Andersen Legal deals up on-line document service
Andersen Legal has joined the growing band of law firms offering an interactive on-line deal room service to clients.
The global law firm network associated with Big Five accountants Arthur Andersen is launching 'Dealsight' - a rival to Allen & Overy's Newchange and Clifford Chance's Fruit Net - for clients around the world.
Andersen's UK members are Garretts in England and Wales, and Scottish firm Dundas & Wilson.
Clients signed up to the free service will have a secure site to post documents, with restricted access 'rooms' to protect privileged documents.
The number of firms with deal rooms is growing.
Andersens' move follows the launch of Doc-Share by Dechert in July (see [2000] Gazette 6 July, 22).
Legal IT expert Charles Christian predicted that deal rooms will soon become as indispensable as e-mail.
He said: 'My understanding is that most of the major City firms are working on similar products and will have something at the end of the year.
I think they will have to have it.
'The deal room will become just another standard tool within the law firm armoury of services in a couple of years.'
Andersens has piloted Dealsight in its Australian and Singaporean member firms.
It will formally launch the service in September.
Worldwide managing partner, Patrick Bignon, said: 'When having to work across huge time zone differences, it is far more sensible to adopt a policy that gives everyone involved in the deal the ability to review documents at their own pace and time rather than have everyone staying up all night and not performing at their best.'
Anne Mizzi
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