Essex law firm Holmes & Hills has become the latest law firm to implement nFlow digital dictation software (DDS) integrated with the Visualfiles Case Management System (CMS). The integration has been tailored by both Holmes & Hills and nFlow to meet the specific needs of the law firm's users, and means a holistic process is now available in document production. The law firm also reports that the integration has effectively dealt with the problem of the non-standard standard letter, often seen with CMS, such that fee earners now are using the CMS much more effectively.
Commenting on the implementation, Holmes and Hills' IT Manager, Trevor Sleeman said, 'We had already implemented Visualfiles and observed a situation where fee earners were still dictating bespoke documents when there were standard documents available. The fee earners reported that often the standard document did not fit the exact case scenario as well as they would like. Creating bespoke documents produced an overhead in maintaining the integrity of the case history, resulting in a dislocated process that detracted from the potential benefits offered by Visualfiles.'
The integration delivers a totally embedded solution where fee earners are able to dictate amendments to standard documents or new documents, all linked directly to the case history. When the secretary opens the transcription for typing, the integration automatically opens the appropriate document history on the case without the secretary having to do anything. The resulting transcribed document is then saved straight in to the Visualfiles case history and an item is added to the fee earner's agenda to proof the document.
Mr Sleeman continued 'We approached a number of DDS suppliers, including nFlow, who all said that they could do it but had not done it yet. Only nFlow went away and came back with prototype to demonstrate they could do it: the others all wanted us to order the system before they would do anything. nFlow's approach impressed us and backed up what we had heard, that nFlow is a company who will listen to, and work with, its customers to deliver what they need. The integration we have created has so far worked very well and we now believe we are achieving our goal of a highly efficient and streamlined case management process. I would definitely say that not only their product but also the attitude and approach of nFlow definitely back their easy-to-buy reputation'
nFlow say that this is the second such integration in the UK, the other being the The Law Society of Scotland, and it is well ahead of its competitors in delivering this sort of technology. They add that DDS is definitely shifting towards a matter driven environment that will make the proven potential of a system to integrate with matter management an important selection criterion.
About Holmes & Hills
Holmes & Hills has been associated with legal practice in Essex for over 200 years. Today the firm has offices in Braintree, Halstead and Great Dunmow, providing high quality legal support shaped to meet client needs in a fast-changing world.
