At a Law Society annual conference a few years ago, the Society's then president warned in his speech that the stark choice facing many smaller law firms was to either 'get a niche or get out'. The launch of two niche software systems at the end of last month will remind firms that if they are planning to develop niche practices, there are also plenty of technology systems out there to help complement their work.


The first product - PIQuantum - has been launched by Quantum Software in Manchester (www.quantumsoftware.co.uk) to help personal injury lawyers prepare schedules of damages and, where necessary, to update, amend and recalculate them at a click of a button. The slightly unusual feature of PIQuantum is it is only available as a subscription-based on-line service, although completed schedules can subsequently be printed out in a Microsoft Word format.


Quantum's developers say the benefit of the on-line approach is it allows reference and other standing data, such as tax and Ogden tables, to be updated the same day they are published, without lawyers or support staff having to download updates or wait for the arrival of, and then install, update CDs.


The second product launch was by Cognito Software (www.cognitosoftware.co.uk), which has unveiled its new Custodiens trust and probate system. This is a complete end-to-end redevelopment - rather than just an update of the original Custodiens product which dates back to the early 1990s - that combines case and risk management functionality with the ability to generate and revise IHT 200 and D schedules forms at a keystroke.


Although there are many other probate packages available in the market, Custodiens' inclusion of a trust element is worth noting. Soaring property values mean many more clients are now using trusts as part of their estate planning. Custodiens is available both as an integrated application, to be run in conjunction with Cognito's own accounts and practice management system, and as a stand-alone product.


The theme behind both products is the aim to speed up the production of financial calculations that are time-consuming to produce and update, thereby freeing the fee-earner to focus on legal rather than arithmetical issues.


Charles Christian is an independent adviser to the Law Society's Software Solutions guide