Over the past couple of years, there has been increased talk about 'best-of- breed' case management systems.

At their core is the idea that instead of buying a complete integrated software package from one supplier, the law firm should be able to pick and mix elements from different suppliers.

The rationale is that while one supplier may be able to provide, say, a good accounts system, that company's case management software may be less attractive than some of the other products available on the market.

So, rather than putting up with this unsatisfactory, almost take-it-or-leave-it approach, the idea behind best-of-breed is that firms should be able to shop around, selecting the best elements from various sources.

However, there is an important caveat, namely that all these different elements should be sufficiently 'open' in terms of their software design that they can be relatively easily integrated with other best-of-breed systems.

In other words, if you buy a best-of-breed case management system from supplier A, you need to be certain that it can 'talk' to your best-of-breed practice management system from supplier B.

This whole issue of ease of integration is potentially the biggest stumbling block for any firm considering going the best-of-breed route because, although it sounds simple in theory, in practice it can prove difficult and expensive to achieve.

With few exceptions, best-of-breed projects only work in firms that either have their own in-house IT staff or are prepared to use external consultants.

For this reason, you rarely see best-of-breed implementations outside the 200 largest firms in this country - and there are even firms within the top 100 that have still opted for an integrated system as the more cost-effective solution.

As for smaller firms, I would suggest that most not only lack the resources and funds to support a best-of-breed project but they will actually find all their needs more than adequately satisfied by an integrated system.

The one exception is the combination of the SOS (01225 787700) accounts and Solicitec (0113 226 2000) SolCase case management systems - where the two suppliers have been working together for more than ten years with firms of all sizes to deliver what is tantamount to an out-of-the-box integrated solution.

Other suppliers worth noting are Axxia Systems (0118 960 2602) and Pilgrim Systems (0131 555 9700), whose case management applications will run in integrated, stand-alone or best-of-breed configurations, while AIM Professional (01482 326971) - best known for its Evolution integrated system - has now entered the best-of-breed market with its Teamflo case system.

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