Month: September 2007
Law blogs the family way
There are now six blogs on family law in the UK, one from a barrister and five from individual solicitors. All the bloggers obviously love their blogs and have become fascinated by the whole process. Here are brief summaries of the blogs, in no particular order. Divorce Solicitor Blog is a very lively blog from […]
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Using IT to create dynamic office space
“The trouble with most law firms,” said one specialist from a mid-tier firm recently, “is that they are not using the internet properly to get the most from their corporate property.” What does “using the internet properly” mean in this context? It means making the best use of the flexibility which the internet can bring. […]
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Online dispute resolution – is anybody there?
Like the paperless office, online dispute resolution (ODR) was an early goal of those embracing online communication. Unlike the paperless office, however, whose arrival has been somewhat delayed by the principle that anything made easier, eg printing, will be done many more times than otherwise would be the case, ODR has indeed arrived. “Where is […]
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Voice recognition – especially for emails
Voice recognition has progressed enormously from the early days when you had to spell everything using the phonetic alphabet, alpha, bravo, etc. It is now a very useful tool if used in the correct way. My views are shaped by what I do as a sole practitioner in a small rural town offering the traditional […]
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Virtual chambers – the model for the future?
In the traditional model of a chambers, individual barristers cluster together to share premises, staff and administrative services. With the maturity of the internet, however, and particularly with the advent of cheap and easy broadband, barristers do not have to be physically close to each other in order to share staff and admin. In many […]
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Business simulations for legal training
Before looking at legal training programmes, consider for a moment how you would train a commercial pilot. Would you: explain the theory of aviation give them a manual followed by a test followed by a demonstration and then let them practise until they get it right? Probably not. Where the stakes are high and failure […]
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A brochure by another name
Long before the internet was invented, all important legal practices had a brochure. No one knew how much business it generated but if you did not have one you were not important and had no chance of ever acquiring a decent new client in the commercial sector. Often it seemed as if the brochure was […]
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Changing practice management systems
To understand the changes currently being made in practice management systems it is worth first having a quick run through the history of this type of software. The first PMSs differed from their predecessor, the humble accounting system, by being based around relational database management systems. This enabled law firms to produce more meaningful management […]
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The IP law wiki
Earlier this summer a group of enthusiasts met in Room 6 of Olswang’s London office to discuss the potential uses of wikis within the field of intellectual property (IP). Some were committed to the wiki concept, others sceptical, the rest open-minded. The outcome was the Room 6 Initiative ”” a proposal to seek funding to […]
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A virtual chambers – BarristerWeb
BarristerWeb was the first virtual chambers, having started around 7 years ago. They describe themselves as a “traditional chambers at internet speed”; they do just about everything which a traditional chambers does, but without a large physical presence. They have a small office for the Chambers Director, Neil Goodman-Smith, the Senior Clerk Andrew Hutchins and […]
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