Atlanta-based SharePoint solutions provider Handshake Software is looking to replicate its U.S. growth in the UK legal market via a strategic partnership with Enable Business Solutions.
Enable, which helps law firms to build high quality pitch documents using its SharePoint-based solution PitchPerfect, has beat off competition from others to resell, install and support the Handshake Software Universal Search, Portal, Expertise Locator and Extranet products in the UK.
According to Handshake Software’s executive vice president & chief strategy officer Glenn LaForce, currently around 50% of the Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 firms are using Handshake Software to maximise their SharePoint-based solutions. “We are looking forward to partner with Enable to provide similar market leadership in the UK law firm market,” he said.
Enable, which has been in business for four years, has six PitchPerfect clients including Olswang, Charles Russell Speechlys, TLT, Baker Botts and Ashfords. It has branched out into branded correspondence and document creator LegalPerfect – or “legal template management on steroids” according to CEO Liam Flanagan – for which it has recently won a UK top 50 client.
Flanagan said: “As global firms continue to pursue a one-stop knowledge management solution anchored by a robust portal and search offering, proven technology providers like Handshake Software are ideally positioned to meet this demand. At Enable, as the software authors of the popular SharePoint based Enable PitchPerfect application, we obviously have a wealth of SharePoint expertise and experience that we believe will support Handshake’s global strategic goals.”
Key recent turning points for Handshake Software in the increased demand for its SharePoint-based solutions have included the acquisition of Thomson Reuters’ OneView (formerly XMLAW) in August 2013; its growth in size across sales, consulting and R&D; and its strategic partnerships and technology integrations with LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, Microsoft and Manzama.
In May Handshake Software, which was formed in 2000, before SharePoint was fully developed, announced support for Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint Online, meaning its clients can now quickly migrate from on-premises SharePoint portals or extranets to cloud-based versions.