Donns gives individuals access to files

EXTRANET: Law firm claims disclosure of case details will save time and improve efficiency

Manchester law firm Donns last week claimed to be the first to offer individual clients and their insurance companies access to their files via the Internet.

The firm's new Web site (www.donnslaw.co.uk) gives personal injury clients direct access to their legal files.

Lists of typical questions clients might ask will appear on screen, tailored to their cases, for which the client can find on-line answers.There will be a list of all documents sent by Donns relating to the case, so clients can see what action was last taken by the firm, and when.A glossary puts legal jargon into plain English to help clients understand and a case planner lets them know when the next action is planned by the firm.Insurance clients - many of whom fund the personal injury clients' actions - will have access to the files of cases they are funding, and lists of all cases dealt with, even if they are closed matters.

This will enable insurers to audit their litigation workloads remotely.Both personal injury and insurer clients will be able to e-mail the firm from their files with specific requests for more information.Several large law firms both in the City and the provinces now offer corporate clients access to files, but Donns claims to be the first offering the service to individuals.Donns' senior partner, Raymond Donn, said the move was in tune with the 'current atmosphere of full disclosure'.

He continued: 'If people now have a right to access their medical files now, why shouldn't they have access to their legal files?'He said that with around 30,000 cases to handle each year, the new system would save the firm the time spent on up to 50% of client telephone enquiries.

The corresponding amount of assistants' time would now be freed up to increase workload and efficiency, he added.Donns has taken on two extra IT staff -- bringing the total to eight -- to update and service the Web site, which cost 1.5 million to develop, and which uses state-of-the-art security equipment, according to Mr Donn.Mike Hutton, managing director of Colonnade, an insurance broker client of Donns, said: 'The period after an incident is particularly worrying for customers, faced with much uncertainty over the processes and timescales involved.

The new system will allow them to keep up to date with their own cases.'

Jeremy Fleming