Legal IT Professionals

For our “Ten Minutes” interview series we spoke this month with nFlow’s CEO Rob Lancashire. nFlow is a leading developer of digital dictation technology. Listen what Rob has to say about instructional messaging, mobile technology, and nFlow’s cloud approach. He also explains why speech recognition will finally be embraced by the business this year.

Our "Ten Minutes" interview series is also available as podcast on iTunes. To subscribe, go to the iTunes store and search for "Legal IT Professionals". Alternatively, you can click this link.

Click on the 'play' button below to listen to the interview.

DocsCorp, a global leader in PDF integration and workflow technology, today announced an upgrade release of its pdfDocs formFiller product.

Commenting on the pdfDocs formFiller 2.1 release, David Woolstencroft, DocsCorp President of Sales, Marketing and Strategy, said “despite the fact that millions of business forms are distributed or posted to the web on a daily basis, businesses have too few choices when it comes to filling in and saving PDF forms. For example, the free Adobe Reader, which sits on practically every desktop, does not allow you to save data to a PDF form, while the high cost of Adobe Acrobat as a filler application makes this a prohibitive solution.”

Two points struck me from findings in ILTA’s 2009 Technology Survey, at 42 of law firms: one about the shared challenges of providing technology to lawyers – inside or outside – and the other about overhead support for IT that legal departments often enjoy free of charge.

The law firms that responded to the ILTA survey chose from a list of the “top 3 biggest technology issues or annoyances within your firm.”

Read more

One legal industry stalwart will have its head in the cloud at Legal IT with Linetime using this year’s IT show to launch a range of hosted and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.

It has chosen managed service and professional services specialist e-know.net as its preferred provider and the two firms will initially collaborate on offering Linetime's practice, case and debt recovery management systems on a SaaS basis. Moving forward, they will also give Linetime users the opportunity to outsource some or all of their IT infrastructure: e-know.net will deploy its managed Desktop, complete with Microsoft Office, Exchange/Outlook and selected line of business software, as a fully managed, hosted solution. However, first line support and the ownership of the relationship will remain with Linetime to ensure continuity of service and the same high standards of client care.

TikitTFB will be showcasing their eMarketing solution at the Legal IT Show 2010 and offering visitors to the stand a free, 3 month unlimited trial*.

eMerge, developed by parent company Tikit, allows users to create, send and track bespoke HTML emails from their desktop. The software is being further developed to allow complete integration with TikitTFB’s case and practice management system, Partner for Windows, and will provide users with the ability to:

EMC SourceOne and Acquisition of Kazeon Revolutionizes EMC’s Position in E-Discovery Market; Primed to Lead in Information Governance

EMC Corporation, the world leader in information infrastructure solutions, today announced that Gartner, Inc. has recognized EMC with a positive rating in its report entitled "MarketScope for E-Discovery Software Product Vendors.”

EMC has revolutionized its position as a leader in the e-discovery and e-disclosure markets with the release of EMC SourceOne and its acquisition of Kazeon, a leading e-discovery vendor.

SOS Connect from Solicitors Own Software has been selected by Lodders LLP of Stratford-upon-Avon for its next generation legal system. SOS Connect will help the firm to attain real-time management information, automate and standardise business processes and further support the goals to forge strong client relationships and deliver the first rate services which distinguish Lodders in the marketplace.

Selection by 18 of AmLaw 100 and 13 of Global Top 50 in less than 24 months leads Chrome River EXPENSE to the forefront of automation benefits for professional services firms

Chrome River Technologies, a leading provider of expense reporting and spend management solutions for law firms and professional service organizations worldwide, announced today that that in fewer than 24 months since the launch of Chrome River EXPENSE in the midst of a challenging economy, 13 of the Global Top 50 law firms have subscribed to the service, contributing significantly to the more than 50,000 individual users accessing Chrome River from 13 countries around the globe.

IDOL to Underpin Hammonds LLP’s Document, Knowledge and Business Process Management Strategy

Autonomy Corporation plc, a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announced that Hammonds LLP, a leading commercial law firm with offices throughout Europe and Asia, has selected Autonomy iManage as the single vendor for all of its document, knowledge and business process management requirements. After a competitive procurement, Hammonds LLP selected iManage Universal Search, an award winning pan-enterprise search solution tailored to the unique requirements of law firms, iManage WorkSite, the legal industry’s number one document management solution, and iManage Workflow Manager, a full featured intelligent process automation engine that delivers significant improvements in productivity and compliance. Autonomy iManage’s unique conceptual capabilities and its unique ability to provide firms with the complete set of EDRM tools from one common platform were among the key factors in Hammond’s final decision. 

IRIS Legal Solutions, the key sponsor of the 2010 Legal IT show (10 & 11 February at the Business Design Centre, Islington), has a hat-trick of products and services it plans to unveil at this year’s show, including a preview of a new web module that will be launched later in the year, demonstrations of a new proactive analytical reporting tool and the launch of a new software guide - essential for anyone evaluating their IT systems.

3E’s Workflow and Reporting Ultimately Benefits Clients

Greenspoon Marder, P.A., a Florida-based full-service law firm dedicated to serving the legal needs of discerning businesses and individuals, recently made the decision to upgrade its financial and practice management platform with ELITE 3E. The firm’s investment in 3E’s leading-edge technology supports its mission to provide the personalized client service of a boutique firm coupled with the experience and technology of the largest firms.

MBM Commercial based in Edinburgh’s city centre has selected Pilgrim’s LawSoft SaaS solution to support its expanding business. The firm split from Murray Beith Murray in 2005 and has since focussed on delivering excellent service to corporate clients. In so doing it has established an enviable reputation in a number of fields including Corporate Finance, IP & Technology, Commercial Property, Dispute Resolution and Employment Law.

This year’s Legal IT show will see the launch of TFB’s new corporate identity, with the company rebranding to be known as TikitTFB.

The move reflects the growing synergy between TFB and Tikit and the increasing collaboration on projects over the past twelve months. The new name and logo will be rolled out over a period of 3 months with all corporate materials and communications moved over to the new identity by the end of May.

TheKnowList is about to launch the first comprehensive guide to cloud computing in the legal industry. The special report, to be published in Spring, will include thought leadership discussion, IT Director experiences and insights into new 'in the cloud' infrastructure, software and service offerings. The free report, distributed to law firms and general counsel will also contain profiles of the latest KnowList30 and a directory of 'cloud' solution providers. Get involved by contacting Dan Brown on 020 7917 6215 (UK).

Students Can Learn How To Track Time While Increasing their Efficiency

Chrometa LLC, creator of productivity and time capture tools, today announced that it will offer its personal time management software free for law students and faculty. Chrometa 2.0 is available online for $99, but is free to current law school students, faculty and staff.

All interviews now available in one location

While at LegalTech, our columnist Christy Burke interviewed Legal IT heavyweights and asked them about their impression of this year’s show and their newest products. Listen to the short one-on-one interviews now.

Industry leading vendors partner to provide end-to-end offering for compliance, investigations and litigation

Catalyst Repository Systems, a leading provider of scalable, multi-language document repositories for electronic discovery, today announced a strategic partnership and integration with Smarsh, Inc., the managed service leader in secure and reliable email archiving and compliance solutions. The integration enables Smarsh users to export their email archives directly into Catalyst CR for processing and document review. Additionally, Catalyst CR users now have access to a fully integrated email archiving and compliance system.

Peak Discovery, Inc., a supplier of document review and eDiscovery services, today announced that John Thacher has joined the company as National Director of Project Management. John’s experience brings a comprehensive set of skills and an in depth understanding of the document review and project management process.

National Law Firm Enhances Risk Management Efforts, Reduces Costs and Improves Overall Client Service With Recommind’s Decisiv Email and MindServer Search

Recommind, the leader in search-powered information risk management (IRM) software, today announced that Dickstein Shapiro LLP, a multiservice law firm with more than 900 attorneys and staff, has selected Recommind’s Decisiv Email™ and MindServer Search™ to reduce the risks, time and costs associated with email management. Dickstein Shapiro represents some of the largest and most prominent companies in the world, including more than 100 of the FORTUNE 500 companies. Implementing Decisiv Email and MindServer Search will enable Dickstein Shapiro to facilitate secure, accurate and automated email categorization, collaboration and access while reducing costs at several points.

The end of March 2010 will see the launch of Law Firm Management, a brand new legal publication concentrating on business strategies for today’s law firm.

Each issue will provide an unbiased insight into how to manage today's law firm, covering areas of practice management such as financial management, strategic marketing, recruitment and retention (HR), risk management, knowledge management, outsourcing and technology.

Written by senior law-firm managers, partners and leading industry consultants, LFM provides law firms with essential guidance and information to drive their businesses forward.