So the announcement reads… Ipswich law firm Prettys Solicitors has signed up to integrated practice and matter management with SOS Connect from Solicitors Own Software due to its “proven track record.”
And goes on to say… After several years the practice, which works across the full range of commercial and personal law, has replaced its incumbent system with SOS Connect.
“We had been with our previous suppliers for several years and looked at an upgrade with them, as well as seeing what some of their competitors could offer,” says CEO Ian Carr. “We decided to adopt SOS Connect mainly because it was a well-established, prudent product with a proven track record. In addition, as a firm we are looking to drive our efficiency in the coming years, and SOS Connect will help us to do that. The level of support, security and knowledge provided by the SOS team so far is very, very good and we are now in the process of rolling out the second phase, which involves the probate and litigation modules.”
But what was the unnamed legacy incumbent system? Digging through the Insider archives we found this story from May 2003…
Prettys in the pink with Elite ‘Out of the Box’
Ipswich-based Prettys has become one of the first firms in the UK to sign up for Elite Information Systems Out of the Box pre-configured accounts and practice management system. The 150 user firm currently runs Axxia software. According to Elite’s European general manager David Thorpe, the attraction of Out of the Box is that it is not a scaled down version of Elite’s full PMS but a packaged version for smaller firms that would otherwise lack the resources to implement and run Elite. “With Out of the Box, Elite still provides the same software producing the same business benefits but in a package that is much easier to implement.”
It is worth noting that although Elite may be synonymous with big firms in the UK, on a global basis nearly a quarter of Elite’s sites have fewer than 50 fee earners, 74 have less than 25 and the smallest user firm has just eight fee earners.