In two firsts for the UK legal profession, online legal resource www.casecheck.co.uk [1], has launched an eBook of case summaries and a new, web-based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) recorder, to improve accessibility of key information to lawyers when they are on the move.
The CaseCheck™ eBook is the first of its kind in the UK with more than 700 case summaries from 2012 available free to CaseCheck subscribers on their mobile devices, saving them time, money and space. The Case Law Digest is a digitally delivered reference work that will be produced each year, along with quarterly digests, and covers both substantive and procedural areas of law.
The new CaseCheck™ CPD recorder is also believed to be a first for the legal profession and is a unique, user-friendly system that automatically inputs time spent researching case law and enables lawyers to update and review their CPD activities through a single, online portal.
The CPD and eBook developments are part of a range of enhancements to CaseCheck™that have been taking place over the last six months ahead of its move to charge a minimal subscription fee. The expansion of the service also includes the addition of an extensive database of Personal Injury cases dating back to 2004.
The CPD recorder easily tracks progress and produces a personalised report at the end of the year, reducing the hassle, time and cost associated with tracking professional development activities throughout the year.
Speaking about the latest innovations to its service, CaseCheck™ Founder and Director, Stephen Moore, said, “More and more lawyers are doing business on the move so making case summaries available as an eBook, as well as available via our mobile site, and enabling lawyers to record their CPD activity through a portal, seemed like obvious ways to help the profession adapt to today’s changing work environment.
“The whole premise of CaseCheck™ is to provide an affordable, relevant, user-friendly service to all lawyers, regardless of budget, and I believe we are doing that very well.
“We are providing the eBooks of case summaries and the CPD recorder as part of our overall service to subscribers, which also includes weekly updates of case summaries and a wide database of case law.
“All that is available from as little as £2 per week which is tremendous value.
“As for CPD, maintaining an accurate record of professional development is something lawyers can often find challenging so we wanted to develop something that would make it as easy as possible, as well reducing the hassle, cost and time traditionally associated with tracking CPD activities throughout the year.
“CaseCheck’s CPD recorder works by automatically inputting time spent on our extensive case law database while also enabling lawyers to keep a manual track of their developmental activities. This information is then automatically stored within a user’s account to be accessed whenever required.
“As it’s web-based, the recorder can be viewed at any time, whether to input attendance at a verifiable CPD event, take part in a webinar or to bookmark judgments and analysis from the CaseCheck™ database for personal study. At the end of the CPD year, the record is synthesised into a single, easy to follow, printable document, avoiding the end of year ‘rush’ which so many lawyers experience.”
CaseCheck™ now has more than 25,000 subscribers and has experienced record demand in the last 12 months thanks to the quality of its offering and ease of use.
With the range of enhancements that have been added, and with more to come, CaseCheck™ is introducing a minimal user fee which is as little as £2 per week for individual users. Until now, the service has been offered on a no fee basis.
Murray Mathieson, Director of CaseCheck™, added, “We feel the time is right to introduce a minimal paywall structure to CaseCheck™. The strength and depth of our offering is excellent and continuing to improve and the level of appreciation we are getting from users is consistently positive. We are confident the majority of our 25,000 existing subscribers will continue with our service and that new users will be attracted.
“CaseCheck™ with all the recent enhancements represents excellent value for money to legal and other professionals seeking an online resource that is reliable, modern and easy to use .”