SPEECH RECOGNITION: Success of pilot project leads to implementation of system in leading firm.Irwin Mitchell is first to talk up success.

Irwin Mitchell has claimed to be the first top firm to embrace speech recognition software after a 100,000 pilot project reached 97% accuracy.

The 74-partner Sheffield-based firm is rolling out Dragon Naturally Speaking software to all its offices in London, Birmingham and Leeds.

More than 75 of the firm's lawyers are already using the technology - backed up by a bespoke vocabulary created by the Speech Recognition Company.

The solution will be extended to 150 lawyers by the end of the year rising to 300 by July 2001.

Irwin Mitchell has around 600 fee-earners.

The software is trained to recognise Irwin Mitchell 'jargon' - such as names of clients, partners and legal terms unique to the firm - and will be used for transcribing notes, letters and contracts.

It was developed through analysis of seven million words in text documents supplied by the firm's corporate services, personal injury and private client departments.

Irwin Mitchell IT Director Richard Hodkinson said: 'I have great hopes for the success of this technology, and if the word of mouth verdict is positive, then it could mean that the number of secretaries needed would fall, or they would at least move into more of a PA role.'

He said that certain departments would find the new technology more useful than others.

'For example, commercial property is an area where this technology will be massively valuable.

It currently involves drafting pages and pages of notes, which can now be done using voice recogniton.'

However, Mr Hodkinson recognised that many lawyers are 'Luddites' and will not take the time to learn a new technology.

'Some lawyers see having a huge raft of secretaries as a perk of the job, a sign of status, and they sadly won't embrace this new technology.'Despite this, he predicted that if the solution will provide 'the quickest payback of any technology investment we have ever made, once we are up to speed'.

Commercial property partner Martyn Holland is one of the lawyers already hooked up to the system.

'I constantly get around 97% accuracy from it and use it regularly for letters, faxes, e-mails etc, particularly after hours when secretarial support is gone,' he said.Victoria MacCallum