Issue 48 ❶ 13 October 1997 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY Insider LATEST NEWS COMMENT & ANALYSIS
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CHARLES CHRISTIAN’s £5.00 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER http://www.cloudnine.co.uk THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S HOT (AND WHAT’S NOT) IN LAW OFFICE SYSTEMS In association with ➦ In terms of technology, VCL has KAYE IN NEW adopted the keep-it-simple approach of VIDEO LINK dedicated video conferencing systems rather than linking it to high powered INITIATIVE PCs. Two hardware options will be North London solicitor and law office available: a set top box that allows users In this technology entrepreneur Michael to conduct a video conference through a edition… Kaye last week launched a new video conventional television set and a smaller conferencing initiative aimed at videophone for one-to-one use. Web-enabled barristers’ chambers and smaller firms Both systems are manufactured systems, will they of solicitors who want to be able to cut by Motion Media Technology of Bristol take off ? … 2 out some of the travelling currently and support the H.320 industry associated with their legal work. standard, so they can communicate with MCS and Peapod According to Kaye, a long-time compatible systems from other suppliers. clash… 2 advocate of speech recognition systems, The set top box retails for approximately as well as a major backer of the recently £3500, while the videophone price is Lotus Notes launched NKT interactive internet service, £1500. The videophone offers 15 frames bounces back… 3 what lawyers really want from video per second quality as opposed to the 5 conferencing are not the desktop PC frames per second of some other systems. Five go “live” computing features but the ability to Users also need to install an ISDN2 line with AIM… 3 have face-to-face meetings with counsel although this can then be used for other and clients without the hassle of travel. tasks, such as internet access. Email - are you As an example Kaye cites the guilty of one of the experiences of criminal lawyers within his ☞ Comment… The VCL venture had a five deadly sins… 4 own firm Kaye Tesler & Co. At the flying start last week when the company moment attending a conference with was able to provide a video conference Skills shortage counsel in the Temple involves a two link between the Chambers of Anthony pushing up IT job hour round trip, which on legal aid is Arlidge QC, who were holding a reception rates… 5 chargeable at only two-thirds standard to mark their move from 5 King’s Bench rate. By contrast, with video conferencing Walk to new premises at 18 Red Lion Eversheds phase there is no travelling (nor the inevitable Court, and Sir Frederick Lawton, the one complete… 5 catching up to do when you return to the retired Court of Appeal judge and one of office) so the lawyer can spend that time the set’s original founder members, who Latest legal working at a higher chargeable rate. now lives in Yorkshire and at 86-years- web sites… 6 Michael Kaye has now formed a old was unable to make the journey to company called Video Conferencing for London for the reception. ❐ Law publishers Lawyers to promote the venture and one heading for of its first customers is a Bristol set of shakeout ?… 6 chambers. Although the set currently STOP PRESS - NORWEL IN wins most of its work from local law firms THEODORE GODDARD DEAL Legal technology who do not want to travel to London to Norwel Computer Services has just signed diary dates… 7 see counsel, tenants realised this work contracts with Theodore Goddard to could be lost if London sets could offer supply the firm with a new practice LTi reader services local solicitors the convenience of a video management system, EIS software and and index… 8 link – so they decided to buy it first! ➥ 250 fee earner desktop licences. ❐ Issue 48 ❶ 13 October 1997 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER LATEST NEWS COMMENT & ANALYSIS WEB-ENABLED ➦ presence on the web, we will increase Peapod and SYSTEMS - THE NEXT the volume of work we can attract on a MCS in row national basis.” A row that has been BIG THING ? Mr Baker also believes the timing rumbling through- Are web-enabled systems allowing of the new web venture is important as it out the summer clients varying degrees of direct means the firm will have already built up between legal access about to become the next big the expertise and internal processes for systems suppliers thing in legal software design? handling online legal claims by the time MCS and Peapod Over the last six months a the internet becomes a truly mass market Solutions, has now number of leading suppliers of case and medium in the UK. erupted into practice management systems have “Today people look in a local litigation with MCS introduced enhancements to allow third- newspaper or a telephone directory to taking out a High parties, typically existing clients, to find a solicitors practice. In the future, Court writ against access selected financial and matter they will be surfing the Net to look for Peapod over the information via a web browser and an lawyers – and we intend to be the first alleged sale of an internet/intranet/extranet link. But, as firm they encounter,” says Baker. The unlicensed copy far as LTi can ascertain, the number of firm’s web site is at http://www. of MCS’s DPS case law firms actually offering direct access uklaw.net/baker/ management today – as distinct from just talking software. about it – are still very few. ☞ The role of web-enabling technology Interestingly, one of the latest in case management work is one of the Ian Wimbush of firms to go “live” with a web-enabled main themes that will be explored at the Peapod said his system is not a big “City” practice but Litigate '97 conference in London on 26th company would Manchester-based solicitors Stephen November. The event is sponsored by “vigorously Baker & Co, which has just bought and Legal Technology Insider and speakers defend” the action installed the NKT Interactive system (see include representatives from Davies as it forms part of LTi 36 for first report). This was developed Arnold Cooper and Dibb Lupton Alsop, as a larger commercial by NKT Computers Consultants (☎ 0181 well as leading legal IT suppliers Axxia dispute with MCS 802 6817) and uses secure server Systems, Laserform Law, Solicitec and over support for technology so what would otherwise be a Hatton Blue. For registration details call the DPS product. promotional web site can support actual ☎ 0181 445 8060. ❐ business transactions. ☞ Although now Stephen Baker & Co will be using no longer a DPS NKT as part of its existing accident NEW SHOW CONFIRMS distributor, Peapod claims and personal injury practice, so OFFICIAL SPONSOR will also continue prospective clients can not only learn As predicted in an earlier issue, the new to supply and about the firm’s services but also Solicitors National Legal Office & Legal support its Printa- complete and submit online claims forms Services Exhibition, scheduled to take Form electronic and instructions to commence legal place at the National Exhibition Centre forms software on proceedings. near Birmingham on 3rd-to-5th March the DPS system. Explaining his decision to go on 1998, will be sponsored by the Law the internet, Stephen Baker said: Society’s Gazette. However, it also appears Niche firm to “Although we are located in the suburbs, that legal IT suppliers Axxia, Quill and computerise by building up first a local and then a Peapod have not yet firmly committed Niche property law regional reputation for our accident themselves to the event. Robert Ewin of practice Jeffrey claims work, over the past three years we organisers Nationwide Exhibitions told Myers & Co in have expanded from just a single lawyer LTi he did not “at the moment” have an Leeds is to install to a practice with a total of 30 staff, exhibitors’ list and added he “did not see Linetime’s Practice including a team of six solicitors. Much of the event as a rival” to existing II accounts system. our work comes from referrals and we shows, such as SOLEX, but as a more are confident that by establishing a ➥ geographically convenient alternative. ❐ Issue 48 ❷ 13 October 1997 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER LATEST NEWS COMMENT & ANALYSIS LOTUS NOTES ➦ 0808) and the wide range of current legal awareness services now available BOUNCES BACK from Sweet & Maxwell’s Legal Information Eighteen months ago the Lotus Notes Resources (☎ 01422 888000) subsidiary. Five go “live” system was being written off as dead Lotus Development has itself just with AIM in the water. Today, not only are more announced the availability of new Notes, By the end of this law firms using it but there has also intranet and web related products, month five more been a steady increase in the number including: the Lotus Notes 4.6 client, solicitors practices of software products available. Lotus Domino Mail 4.6 server, Lotus will have gone The latest Notes system to come Domino 4.6 server and the Lotus Notes “live” with AIM’s onto the market is a case management Designer for Domino 4.6 application Evolution practice and litigation support application called development tool. management CaseWorks. This was developed in the Lotus say the new 4.6 products, system. United States by the software house which also now offer integration with Legal Information Technologies and is Microsoft’s Office and Internet Explorer The firms are: now being distributed and supported in 3/4 software, will help improve end-user Elliot Mather the UK through the London office of productivity, facilitate development of Smith, an ex Miles Interliant, another US company.