LEGAL TECHNOLOGY Insider the SOURCE for INDEPENDENT LEGAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS, COMMENT and ANALYSIS
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Issue 103 £6.00 CHARLES CHRISTIAN’s LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER THE SOURCE FOR INDEPENDENT LEGAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS, COMMENT AND ANALYSIS AXXIA GETS ON TO THE LATE NEWS IN BRIEF 4 E-CONVEYANCING GETS A PREVIEW E-CASE - WITH XML On Tuesday morning (20th June) the Having seen arch-rival Solicitec have the online case Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, officially management field almost to itself for the last couple of launched Land Registry Direct, a new years with SolCase Online, Axxia Systems is set to strike web-enabled enhanced data and map back with its new e-Case system. retrieval service that has been developed As might be expected, the system offers clients direct by HM Land Registry and its technology access, via a browser, to a secure web site where they can partner Global Crossing. Peter Collis, the monitor progress on a matter but where e-Case puts clear Chief Land Registrar for England & blue water between itself and the competition is in the way Wales, said he hoped the service “will it handles documents. Using server-side Word to HTML file help turn electronic conveyancing from conversion and on-the-fly encryption, the system also concept to reality”. allows users to view actual documents. 4 Further details were not available at Axxia’s Doug McLachlan says a key feature of e-Case is the time the Insider went to press but a its use of XML. Along with letting clients send instructions full report will appear in the next edition via forms instead of unstructured e-mail messages, the of the Legal Technology News.com service. “open” architecture of XML means that, for example, a www.landreg.gov.uk trade union could use e-Case to manage its panel of law firms regardless of whether or not each individual practice 4 GLOBAL CONSULTANCY FOR CMS was running compatible Axxia case management software. Users of the CMS Open practice 4 The system is available for delivery now and the first law management system can take advantage firm e-Case site is due to be up and running by September. of specialist CMS applications and consultancy services following the decision by CMS parent Solution 6 to expand it ACTS! (Application, Consulting TIKIT AND HUMMINGBIRD IN & Technology Solutions) division and VIRTUAL DEAL ROOM MOVE provide a broader range of services on a Hummingbird and Tikit have developed a new system that global basis. ACTS! services will include takes advantage of Hummingbird’s IDMS integrated custom systems development, integration document management system to deliver the same benefits with third party products and databases, a firm such as Allen & Overy now has with its Newchange data import, export and replication and virtual dealroom facility. Via a browser, the user (who can general troubleshooting work. Skadden be a member of a law firm, a client or associated third Arps in New York has gone on record as party) can access a document, check it to a local folder, saying that using ACTS! consultants to edit it, annotate it with Post-it style notes and resubmit it help with a CMS upgrade cut the project to a matter library, with the software automatically time from six weeks to one week. handling security, version control, archiving, notifying http://acts.cmsopen.com other parties and producing a comprehensive audit trail. LEGAL TECHNOLOGY ONLINE IN THIS ISSUE Visit the Legal Technology 4 WHAT LEVISON DID NEXT - ALL Insider web site for regularly CHANGE FOR LEGAL IT CONSULTANTS updated news, a diary of legal AS BAKER ROBBINS MOVE IN, page 3 IT events, web bookmarks, hoax and virus reports, an 4 INTERNET TRAFFIC REPORT - THE archive of back issues and an UK’S TOP TWENTY BUSIEST LEGAL www.legaltechnology.org extended search facility. WEB SITES, page 8 Page 1 Wednesday 21 June 2000 Legal Technology Insider www.legaltechnology.org NEWS IN BRIEF COBBETTS GO WITH 4 The AIM HOLDINGS GROUP, the parent of legal systems specialist AIM NORWEL FOR PMS PROFESSIONAL, has announced record Cobbetts, the 250+ staff, fast growing Manchester-based financial results for the year ended 30th commercial practice, has placed orders worth around April 2000. After writing off all R&D £400,000 with Norwel for the supply of a new practice expenditure, audited operating profits management system plus firm-wide front and back office (before interest and amortisation of applications, including case management, fee earner goodwill) were up by almost 40 percent to desktop, marketing and debt recovery software. £1.4 million on a turnover of £9.6 The Windows NT-based practice management system, million. As at April, the group had cash which replaces an old Linetime accounts package, is reserves of over £2 million. Deputy currently being rolled out, while case management is due chairman Mike Booth said the legal to go live in July. The front office infrastructure consists of division had reported record levels of Novell NetWare 5.1, GroupWise 5.5, RightFAX and profitability, while continuing to invest Microsoft Office 2000 running under Windows 95 on Dell in new products including e-commerce workstations, with Dell and Compaq servers. and web-enabled systems. Cobbetts’ IT manager Neil Davies said that along with providing fee earners with improved access to information 4 As part of the re-organisation directly from their desktops, the firm also anticipated the following its takeover by the RAMESYS accounts department to benefit from innovations such as GROUP, legal systems integrator THE automatic computer aided billing. DATA BASE last week changed its name to RAMESYS. All other contact details remain unchanged, the business is still TRANSACTION FORMS ON CD based in Nottingham (0115 971 2000) The complete set of English Law Society forms, including the TransAction conveyancing scheme plus business lease 4 AXXIA SYSTEMS has opened a new and coal mining search forms, are now commercially regional office in Bridgwater that will available on CD-Rom from EveryForm. At the same time serve its customers in Wales and the extra Court Service forms have been added to EveryForm’s South-West and Wales. The office, which free forms web site, bringing the total number of was formally opened by STEVEN PRIEST, downloadable forms available to just under 800. the president of the SOMERSET LAW www.everyform.net SOCIETY and senior partner of PORTER DODSON, has created 20 new jobs locally. At the end of this month Axxia WILDE JOINS CARYDAN TEAM will also officially commission its new Former AIM Professional managing director John Wilde disaster recovery centre in Sheffield. has been appointed a non-executive director of Jonathan Beck & Associates, the Altrincham-based developers of the 4 CORPORATE SYSTEMS, part of the Carydan integrated case and practice management system. TIME COMPUTERS GROUP, handled the 4 Carydan, which has been specifically developed for the upgrade of the PC network at the LEE personal injuries litigation market - its flagship site is RIGBY PARTNERSHIP in Leyland. The medical negligence specialists Alexander Harris, is firm was formed after last year’s merger of currently being demonstrated at a series of seminars LEE & CO and MARK RIGBY & CO. around the UK. The next dates are Bristol: 26th-to-28th June and Newcastle-upon-Tyne: 18th-to-20th July. Call 4 KEYSTONE SOLUTIONS is currently Mark Richardson on 0161 941 3790 for details. running seminars at its London office to demonstrate its recently acquired Net Results data mining and management MICROSOFT LAST WORD information system. Call Jonathan Mayo While we appreciate most readers will probably scream if (020 7919 5800) for details. The company they have to read another word about the decision in the has also redesigned its web site to Microsoft antitrust lawsuit, chairman Bill Gates and improve the delivery of marketing and company president Steve Ballmer have published an open communications information to letter to all customers that seeks to address any fears they customers, prospects and investors. may have. The full text can be found on the web. www.keystone-solutions.com www.microsoft.com/presspass/trial/jun00/06-09letter.asp Page 2 Wednesday 21 June 2000 www.legaltechnology.org Legal Technology Insider LEVISON TAKES TEAM NEWS IN BRIEF 4 WARD GETHIN, the largest law firm in TO BAKER ROBBINS Kings Lynn, has decided to base the In one of the biggest shake-ups the UK legal IT consultancy entire operation of its front office fee world has seen for many years, Grant Thornton partner earning activities around SELECT Andrew Levison is quitting the firm and taking his entire LEGAL SYSTEMS (01482 644334) case consultancy team with him to join the US IT consultancy management software. Initially the firm Baker Robbins & Co. will install the “lite” version of the Baker Robbins, which employs over 150 consultants in software on 70 desktops but this will be the United States and has offices in New York, Los followed by the development of a number Angeles, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, has been of specialist applications for specific sounding out prospective recruits in the UK for several departments, starting with trade union months and is understood to have been trying to woo personal injury work - Ward Gethin are Levison from the outset. However, rather than forcing a the main representatives for the complete break between Levison and his former employers, TRANSPORT & GENERAL WORKERS the two sides have instead negotiated a cross-referral UNION (T&GWU) in that area. arrangement. Under the terms of this deal (which is being described as a “strategic alliance”) Levison’s team will 4 MIKE BAILEY, who almost single- continue to offer IT consultancy services to Grant handedly was responsible for getting the Thornton clients, while Baker Robbins will cross-refer CMS Open product off the ground in the appropriate business advisory work to Grant Thornton.