Many chambers are adopting a much more competitive approach to gain work. There is an ongoing reduction in funding from the Government and with it tighter monitoring and policing across many aspects of Chambers work. Direct access from the public also brings pressure to bear on resources. There is also a general movement towards specialist Chambers.

Management teams are increasingly taking a much tougher commercial approach to running Chambers, focusing on cost control and employing more management specialists.

To combat these pressures and turn them to competitive advantage, Chambers are greatly increasing the demands they make on their management software. Whereas in the past the Clerks were the main users of the system, increasingly, Barristers and Chambers management teams have their own requirements from the software.

Barristers’ requirements

Barristers need rapid access to case information. In the middle of an important case the demand for information is immediate, requiring instant searching and retrieval of vital information as well as properly archived online storage. They also must have the ability to update chambers instantly and be updated instantly. They increasingly need access to the system from anywhere in the world as well as the ability to use their email and diary on the move.

Clerks’ requirements

Clerks need to be able to keep a close track on their Barristers in terms of diaries and cases. They need to be able to be in constant contact with them, to send and receive information quickly. They require even tighter controls on admin, with fee billing, tracking and chasing simplified. They also need time freed up to be able to market their Chambers and target new clients. The need for targeted information about their clients is crucial.

Managements’ requirements

The management teams want their specialists to be able to focus as much time as possible on their areas of expertise. They need to understand and measure performance in all aspects of their Chambers and therefore put in place tighter controls. They require much more detailed and complex reporting, delivered automatically in easy to interpret formats. They are looking for simpler administration and lower costs. They also want much more control of the management software, being able to define who gets access to which areas of the system, as well as defining and distributing reports.

This understanding of the market is the basis on which we have built our all new, state of the art Chambers Management software.