A Birmingham-based law firm is set to offer a service which allows clients to access their favourite Web sites from any computer in the world.

Specialist new media practice Lecote claims to be the first firm in the UK to offer clients free access to the 'OwnArea' system, which operates like Hotmail but for 'favourites' lists, or bookmarks.

Favourites are normally stored on individual computers, meaning the user can only access them on that machine, but OwnArea archives them on-line, making them accessible from any computer.

Lecote principal Andrew Sparrow said: 'For clients who use the Internet from more than one location, for example, at work, on their travels or at home, the tool will be a massive boon since their user data will no longer be tied to just one PC.'

OwnArea, launched by a company of the same name, is a secure on-line Web browsing environment with no advertising or unsolicited 'spam' e-mails; however, the OwnArea is framed in a 'Web sleeve' that can offer additional services targeted to the clients, such as legal bulletins.

As it uses the calling PC as a host, no additional plug-ins or software are needed.

'Commercial clients use the net routinely to access a host of data such as supplier or customer URLs [Web addresses] or sites providing vital information to their business,' said Mr Sparrow.

'Thus the ability to take their own area of the Internet with them is very useful and commercially efficient.'

Lecote will offer clients a free one-year subscription to the service.

OwnArea is being offered to the public, and especially BT users, for 15.

'We are offering this service to clients because I think in a highly competitive legal market initiatives which help erosion of client necessity are necessary,' Mr Sparrow added.

Chris Baker