This article first appeared in Legal Web Watch September 2018. Legal Web Watch is a free email service which complements the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers. To receive Legal Web Watch regularly sign up here.
The following items have been selected from Delia Venables’ “New” page.
The ILFM legal software suppliers guide for 2018-2019 is now available
The Institute of Legal Finance and Management have brought out their new legal software suppliers guide for 2018-2019. With descriptions of all the major legal software companies, this is an invaluable source of information for law firms interested in choosing a software supplier (or replacing an unstaisfactory one). As author Tim Kidd says “Deciding which new or replacement software is appropriate for our firms has never been easy, we have to take so many factors into account. Cost is always a critical consideration, but we also have to include compliance, effectiveness and response times. Not only that, but security has also become a major concern, as cybercrime and fraud become more prevalent.” You can download the guide for free here and/or print it if you wish (at 36 pages it is quite a lot of printing but it is worth it). You can also see my own (much shorter) analysis and description of the principle software companies here.
LEAP to become Law Society of Scotland’s Legal Technology Strategic Partner
LEAP is to join the Law Society of Scotland’s partnership programme, providing technical know-how and the processes needed for Scottish law firms to succeed in business. The Law society in Scotland is the regulator and representative for over 11,000 Scottish solicitors and LEAP is their first ever Legal Technology strategic partner. Paul Mosson, of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “This new partnership is testament that we are committed to providing our members with the necessary digital skills and systems to thrive in a competitive marketplace.” Peter Baverstock of LEAP UK, says “Our software for Scottish firms now includes Scottish legal forms, precedents and Scottish law client accounting.” See more information here.
The first day of “Legal Design Sprint” gets off to a good start
Justis has been at the at the forefront of the digital dissemination of legal information for over 30 years. It is currently partnering with Emily Allbon of The City Law School, University of London, to provide a series of events for students called “Legal Design Sprint”. On the first day of the event, on July 26th, a group of students began to apply Legal Design to real-world problems, identified by a range of industry experts. Students from many Universities took part. The day began with Emily Allbon introducing the students to the concept of Legal Design, discussing its background and emphasising that it’s about putting the “human” back into law, and making complex legal information understandable and accessible to the people that it affects. Day Two of the Legal Design Sprint took place on 6 September. There is lots of information here.
The first “Justice Week” will take place from 29 October to 2 November 2018
The Law Society, The Bar Council and The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives have confirmed the date for the first ‘Justice Week’ and are hoping to involve businesses, the public and frontline service providers in a conversation on wider justice issues. The week will begin with an event exploring what the public thinks about the justice system and how issues are reported by the media. It is hoped that Justice Week will promote a vibrant mix of research, public events and digital media content, bringing together politicians, the media, industry, the third sector and the public to tackle the key challenges our justice system is facing today. A spokesperson for the three organisations said: “With so many parts of the justice system at breaking point, now is the time to make a strong and clear case for why it is so fundamental to our society, economy and democracy. Business groups, members of the public and frontline service providers should all be part of the conversation.”
Delia Venables is joint editor of the Newsletter.
