Legal firm extends document management project

UK legal firm Clifford Chance has extended its document management software system, installing it on a further 1,100 desktops around the world.

The company already has 3,500 seats of the Hummingbird Communications system installed worldwide, but that will now be extended to various locations including recently merged company Rogers and Wells in New York.

It uses PC Docs technology to allow users to locate documents no matter where they are by doing a simple search on a phrase or word.

Nick Lockett, senior associate at law firm Sidley & Austin, said the legal industry has been using electronic documents for many years, but it is only just waking up to the true potential of IT.

"Most legal firms in the City [of London] have document management systems in place," he said. "The next stage is to introduce file management systems on central servers to allow clients to view their papers easily, " he added.

Lockett predicts this kind of system will become commonplace in legal firms within the next five years.