encountered John Pitman, he was helping LexisNexis Butterworths get its online services act together. Since then he has been working outside of legal but is now back with the ‘excellence gateway’ division of the services and government outsourcing multinational Serco. This division has recently been busy in the education sector, pulling together diverse online content offerings within one unified delivery portal and is now talking to organisations within the legal sector about similar projects. He can be contacted at 07738 894388 and john.pitman@serco.com
http://excellence.qia.org.uk

 
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Marketing IT news in brief

 
Taylor Wessing expanding CRM with ContactNet
Taylor Wessing is expanding the scope of its Interaction CRM software by rolling out a ContactNet enterprise relationship management (ERM) system from Contact Networks (now part of Thomson Reuters). ContactNet analyses data found in email traffic records and repositories such as billing systems to identify potentially valuable ‘hidden’ relationships with clients and third parties that have not been entered into Outlook address books. The system is being implemented by Tikit.

Three new Interaction wins
Three more law firms – Burges Salmon, Thorntons Law and Penningtons – have purchased LexisNexis Interaction as their CRM system. Penningtons, who are working with Tikit on their rollout, have also purchased Tikit’s eMarketing Solution and have retained Tikit’s data cleansing subsidiary Shamrock Marketing to check the quality of the data being fed into the new system.

New proposal generator from Hubbard One
Hubbard One, the marketing IT and consultancy arm of the Thomson Elite group, has released Marketing Center 6.2 – the latest version of its proposal generator module. New features include enhanced opportunity tracking and multi-lingual capabilities.
www.hubbardonenews.com

Tikit + Insider CRM webinar
Insider editor Charles Christian is chairing a webinar hosted by Tikit on cost effective CRM strategies for uncertain times. The live version takes place on 1st July and it will be available on the Tikit website from 2nd July. The login details are http://mediazone.brighttalk.com/event/Tikit/52947e0ade-1612-registration

 
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Insider jobs of the week

Sales Engineer - Legal & Professional Services, Interwoven
Interwoven is a global leader in content management solutions. Our software and services enable organizations to maximise online businessperformance and organise, find, and govern business content. Our solutions unlock the value of content by delivering the right content to the right person in the right context at the right time. We are currently looking for a Sales Engineer in Interwoven's PSIS Sales Group to work closely with Sales Managers, Partner Managers & Marketing Representatives to qualify, model and close new and existing accounts. This highly visible role involves owning accounts from all aspects of the technical sales cycle including process discovery, demo, RFP, proof-of-concept development and demonstration. Relationship building, process mapping, sales cycle management and a passion for success are necessary skills in this role. The ideal candidate will have experience of working in the technology area of a legal or professional services organisation. Superior relationship building and consultative sales abilities is a definite plus. Interested candidates should apply via email to chris.clamp@interwoven.com


Full details on these and other vacancies can be found on the Insider jobsboard

 
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Contact us

For all editorial, subscription insert, reprint and advertising enquiries contact: Legal Technology Insider, Oak Lodge, Darrow Green Road, Denton, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 0AY, UK

Publisher & Editor: Charles Christian | Tel: 01986 788666 | Fax: 01986 788808 | Email: news@legaltechnology.com

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ISSN 1740-8474 (Online) Copyright © Legal Technology Insider 2008. All rights reserved. Published by Legal Technology Insider Limited. No part of this publication may be reproduced without consent. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, no guarantee is expressed or implied and the Publisher does not accept liability for any loss or damage that may arise from any errors or omissions. Please note that website addresses can change. All brand names and trademarks are acknowledged. Privacy policy: We do not sell or disclose the names, addresses or contact details of our subscribers to anyone... ever!

© 2008 Legal Technology Insider