Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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Tim Platel was a practising solicitor for 25 years before he began working in the legal IT
industry, firstly as a consultant for Professional Computer Group in Dorset, and latterly as
In-house Counsel for Easy Convey Ltd in Surrey. In May of this year he set up his own
consultancy, Horizon Legal Sciences, www.horizonlegal.co.uk which is aimed at helping smaller
law firms implement successful IT solutions.
Back to Contents.
Ten things a firm should be doing now to prepare for e-conveyancing
by Tim Platel
1. Creating a leadership group
All change is - more or less - painful, so it is not surprising that most people are - more or less
- resistant to it. The best way to overcome resistance is to create a leadership group whose
tasks are, firstly, to formulate the strategy, and secondly, to drive it forward to fruition. It is
important that at least one group member has real authority within the firm, and can “get things
done”. It is also important that secretarial and support workers are encouraged to get involved.
Pick a group of “champions” - as few as two or three might suffice - who combine the qualities
of enthusiasm on the one hand, and IT savvy on the other, and give them the encouragement
and support they need to succeed. Thereafter, you can roll out the implementation, desk by
desk, department by department. Using this method ensures that when things go wrong (and
they are certain to go wrong!) that you are only dealing with a localised hiccup, as opposed to
a general melt down.
2. The three certainties of e-conveyancing
When gathering the information needed to make sensible decisions, it is important to remain
focused on the certainties of e-conveyancing, and not lose your way by pondering the
imponderables! Broadly speaking, the three certainties of e-conveyancing are,
3. Creating an electronic culture
From the technical point of view, it is important to bear in mind the second certainty above –
that e-conveyancing is being driven by Internet technologies. In practical terms, this means
placing a premium on those products and services that can demonstrate good current and
future integration with the internet, especially when dealing with email and SMS texting, which
are set to overtake the letter as the primary means of written communication.Try to take solid
practical steps to ensure that all information leaving and entering the office does so in electronic
format (see below on NLIS channels). Encourage the use of email wherever possible, ensuring
that on client questionnaires, you actually request email addresses! Give all members of staff
as wide as possible access to the Internet. Think about how you can do this, without
compromising security and productivity (see section 5 below on Internet servers).
4. Investing in IT
If you are serious about e-conveyancing, you will need to get serious about IT, so take a long
hard look at your network, and put together a two year investment programme. Your servers
will be at the heart of your network, so if you have been getting by with an ordinary PC, it is time
to go up a gear! Plan for a dedicated RAID1 server, using a fast Pentium 4 or D processor, with
at least 8gb hard discs, and 256k of RAM. The HP ProLiant ML110 G3 server is a good
affordable choice. As more and more of your precious data migrates from paper to digital
format, a quality backup solution will be critical. One again, HP is likely to be your best option,
and their StorageWorks DAT 24 SCSI Tape Drive is a good bet. Round off the configuration
with a decent DVD-RW and a UPS (uninterruptable power supply). If you have any energy (and
cash) left, why not investigate a wireless network? Inexpensive and flexible (because you don’t
need to hardwire fixed site workstations), it is the best way to give laptop users (ie: fee earners)
access to the network and your Internet connection.
5. Increased Traffic and Security Issues
Remember that e-conveyancing is being driven by Internet technologies. As more and more
business facing routines migrate to the internet, the more time you will be online. The increase
in Internet traffic will put pressure on your server, and slow your network down and will also
increase internal and external security threats. The best solution is a dedicated Internet server.
This takes pressure off your main server, speeds up Internet access, enables you to manage
how your staff access the Internet, and provides an additional and highly effective level of
protection against viral and hacker attacks. Netpilot3 from Equinet is a suitable solution for the
small or medium sized practice.
6. Scanners
For some years to come, conveyancers will be obliged to work in two environments at once –
analogue ("real") and digital. Electronic data transmission requires digitising paper-based data,
and that, of course, means scanning. There are two sorts of scanners to think about, desk top
(for smaller, “one off” A4 sized tasks) and theatre (for bulkier tasks, up to A3 in size). A good
quality desk top scanner can now be had for under £50 – the Cannon Lide 60 flatbed for
instance. The two most important features here are the “Scan to PDF” function (see section on
PDF below) and the USB port connection, which makes for very fast operation. As for theatre
scanners, it really depends on how big the task is likely to be. A machine that can be
networked, handle A3 sized documents, incorporates a good quality auto-feed and can scan
at 50+ pages per minute is unlikely to come in at much under £2,500. Again, Cannon is a good
bet, and their DR-5010C Document Scanner would be a good choice for most practices.
7. NLIS Channels
One of the most important features of Home Information Packs – and often the most
overlooked – is that they will be compiled and transmitted electronically. So it makes sense to
source the information that goes into them electronically as well – and that means using an
NLIS channel. There are three to choose from: Transaction On Line, Searchflow and TM
search. They all enjoy similar functionality, the main differences being the user interface and
pricing structure. Each channel represents a “one stop shop” for just about every search you
will ever need to do. However, many Local Authorities still cannot transmit local search results
electronically, and even when they can, copy planning consents and the like are still produced
in paper format. You can get round this by using a personal search agent. Setting aside
questions of authenticity, they are often quicker, cheaper and will generally transmit everything
– including planning consents – electronically.
8. Case Management Systems
Case management will be the critical technology. This is because Land Registry, when
designing its own e-conveyancing model, has assumed that you will be using case
management, and that it will integrate with Land Registry systems. You will need agreement
from Land Registry to access its network, and this will not be forthcoming if you have not
invested in a case management system. As to which system you buy, this will depend on how
much conveyancing you do as a proportion of turnover. If it is significant proportion, then you
will need to look at “best of breed” solutions, such as ConveyProControl from Courage & Co,
or CASA from Easy Convey. If not, and you are already using an accounts package, then your
existing supplier is likely to have a solution worth looking at. Otherwise, the Law Society’s
Software Solutions Guide is a good starting point. When looking at case management products,
insist on seeing live software, rather than PowerPoint presentations. Whatever product you
finally opt for, ensure it has good current and future integration with the Internet (such as on-line
SDLT submission for instance), and (so far as you can tell) enjoys a shallow learning curve.
9. PDF files and Adobe software
A PDF (Portable Document Format) file is a universal file format that preserves the fonts,
formatting, colours, and graphics of any source document, regardless of the application and
platform used to create it. Developed by Adobe Software, it is now an industry standard, and
will almost certainly be the file format used to create and transmit HIPs. Whilst the software
used to read PDF files, known as Acrobat Reader, is free, the software used to create PDF
files, currently Adobe Acrobat 7.0, has to be purchased. Depending on what version of the
software you buy, the cost is anywhere from about £190 to £350. Simple to learn, easy to use,
and cheap to acquire, every conveyancer should now be using Acrobat to create bespoke
documents (contracts, transfers, questionnaires etc.) which can easily be transmitted as email
attachments.
10. Training
Training is the poor man of IT implementation, partly because of the way legal software is sold.
With some notable exceptions, software suppliers are generally much more interested in
increasing the number of sites using their software, rather than increasing yield from those
sites. As a consequence, and because suppliers are so keen to get their product into your
office, training is often undersold and, because of this, users’ experience of the product often
falls somewhat short of their expectations! It is essential to ensure that all your staff (fee
earners as well as support staff) get sufficient training of the right quality and sort. The sort of
training you need is known as EDIP – explanation, demonstration, imitation, practice – so if the
trainers don’t know what EDIP means, you may have a problem!
Email timplatel@horizonlegal.co.uk; or 07767333576.