Mobile telephone management specialist ttMobiles has developed an interactive Web-based bill management system that enables law firms to view and manage their corporate mobile expenditure.

The service, Wireless Expense Manager (WEM), allows firms to identify personal usage to control costs and ensure compliance with VAT legislation, as well as generate income through client rebilling.


Bills from mobile service providers go directly to ttMobiles, with the firm's lawyers inputting on-line details of client and personal numbers and client matter numbers. Firms can then access clear reports that show what the phones are being used for.


Magic circle firm Allen & Overy (A&O), with its fleet of 1,100 mobiles in the UK, has been operating WEM for the last 12 months.


Andrew Brammer, head of global IT operations at A&O, said: 'We wanted to remove the manual process, to reduce paperwork and recover costs. We needed an outsourced system that provided management reporting, easier VAT compliance, asset management and was simple to use.'


Mr Brammer said Allen & Overy now has solid reporting, asset tracking and VAT compliance in place.


He added: 'It allows us to recover costs, we have made administrative savings and the system is paying for itself.'


Aldo Rossi, managing director for ttMobiles, commented: 'Law firms need a system that can be integrated with their own accounting system, that is not so time consuming that it is cost prohibitive.'


He continued: 'WEM delivers a clear audit trail required for VAT compliance - firms have an obligation to accurately identify personal and business use. Customs & Excise is becoming more proactive in challenging this.'