Firm keys into on-line PI settlement and saves time

A London law firm has taken the lead in the IT revolution by claiming to have agreed the first on-line settlement in the UK and adopting a system designed to create a paperless office.Portner & Jaskels London office saw a personal injury claim settled over the Internet in a few hours, rather than the three to four weeks the process normally takes.

The forum for the settlement was provided through eSettle.co.uk, which offers a service where parties to a dispute can use blind bidding technology to negotiate.

Owen Poole, claims manger at Portner & Jaskel, said using the Internet made the whole settlement process less adversarial.

There is normally a degree of bartering where claims are concerned and it just cuts out all that need for negotiation, he explained.

If there is a common ground, the computer will find it.Other benefits included a minimal amount of paperwork and a reduction in costs as the service is free to law firms, Mr Poole added.Meanwhile, Portner & Jaskel opened a hi-tech office in Caerphilly, south Wales, earlier this month, as part of a 500,000 IT investment.

In a joint initiative with legal expenses insurers DAS, the office uses a case management system linked to the firms London office, which is next in line for an IT revamp.

The system is based on Solicitec software, and brings together onto one system every element of the case that might otherwise be on paper.

The firms managing partner, Harvey Jaskel, said the new IT regime helped combat the problems associated with controlling a large caseload.

It may not be dot-com business, but it is certainly sustainable e-commerce, he added.Paula Rohan