SCL unveils award front runners

SHORTLIST: TotalSpeech, easyconvey.com, Visualfiles and ARTL system up for top prize

The Society for Computers and Law (SCL) has announced the four-strong shortlist for its annual award for the most outstanding application of information technology to the law in the UK and Ireland.

The contenders for the prize are: TotalSpeech, the highly successful digital dictation software produced by BigHand; electronic conveyancing system easyconvey.com; case management system Visualfiles, produced by legal software supplier Solicitec; and the Scottish Automated Registration of Title to Land system (ARTL).

The digital software in TotalSpeech takes the place of traditional analogue tape by allowing a fee earner to dictate into a PC-connected microphone and storing the words on a sound file in the firm's network.

The file is then instantly accessed by a secretary, who can type out the notes in an appropriate format.

Easyconvey.com is an on-line conveyancing system specifically aimed at small and medium-sized firms.

It claims to increase by 30 to 50% the number of cases a firm can deal with.

Visualfiles is described by its makers Solicitec as a 'digital nervous system', and aims to be part of the 'next generation of case management systems'.

It is able to develop customised interfaces with other systems using XML software or e-mail messaging.

ARTL was developed by the Registers of Scotland executive agency as a step towards full e-conveyancing north of the border.

It allows solicitors to produce on-line digital deeds, which automatically generate the necessary changes to the land register.

Laurence Eastham, editor of the SCL's magazine, said the betting for this year's award remained wide open.

'TotalSpeech has probably had more of an impact than any other product in 2002, but that is not necessarily enough to win the award,' he said.

In November, City firm Nabarro Nathanson began rolling out TotalSpeech to more than 650 users, making it one of the largest digital dictation workflow projects in Europe (see [2002] Gazette, 7 November, 15).

The winner of the award, which is made by a panel chaired by Andrew Levison, head of UK and Europe consulting services at Baker Robbins & Co, will be announced on 20 January at a ceremony at the Law Society in Chancery Lane.

Victoria MacCallum