Alston & Bird is set to replace Thomson Reuters Elite with Aderant Expert, which Aderant says now brings the total number of AmLaw 200 firms selecting Aderant Expert to 74, “more than any other competitive platform.”
Aderant President Deane Price said: “We are certainly proud to achieve the number one position among the AmLaw 200,” said “But more important than the ranking is our continued development of our products and dedication to our partners. Our mission is to help our clients run a better business, so they can better serve their clients. Reaching number one is merely validation that we are keeping true to our mission and values at Aderant.”
It is Elite’s policy not to disclose firm numbers below the business unit level but in August it announced that 90% of Am Law 200 firms “now use at least one product in the Elite Enterprise Business Management Solution” and in total 216 law firms have selected 3E. Which means, particularly given that we’re talking about accounting systems, the overall position is clear as mud. However, given that the lion’s share of firms in the Am Law 200 use Aderant or Elite as their PMS, as yet we haven’t been able to work out how 74 firms gives Aderant a number one position. More to come on that one.
Wins and deals
In other deals, in the eDiscovery space, Counsel On Call, a leading alternative legal solutions provider of technology-enabled managed legal and secondment services, has acquired DSicovery, LLC (“DSi”), a renowned eDiscovery, digital forensics and data management company.
The combination of Counsel On Call’s expert attorneys with enhanced, technology-based legal solutions from DSi will offer a comprehensive and unified approach to complex business challenges and ever-changing legal demands.
“We will leverage DSi’s unique blend of technology expertise and industry insights to drive further automation in order to provide additional value for our clients,” said Barry Dark, chief executive officer of Counsel On Call. “As an industry, we are in the early stages of innovation in how legal services are delivered, and we are excited to be well-positioned to collaborate with clients to accelerate this transformation.”
DocsCorp on 6 September announced that UK top 50 law firm Osborne Clarke has replaced Workshare metadata management and document comparison software in all its offices globally with cleanDocs and compareDocs, in a win that happened two years ago.
Osborne Clarke selected DocsCorp in 2015 and began a phased swap out starting in October 2015, when it exchanged its Workshare subscription-based comparison tool for compareDocs, deploying the new tool within six weeks. The other perpetual Workshare licenses were swapped out over the next six months.
Speaking to Legal IT Insider, Osborne Clarke IT applications manager Stuart Chapman said: “DocsCorp is now part of our standard build and everyone gets cleanDocs and compareDocs. We’ve worked with DocsCorp to resolve a few bugs and they’ve been very responsive.”
And letterhead software from Zylpha has been chosen by solicitors Tickle Hall Cross for use with its SolCase case management software. The newly available solution enables the practice to automatically add the correct legal letterhead to word document based correspondence.
Product launches
Brexit sparked a wave of law firm tools to help corporates understand their early obligations relating to the UK’s exit from the EU and the recent publication of the ‘Great Repeal Bill’ looks set to have the same effect. Quick off the blocks, last week Hogan Lovells launched a new tool – the Hogan Lovells Brexit Repeal Bill Tool – to help businesses understand how the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will affect them after Brexit.
Charles Brasted, a partner at Hogan Lovells, said, “Many of the rules affecting businesses in the UK come either directly from EU law or from domestic legislation that implements it. Brexit will fundamentally change the UK’s relationship with the EU, leaving the status of these unclear. Businesses operating in the UK will want to know if and how their legal and regulatory environment will change. This tool will help them do that, by explaining how the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will deal with the specific legal instruments they are concerned about.”
IP management and analytics provider Anaqua has released a patent intelligence data tool, Forward Examiner Rejections, which enables companies to identify which of their patents are blocking competitors’ new inventions.
The new functionality, available in Anaqua’s AcclaimIP, will allow corporations to review which of their patents are potentially being infringed upon by competitors. In addition, it informs companies which of their patents may be useful in cross licensing, which may be fenced in by competitors, and which may require additional continuations to protect their technology space.
AI contract review platform LawGeex has launched product enhancements that provide more control, speed and consistency in reviewing contracts.
LawGeex combines machine learning algorithms and text analytics to quickly review and approve everyday contracts, helping businesses answer the question “Can I sign this?”
The new features include the introduction of specific variations of legal concepts to allow businesses more granular control in clause concepts they want to see — and do not want to see — in contracts before signing them. LawGeex’s SaaS platform and servers are now fully ISO/IEC-27001 certified, ensuring the highest enterprise levels of privacy and security.
Tikit, part of the BT Group and leading provider of technology solutions for law and professional services firms, has expanded the integration of Workshare into P4W, Tikit’s flagship practice and case management application. This new integration with Workshare Connect will provide P4W users with superior file sharing capability.
Workshare CRO, Nick Thomson, said: “We’re really excited about expanding our integration with P4W. It’s going to give P4W customers a dynamic file sharing experience. With the ability to edit documents online, offline and on the move, together we’re delivering a modern way to collaborate on documents.”
Sysero has announced the launch of its Document Automation Service, which provides automation of the documents law firms use most frequently.
The introduction of Sysero’s automation service is said to make it even easier for law firms to get started with document automation by eliminating the manual work associated with it. Law firms can rely on Sysero’s team of seasoned automation experts to swiftly convert their existing documents into ready-to-use automated online templates.
Once automated, templates can be accessed by the firm’s lawyers via easy-to-use online forms, where they can quickly generate fully-branded legal contracts. Clients can opt to host their automated templates on-site or in the cloud for maximum flexibility, and have the choice between monthly or annual hosting subscriptions.
And specialist loss adjuster, Spotlite Claims, is implementing the Proclaim Case Management Software solution from Eclipse Legal Systems, the Law Society Endorsed legal software provider.
Based in Hertfordshire, Spotlite Claims specialises in providing loss adjusting services to the entertainment industry internationally. Its core services cover film and television claims, contingency, adverse weather, advertising, and cancellations of musical, sporting and leisure events. With over 35 years’ experience, the team combines strong, technical industry and adjusting skills with consistent and efficient customer service.
People moves
Out today (11 September) is the news that Former DTI eDiscovery consultant Donald Macdonald has joined the UK consultancy practice of Advanced Discovery (formerly known as Millnet). At eDiscovery and risk management rival DTI, Macdonald worked on a number of high-profile cases for the government, as well as regulatory, arbitration and litigation matters for corporations and law firms. He also worked for over 10 years in litigation support with Slaughter and May between 1996 and 2008.
Bundledocs has appointed Matt Breen as its new sales director with effect from 1 September 2017. Breen comes to Bundledocs with over 20 years’ experience working with international law firms and other document intensive organisations. In his previous role as EMEA Sales Director of Microsystems, Matt was instrumental in growing the business into new territories and developing new partner networks. In this newly created role, Matt will continue Bundledocs already rapid expansion from our London office. He will be responsible for spearheading our sales initiatives and global partner networks.
And as we revealed long before it officially hit the press, Toni Minick has joined Intapp’s client development practice as director of product management. Toni, a long-time veteran of LexisNexis and an expert in both product development and business development strategy, will be leading product management of the Intapp Open experience management solution.
Intapp Open Experience is designed to help firms win more business by providing visibility into work performed across practice areas, sectors and jurisdictions.
“I’m thrilled that Toni Minick has joined Intapp,” said Mark Bilson, Vice President of the Client Development Practice, Intapp. “Toni is highly respected for her understanding of the marketing and business development challenges facing professional services firms, and brings tremendous commitment and passion to helping firms achieve their business goals.”
Prior to joining Intapp, Toni was at LexisNexis for 12 years, most recently serving as Director of Product Management for InterAction.
Intapp has also been subject to a couple of departures and if you missed our exclusive that Intapp’s highly-regarded VP of market development, Norm Mullock is leaving for Wilson Legal Solutions, you can catch up on that story here: https://legaltechnology.com//latest-news/exclusive-norm-mullock-leaves-intapp-for-wilson-legal/
Fellow Intapp VP Dan Bressler is also set to leave the Palo Alto-headquartered company for pastures as yet unknown.