SUPPLIER SCRUTINY: the results of value for money and quality of legal IT firms are presented in new edition

Fourteen legal IT companies have made it through the selection process to be recognised in the 2004 edition of the Law Society's Software Solutions guide.

Under the vetting procedure, each company demonstrated its products to a panel of five IT experts.

Accountancy firm Baker Tilly reviewed the accounts of each applicant, and independent market researchers interviewed at least 40 clients per company asking them to rate the product against a number of factors.

Quill Computer Systems came out top among customers for overall value for money, with its Pinpoint Accounting Bureau product achieving 8.2 out of ten.

Three software suppliers came joint top for overall customer satisfaction with 8.1 out of ten: Quill, Solicitors Own Software, and Edgebyte Computers (with Lawbyte).

Quill and Edgebyte also scored joint highest for ease of use, with 8.6.

The remaining suppliers in the guide are AIM Professional Systems, AXXIA Systems, DPS Software, Eclipse Legal Systems, JCS Computing Solutions, Laserform International, Mountain Software Holdings, MSS, Opsis, and Pericom.

To qualify, all companies had to offer an integrated practice management system incorporating accounts, client management, time recording, e-mail integration, document assembly, and diary and scheduling.

Many suppliers attempting to apply failed to meet these initial criteria.

One applicant was rejected after completing the selection process, while two of last year's finalists, Gavel and Gown, and Videss, chose not to apply this year.

In a statement, Videss said the enquiries generated by the guide were not in line with its target audience.

The guide features an assessment of each product and an independent analysis by Gazette columnist Charles Christian.

It also provides a product functionality comparison chart and a breakdown of customer feedback results.

The guide will be sent to all partners in firms of ten or fewer partners, and to the senior partner and IT director in all larger firms.

It is also being distributed to members of the Law Society's law management section and will be available on the Law Society's Web site.

Law Society President Peter Williamson said the guide has become one of the most influential sources of information about the various legal software systems available to solicitors in England and Wales, claiming that in fact a growing number of firms will now only consider legal IT suppliers who are listed in the guide.

He added: 'Solicitors must now comply with more rules than ever before, the new anti-money laundering regulations are one of the latest examples, but legal software has risen to this challenge and now offers pro-active risk management procedures to minimise the chances of error and non-compliance.

'The Law Society has long recognised the benefits of technology as a productivity tool but it is increasingly apparent that without IT, many firms would also find it hard - or at least prohibitively expensive - to cope with the administrative burden of running a modern law firm.'

The guide, which is supported by the Legal Software Suppliers Association, is funded from contributions from the suppliers included, together with a limited amount of sponsorship.

As well as Mr Christian, legal IT consultants Christina Archbold and Delia Venables also provided independent advice.

Rachel Rothwell