Lanes splashes out on management system

London firm Lane & Partners has spent £150,000 on a new case and practice management system.

The 12-partner practice installed an Arista system from IT suppliers Axxia Systems after a beauty parade which included Miles 33 and Pilgrim.

Director of finance Alastair Mitchell said the firm had used a Miles 33 system for the previous nine years, but had outgrown it.

"We knew we needed to move on to a client server platform which would provide the partners with access to central management information as well as serve our needs for electronic communications," he explained.

He said that, although Axxia Systems was the most expensive option, price was not the "optimum consideration".

"The new system will produce more efficient billing procedures enabling us to reduce work-in-progress by five per cent," Mitchell predicted. He added that it would also "save time for lawyers and thus make another 30-or-so chargeable hours per annum available for each fee earner".