The research -- conducted by business technology services provider Avanade surveyed more than 70 senior IT decision makers and lawyers at UK law firms, including half the UK’s top-50 – revealed that despite nearly half of respondents rating ‘client demand’ as the main reason for investment in technology, a much smaller percentage was considering ‘client-centric’ technology for potential investment.

King client

At a roundtable debate, Avanade – which has worked with London-headquartered law firm Simmons & Simmons for the last two years – maintained that enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management  were only considered by 15 per cent and 37 per cent respectively of those surveyed.
Daryn Edgar – Avanade’s senior UK director – said: ‘In a time when the client is clearly king, it is vital that law firms take a top-down approach and concentrate on their critical client-centric technologies to help deliver the best service and run a smooth, cost-effective practice.’
The full results of the survey are set to be released within the next few weeks.