Headlines

ITNet in and and Tikit out as Hummingbird shakes it all
The first signs of Liz Maloney's promised shake-up of Hummingbird's UK operations, since she became UK country manager earlier this year, are starting to appear with the announcement that the company has signed a new partnership agreement with ITNet. Maloney said that as Hummingbird's "space" within the legal market began to change, with the company increasingly moving beyond document management into portals, dealrooms and collaborative platforms, the time had come to work with a different type of partner - such as ITNet, with its track record in business process outsourcing - who could help deliver strategic solutions to Hummingbird users. Maloney told the Insider that talks were also underway with other potential new Hummingbird partners.

But as one partner comes in, so another goes out with Hummingbird simultaneously announcing that Tikit would now no longer be a Hummingbird partner. Maloney said both sides were keen to ensure there would be no break in support for existing Tikit/Hummingbird sites and that to ensure "users were not left high and dry" both companies were working together to create a migration strategy. Hummingbird expects this to be complete by the end of May and likely to see Hummingbird offering free support for the first year to all Tikit/Hummingbird sites.

Unfortunately Tikit and Hummingbird do not appear to be singing from the same songsheet and earlier this week Tikit MD David Lumsden sent out this letter to his company's users...

"Further to a recent letter that you may have received from Hummingbird dated 1st May 2003 regarding Business Partners, I am writing to you to help clarify your position with Tikit with reference to our on-going support of Hummingbird technology.

"We are aware that the letter from Hummingbird may have caused significant distress because of the concerns it raises regarding your investment in Tikit Legal Solutions and Hummingbird technology. We wish to assure you that Tikit will make every reasonable effort to ensure that no client suffers any negative impact due to Hummingbird's actions resulting from their letter. Since its inception Tikit has been totally focused on the needs of the legal sector and has established an enviable client base. We will continue to provide the commitment and service levels that you have come to expect from us.

"The announcement by Hummingbird that Tikit is no longer to be a Business Partner has come after having a loyal relationship with them for nearly ten years. It was their view that a new reseller agreement was not possible because Tikit sought to retain its independence over the range of products it provides advice on, supports and sells to its clients. Hummingbird, on the other hand, wanted a relationship with Tikit, which would have prevented Tikit from promoting products which are competitive to Hummingbird's products. With Hummingbird's recent acquisition of LegalKey and Tikit's continuing commitment to seek out the widest range of software for our clients, this has become a further source of contention between our two companies.

"Tikit will shortly make individual contact with our clients who use Hummingbird technology, particularly in the light of the comments on support in Hummingbird's letter. The purpose will be to understand any concerns you may now have, what you would like to see happen, and then explore all options for going forward. Your support needs are absolutely paramount to Tikit.

"We have sought to find a solution which did not have any impact on our clients, especially where support of existing installations is concerned. We are therefore extremely disappointed to find that Hummingbird have taken this unilateral action. We are expecting to discuss with Hummingbird, later this week, the level of future support they will provide to us and will, where requested, represent our clients' requirements in this area and provide you with feedback on the meeting.

"Contrary to what Hummingbird suggest, Tikit does not concentrate exclusively on sourcing and generating revenue from emerging technologies for the Legal market. Although this remains a major part of our business, Tikit has successfully evolved into a multidisciplinary IT consultancy and service organisation and is recognised as having an extremely competent technical support team in the areas of document and knowledge management products."

In related developments... Hummingbird has also taken up executive membership of PISCES, the data and XML standards organisation for the UK property and real estate sector - law firms supporting the PISCES standard now include Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Addleshaw Goddard, CMS Cameron McKenna, Nabarro Nathanson and Berwin Leighton Paisner.

Calvis and Hummingbird are holding a free seminar on 20th May in London at the Chancery Court Hotel in Holborn from 9:30am - 2:00pm including lunch. The agenda includes: PISCES and Hummingbird - the definitive real estate solution, document scanning, email and document management and records management. Speakers include Chris Lees of Calvis and Liz Maloney of Hummingbird. For details contact Viviane Morris on 01748 813900 or email viviane.morris@calvis.com

And, ITNet is holding a half day seminar (starts 9:00am) at The Law Society in London on 22nd May Lane looking at the issues surrounding outsourcing within the legal sector. The event is organised by ITNet and features speakers from PA Consulting and the Gartner Group. For details phone Parm Jalaf on 0121 683 2077 or email parm.jalaf@itnetplc.com

Major win for Infographics FloSuite
CMS Cameron McKenna has implemented the Infographics FloSuite business process and case management software to support its real estate operations across its UK offices. FloSuite will initially be used to manage the processes, data and documents involved with commercial property cases, with plans to utilise the software for other applications in the future. The solution will be used in conjunction with CMS Cameron McKenna's other core applications, including Elite, PC Docs, Microsoft Exchange, HotDocs and Laserforms.

Commenting on the deal, CMS Cameron McKenna IT director Philip Rooke said "FloSuite was selected because of its Microsoft Visio-based rapid process implementation environment, proven track record in large commercial law firms and potential suitability for any process driven environment." According to Insider records, Cameron McKenna is the fourth UK top 100 firm to implement Infographics case management software.
http://www.infographics.co.uk

Perot Systems sign up legal IT outsourcing deals
Perot Systems has just announced details of a six-year, $14.9 million IT outsourcing contract with U & international law law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The deal adds to a five-year, $6 million contract signed in October 2002 to provide service desk support. Perot Systems will establish and manage a regional data centre that will enable Akin Gump to achieve centralised operations for the western United States and also provide redundant sites for improved business continuity and disaster recovery. In addition, the company will continue to provide around the clock service desk support for Akin Gump's offices worldwide.

Meanwhile over here in the UK, Perot Systems has also begun moving into the legal FM/outsourcing territory that has previously been the preserve of Tikit and ITNet, signing up Marks & Clerk, one of the UK's leading patent & trademark services companies, for a wholesale review and consolidation of its IT operations. You can read more about this is the case study at the end of this ezine. http://www.perotsystems.com

Insider web site relaunched
The Insider has relaunched its award winning web site at http://www.legaltechnology.com with a whole new look designed to improve the management and navigation of the growing volume of information it now contains. We have radically revised the interface to create a less cluttered feel - but without being bland to the point of characterless - while simplifying usability by replacing the scroll-down side-bar navigation menus with a single drop down menu. And, this has all been achieved in plain HTML without any Flash, multimedia or even frames. In our own inimitably modest view, this is the best legal technology web site in the world - ever. However we do not wish to be complacent and our next project is to redesign the site's Solution Finder feature.

The redesign project was handled by Wirebox Designs - 07710 786139 or email guy@wireboxdesigns.com. Explaining their approach, Wirebox director Guy Stephens said "It was clear we needed to create a site that had plenty of white space, a modern minimalist look, simple navigation, no unnecessary gimmicks and a strong corporate image. In addition, it had to be easy to update. The project became an exercise in reorganising the information that was already there and making it more readily accessible to users by giving it a more defined structure."

Will the real LawNet stand up please
After years of warning our contacts in the US that the American LawNet organisation would have to change its name if it ever became active in the UK, because there was already a similar organisation with the same moniker - LawNet Limited - the chickens have finally come home to roost and the two organisation are now exchanging formal correspondence. The final straw for LawNet UK, which was formed in 1989 and currently has 53 member firms around the UK, seems to have been when LawNet US announced its sponsorship of some of the seminar sessions at this month's LegalTech Solicitors event in Birmingham (UK). Apart from taking place just a few miles from LawNet UK's head office, at least one of the speakers at the event is also a member of a LawNet UK firm. Confusion reigns and LawNet US is left pondering what to call itself outside the United States. You can find LawNet UK at http://www.lawnet.co.uk while the US LawNet operation is at http://www.peertopeer.org

Meticulus revamps DMS price structure
Meticulus has just announced details of a new annual licence pricing structure for its Meticulist document management system. These prices will be introduced from June 1st 2003. The aim of this move is to reduce initial spending commitments and therefore make it significantly easier to justify the investment.

An annual licence will cost less than one third of the equivalent perpetual licence. Pricing will be £60 per user per year for 1-100 seats, dropping to £18 per user per year for 5001-10,000 seats. There are no maintenance or installation fees on top of this. This compares with the current perpetual licence cost of between £190 per user (1-100 seats) and £55 (5001-10,000) seats. There is an annual maintenance/upgrade charge of 15% on top of this. Over the typical six year life of a DMS the total cost of ownership of perpetual and annual licences is virtually identical, preserving the value of existing Meticulist installations. When major new features are announced (such as GroupWise integration), Meticulus reserve the right to increase the annual licence fee. The Meticulist server software, which is free of charge,runs on Microsoft's Windows 2000 and requires Microsoft's SQL Server 2000. http://www.meticulus.com

Also, smacked wrists times here where a typo in our last issue meant we gave the wrong URL for the Meticulus RedLetter secure email system The correct address is http://www.redletteremail.com as in 'email' - we omitted the 'e'. Apologies all round.

Big changes at Midware
Earlier this week the Australian legal systems vendor Midware announced the acquisition of Entercorp Solutions, the developers of Rapid Web Publisher, a document assembly and forms automation system. Midware CEO Mark Flack said the acquisition "would create substantial local and export opportunities in the professional services sector" for organisations wanting to enhance and develop their e-business platforms. It has been a busy for weeks for the company as last month saw Welas Pty Ltd become a substantial shareholder, taking a 19.99% holding in Midware.

Interaction news
As part of its post-merger strategy with New York-based Bergman Horowitz & Reynolds, the London office of Withers/Withers Bergam is rolling out Interface Software's InterAction 5 client relationship management system.

Meanwhile Tikit has just sold the latest version of its InterAction Plus Suite (a Tikit developed add-on for InterAction) to Skadden Arps, the largest law firm in the USA. In addition, the New York office of KPMG has also recently purchased this enhancement software. Tikit has also announced plans to launch ReAction Server, another extension application for InterAction that will allow users using InterAction 5 to obtain direct feedback from their contacts within an intranet or over the Internet. Tikit chairman Mike McGoun says the system has numerous applications in the areas of data protection and e-marketing regulation compliance, and will also enables the automation of many marketing tasks. The Insider understands interest in this product is extremely strong and that the first three sales in the UK have already been secured.

New on the radar - The black spiders are coming
UK-based BlackSpider Technologies (0118 965 3453) has launched a new service to counter email-based security threats and junk email. BlackSpider comprises a team of security experts, gathered from Articon-Integralis, IBM and HP, and has signed OEM agreements with three leading anti-virus vendors. The team provides 24x7 management of an optimum mix of proprietary and best-of-breed technology, to give constant protection against evolving email security threats. The incorporation of BlackSpider's proprietary Huntsman system adds heuristic scanning techniques, performing behavioural analysis of emails and attachments. This identifies and blocks new virus threats instantly, overcoming the latency problems associated with vendors providing update patches for their commercially available solutions.

BlackSpider also offers filters for blocking junk email by using its heuristic analysis of email characteristics to block unsolicited email from reaching the inhouse networks. The customer controlled filters and reporting functionality allow administrators to retain complete control of definitions for spam and inappropriate content, as well as analysing the type, volumes and patterns of blocked email. http://www.blackspider.com

Two more wins for CMS Open
Australian law firm Henry Davis York has chosen Solution 6 to provide a practice management system to support its expected growth over the next three years. The firm will implement Solution 6 CMS Open in its Sydney office, providing software tools for over 330 lawyers and support staff. CMS OPEN will provide the firm's core business systems, including time-keeping, billing, matter management, reporting and practice financials. Fifteen out of the top 20 largest law firms in Australia now run Solution 6 systems.

San Francisco-based Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin has also selected CMS Open as its new PMS. The firm will also be running the Solution 6 business intelligence and analytics package Net Results, with Howard Rice staff having access customized key performance metrics and financial information from within a Hummingbird portal interface.

Elite ring up 14 wins in Q1
Elite Information Systems has secured 14 new wins for its billing and practice management software in the first quarter of this year. These include Pictons in the UK, Thomson Rogers in Toronto, Sullivan & Wocester in Boston, Mass and Bureau Francis Lefebvre in Paris.

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Case study

Perot Systems at Marks & Clerk
Patent and trademark services company Marks & Clerk, which has 400 staff based in 13 offices around the UK, needed to consolidate, standardise and align its IT technology with its business processes and operations. Management had identified key weaknesses within the company's IT services, particularly with regard to consistency of service. There were clear disparities between regions of the UK, and even amongst offices in the same region. A comprehensive IT strategy was desperately needed to help unify the company’s business operations and provide timely access to information.

Perot Systems was selected to conduct an IT audit to review the current IT challenges and make recommendations regarding the IT strategy - both short and long term. Following the successful completion of the audit, Marks & Clerk teamed with Perot Systems to oversee the implementation of the major objectives identified in the audit. The implementation of the audit results produced a significantly improved, unified IT service for Marks & Clerk. IT functions were standardised across the offices achieving greater integration, efficiency, and effectiveness for both operational and administrative processes. Tightening the system's reliability and efficiency helped heighten the effectiveness across the company, including administration, operations and client-facing business.

As a result of consolidating these functions, the overall performance rating of the IT group has improved from 59% to 95%. These measurements include financial control, service response, helpdesk availability and availability of other key services. This is 10% over and above the target set at the beginning of August 2001. Consistent hardware and software was installed throughout the organisation. Due to the excellent rates secured by the Perot Systems purchasing team, the IT upgrades were also highly cost effective. Through this and also the development of a shared services model, Marks & Clerk eliminated approximately £150K over the life of the programme.

A secure system for data storage and back up was implemented for the entire organisation. In addition, a corporate security policy and an electronic document storage system were installed. These key additions led to an increase in productivity. Documents can now be viewed simultaneously across offices. A new network infrastructure was installed to improve the speed of network connections and data communication. Subsequently, Perot Systems has kept Marks & Clerk IT budget below £5000 per employee/partner.

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