Bristol-based TLT Solicitors has become the latest firm to upgrade its system for compiling and maintaining effective disaster recovery and contingency plans. The system TLT will be using is the Shadow Planner product from Office Shadow and it is being implemented in conjunction with the consultancy Practical Solutions, who have also become distributors for the system in the UK legal market.

Disaster recovery and contingency planning are of course two aspects of modern law firm management that everyone knows they should have but, in reality, wishful thinking and blind optimism all too often rule the day. This was highlighted in the results of a survey conducted for the 2004 Law Society Software Solutions guide where although only 10% of firms said they did not have a recovery plan in case of a major disaster, just 50% were confident they actually did have a plan, with the remaining 40% responding that they were 'not sure' or that they 'sort of' had a plan.


However, what is interesting about the latest TLT/Shadow Planner order are the comments of the firm's head of business systems, Russell Levan. 'Everyone thinks of disasters as being catastrophic happenings but in today's electronic age even simple things like a contractor accidentally severing a power cable can reduce working capacity to zero,' he says. 'We need to plan for both the simple and the catastrophic to minimise risk and potential downtime.'


This is an important message for although disaster recovery is usually associated with major incidents, such as fires, terrorist attacks and flooding (and how many people reading this column work in firms where the main IT systems and administrative records are housed in a basement?), it is far more likely to be the mundane things that bring you down. A gas leak in a neighbouring building could mean you have to evacuate your building - even if it is a busy Friday with a stack of completions due. Alternatively, a train strike or freak winter weather could mean your staff are unable to get into the office. And, as Russell Levan says, no electricity means no access to your computer and e-mail.


With commercial clients now demanding that firms on their panels can ensure a quality and continuity of service and insurance companies wanting to know about your risk management plans before they set your premiums, contingency planning and disaster recovery have moved on from being 'nice to have' to 'must have' items.


Charles Christian is an independent adviser to the Law Society's Software Solutions guide.