This week we have news of wins for NetDocuments, Hoffbrand Consulting and Eclipse, with product launches from Trinogy Systems, RBRO Solutions and data intelligence company DueDil. There’s an appointment for D2 Legal Technology and plenty of industry news, including worthy mentions for litigation funder Bentham and software and outsourced service supplier Quill Pinpoint for what we’ve loosely referred to as ‘CSR’ in absence of being able to call it ‘Bloody Well Done’ (BWD).
Wins and deals
Marriott Harrison, the London law firm has agreed contracts with NetDocuments to implement its 21st-century document management system. At the same time, the firm has engaged the services of Hoffbrand Consulting to implement the system for the firm.
Andrew Wigfall, a partner at Marriott Harrison, said that the firm was looking for a system that would meet the needs of its users and clients, not only now, but in the future.
Paul Hoffbrand of Hoffbrand Consulting said “The experience gained with other NetDocuments implementations will ensure that Marriot Harrison and its clients benefit from using the technology”.
Hansells Solicitors and Financial Advisors, which has over 115 staff and partners working from seven offices across Norfolk, has signed up to Eclipse’s Proclaim Practice Management Software solution. “As an established practice, we continually develop our services to meet the needs of our clients and the ever-changing legal sector. Proclaim is a fantastic solution for us – its flexibility allows us to give a better, cost-effective service by enabling us to rapidly adapt to client and sector requirements,” said Karon Harrison, IT Manager at Hansells.
Product launches
Trinogy Systems, a provider of integration tools for iManage, has released a new interface for iManage which provides real-time operation to DocuSign. The DocuSign module joins other iManage integration modules from Trinogy such as Mattersphere, HotDocs, Winscribe and SafeLink.
RBRO Solutions, a leading unification software solution provider, has released its New Matter Intake Process for K2. This K2-based solution enables law firms and corporate legal departments to reduce risk and quickly onboard new clients and matters while kicking off required workflows that support the needs of the organization.
“We are committed to providing our clients seamless access to their content,” said John Russell, Co-CEO at RBRO Solutions.
DueDil, the data intelligence company that gives businesses a platform to identify opportunities and manage risk, has launched a new feature that brings together corporate governance data and automates many time-consuming compliance processes.
The new Ownership Tab acts as a central hub for understanding the governance of a company. Information on a company’s ultimate ownership, directorships, and portfolio companies is all provided in one place. The feature also automates the process of identifying related companies, uncovering links and associations that were not previously clear and saving valuable time and effort for compliance and know-your-customer (KYC) teams.
Who’s in, who’s out?
Financial services legal data consulting firm D2 Legal Technology has appointed Urmi Ohri, a sales and business strategy specialist with a strong background in financial services in UK and international markets, as global head of sales and business strategy.
Ohri will apply her experience of driving and expanding strategic business development into new markets to help D2LT, which has extensive experience in legal documentation in the capital markets space, to expand its global footprint.
Industry news
The Buying Legal Council conference took place at Baker & McKenzie’s offices last week (9 May), looking at alternative fee arrangements and procurement, with heavyweight speakers including RBS’ head of eDiscovery Anupam Razdan and head of legal services sourcing Vincent Gautheron. You can access the slides here.
Berwin Leighton Paisner, has won the award for Modernising Legacy Systems at the Ovum Industry Congress for its use of a RAVN ACE robot within its real estate disputes practice, allowing lawyers to focus on higher value work for clients.
Brexit is creating uncertainty in the property markets. Commenting on the RICS residential market survey for May 2016, Andy Sommerville, director of conveyancing search company Search Acumen, said: “Whether or not a Brexit will unfold remains to be seen, but the uncertainty is definitely creating an environment of caution in the property sector, as seen in the drop in interest from buyers for the first time in over a year (March 2015). Sellers are also lowering their asking prices in the short term as Brexit draws closer, which could offer some buyers temporary relief.”
CSR
Leading litigation funder Bentham has committed $300,000 to help fund the just-launched Civil Justice Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.
Led by renowned constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Irvine Law School, the new Institute will study factors that limit access to America’s court system. The Institute expects to serve as an academic and intellectual counterweight to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for Legal Reform, an outspoken critic of litigation.
Allison Chock, head of Bentham’s Los Angeles office said: “We’re excited to be joining Dean Chemerinsky and UC Irvine School of Law in taking a disciplined look at the economic distortions in our legal system. The Institute will also look to the remedies that can help level the judicial playing field for litigants.”
Software and outsourced service supplier, Quill Pinpoint has won ‘best employer’ at the MS Society Awards 2016. The awards praised the courageous individuals coping with the degenerative effects of Multiple Sclerosis as well as rewarded those people or companies who’ve supported the MS community in some significant way, Quill among them.
Quill’s most noteworthy submission was from an employee with MS, Sue Heller, who said: “I’ve been very lucky to have worked for an employer who recognises that my disability doesn’t mean the end of my working life.” Another contributory factor in Quill’s awards success was its active fundraising efforts for the MS Society which saw the company generate over £13,000.