Press Release - Is This Change good for the Customer – Or Not?
16th July 2007
“How could I invest in legal software from a multi-company group where each one of the four software houses uses different development tools? Who knows who will become the dominant member?” A quote from one of the many recent calls to the Linetime sales team.
As has been mentioned by many market observers in the legal press, not to mention the increasingly large number of enquiries coming through the Linetime web site, a growing number of law firms who had previously invested in software from one of the four companies that now make up the IRIS (formerly CS Group) conglomerate, are very concerned about their future.
It would appear that an increasing large number of AIM, Laserform, Videss and Mountain users are airing their concerns on web ‘blogs’ such as that set up by legal consultant Charles Christian. One potential Linetime customer who was initially considering investing in software from one of these four firms has categorically stated that he couldn’t possibly plan the next 5 years of his firm’s development on a software system whose own future was so precarious.
A recent issue of the Gazette quoted an alleged CS Group user as saying ‘We await with interest as to how IRIS wish to take the legal aspect of their business forward’.
Linetime Chairman John Burrill commented, “The country’s legal market has been well serviced for over 20 years by a number of successful specialist legal software houses like Linetime. We believe that we and our colleagues service a niche market that demands a different approach to any other business or profession. It is a market that has seen significant changes both in what technology it uses, but more importantly what technology it is allowed to use. To this end it is our contention that the legal software market will continue to be better served by dealing with specialists rather than ordinary computer firms, who may actually attempt to force customers to accept general solutions rather than ones designed to fulfil the unique and growing requirements of the modern legal practice.”
For more information on Linetime products or services:
Keith Hutton,
Linetime Ltd.,
Moorfield Close,
Leeds LS19 7YA
T: 0113 250 0020
F: 0113 250 0524
www.linetime.co.uk
E: info@linetime.co.uk
Background:
Linetime is the country’s leading Legal Software Company - Law Society Software Guide 2007.
It was founded in 1983 following an MBO from a large UK computer company. Since then they have focused entirely on the development of software and systems for the legal marketplace.
Since its formation Linetime has developed Practice Management and Case Management systems as well as niche products for debt recovery – DebtimeSQL is an acknowledged market leader in its field.
Linetime’s latest product Liberate was the first truly integrated legal software suite available to the UK legal sector. Operating in a Microsoft SQL Server environment customer shipments began in July 2001. The many benefits of the single database approach have resulted in the development of comprehensive Customer Relationship Marketing facilities (Liberate Contact Marketing) and many sophisticated reporting tools (Liberate Report Generator and MyView.NET). Linetime was the first legal software supplier to be recognised by Microsoft as .NET specialists, and receiving appropriate accreditation.
Liberate Express is an exciting new document and matter management system. Express can be used in harmony with the rest of Liberate but caters for the non-procedural “ad-hoc” worker and assists compliance and adherence to standards across all desks.
LIBERATE
Is a complete suite of software for the legal profession. At its core is a single Microsoft SQL Server database that ensures the modular system works as one, unlike the alternative approach of “bolting together” disparate software from disparate suppliers. Although Liberate is a complete solution the individual modules can be purchased separately and added to later without compromising the overall investment in a complete product.
Using Microsoft .Net technology we are able to take advantage of integration with leading specialist third party software providing real benefits to the user in such areas as Digital dictation, Postcode look up and Client Identity confirmation.
• Practice Management & Case Management
• Debt Recovery & Contact Marketing
• Liberate On-line & MyView.NET
• Image Router
Liberate from Linetime is a complete suite of products consisting of:
Practice Management
Case Management
Debt Recovery Software
Contact Marketing
MyView.Net
B2C - Secure Web Access
ImageRouter
Liberate Express - Matter Management