I noted with interest your article regarding the proposed introduction of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid work (see [2005] Gazette, 10 February, 26), particularly the warning by the chief executive of the Law Society and the general concern about the implications for smaller practices.


It is ironic that in the same edition you featured the Law Society's 2005 Software Solutions guide, but failed to mention the astronomic cost of inclusion. We have made a policy decision not to pay the £10,000 or thereabouts, thus avoiding our having to pass on this cost to our clients.


Terry Frost, managing director, Solicitors Case Management Systems, Shaftesbury, Dorset


Law Society response: There is some confusion regarding the funding and 'completeness' of the Software Solutions guide.


Each year, the Law Society invites software companies specialising in practice management software for the legal profession to apply for entry in the guide. The Society then goes through a rigorous four-stage process to ascertain whether the company/software qualifies for inclusion. These steps are:


  • Determining whether the package is practice management software;



  • Assessing whether the vendor is financially stable;



  • Judging existing clients' feedback to see whether it is strong enough from a market research point of view; and



  • Assessing the software supplier at a panel interview.



    • At any of these points, the Law Society reserves to right to reject the entry if it does not feel the supplier or software meets the exacting standards of inclusion. It is also possible for an applicant to withdraw from the process at any point pre-publication; indeed of this year's 18 applications only 16 progressed through to publication.


    Suppliers who apply for inclusion fund the guide and its free distribution to the profession, and this is made clear within the publication.


    The total cost of inclusion is £8,500 plus VAT, but this is only payable in full if the application is successful.


    The suppliers pay this as they see the guide as an invaluable endorsement by the Law Society and a powerful and cost-effective marketing tool.


    As stated in Law Society President Edward Nally's accompanying letter, the guide is 'not meant to be an exhaustive listing or evaluation of all the available options', but it is a hugely useful tool for solicitors and their staff when deciding on which practice management software providers to shortlist.


    John Tarry, Publisher, Software Solutions giude, the Law Society, London