Although over the past few weeks we have been considering some of the reasons why lawyers should get to grips with technology, as with many things in life there is fine line to be drawn between taking a interest in a subject and becoming obsessed. In fact, I can attest from my own experiences that there are few things more boring than being cornered by a lawyer-turned-computer enthusiast in full flow.

By itself this is no sin - we all have our hobby-horses - but where it can become a problem is when this over enthusiasm starts spilling out into the workplace. It is all very well having someone who can develop word-processing macros for the secretaries and case management workflows for the conveyancers, but is that the job the partnerships employed them to do - or are they pursuing their hobby at the expense of their fee-earning targets? To use a simple analogy, if your dishwasher breaks down, financially it makes more sense to pay an engineer to fix it than to take time off work - and fee-earning - trying to do it yourself.


Similarly, it does not take long for the amateur IT enthusiast to become convinced that he could write a far better accounts or case management system than most of the commercial suppliers serving the market. Indeed, there are several very good software applications available that did begin life with a 'developed by lawyers for lawyers' pedigree. But, once again, it is a question of priorities. So, what is the main objective of your business? Is it to develop a successful legal practice? Or is it to diversify into becoming a computer software house?


There are two things lawyers need to know about computers. The first is the general issue of how technology can help their practices become more productive and profitable, while at the same time improving the delivery of legal services to clients. The second is how to use a computer so that on a personal level it can increase your productivity and efficiency.


Everything else is an optional extra. So while it is undoubtedly useful to have your own in-house IT guru, if this role starts to conflict with the day job, you may need to warn that person to curb the enthusiasm - at least during office hours.


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