Pickering & Butters has selected SOS Connect from Legal Futures Associate for integrated case and practice management.
SOS Connect will replace the incumbent AIM system following an evaluation of suppliers, which began two years ago. The Stafford and Rugeley practice is determined that this investment in IT will significantly enhance the way that their lawyers work while delivering greater efficiency.
Pickering & Butters is Lexcel accredited and offers a full range of legal services throughout Staffordshire. Two years ago, following the announcement that support for its existing system would be withdrawn, the firm took a tentative look at systems to refresh its knowledge of the features and choices available. Suppliers included TFB (now TikitTFB), Eclipse, SOS, IRIS (with the replacement for AIM) and Axxia (now LexisNexis).
In 2009, the selection began in earnest and the partners got involved in demonstrations. The final short-listed contenders of SOS with Connect and IRIS with the AIM replacement were invited to participate in all-day demonstrations, which resulted in SOS winning the contract.
Rachael Shaw, IT manager, said: “Throughout the selection process SOS stood head and shoulders above the field, especially in the way that the software can be manipulated to suit the different ways that our lawyers want to operate. The integration with Outlook and time recording of e-mail, for example, are phenomenal and we felt that with SOS Connect we could improve the way we work significantly and grow the business. SOS Connect offered so many benefits that people here are excited and very positive about the new system rather than being resistant to change.”
SOS’s dedicated conversion team will provide a thorough transaction-level electronic data conversion for the new system which is scheduled to go live in March 2011.
David McNamara, managing director of Solicitors Own Software, said: “Our aim is to continuously improve SOS Connect and listen carefully to the needs of law firms. It is very gratifying to hear that during a long selection process our commitment shines through and our software largely keeps ahead of the competition.”