Pictured above: Head of Information Systems at
Weightmans Stuart Whittle
Members of law firm Weightmans really do know their hardware
from their hyperlinks according to a recent survey published by
Legal Week. The firm came in above average, a result Head of
Information Systems at Weightmans Stuart Whittle considered
encouraging, not least as fee-earner IT awareness was labelled
'outstanding'.
The magazine's annual Information Technology Report is a
voluntary survey designed to assess the simplicity, effectiveness
and reliability of IT services in areas such as service and
support, strategy and management and transactional tools. Over
4,000 fee-earners at 33 of the UK's top 50 law firms cast their
vote on the IT at their offices - from the software to the support
staff.
Weightmans received an above-average rating of 3.4 out of 5, and
staff confidence in the IT department's ability to solve technical
problems was particularly high with a score of 3.9.
Stuart said: "I am really pleased with our performance in this
year's report and the fact that 70% of fee-earners knew about our
IT strategy is encouraging - not least against the average of
53%.
"The fact that people are generally happy with the IT team is a
real confidence boost. That said, although we scored above average
in almost every category, there is definite room for
improvement."
Stuart stressed how IT and technology are fast becoming integral
parts of the successful operation of modern law firms, and that
ensuring a fast and reliable service is more important than
ever.
"We will use this report as a benchmark to further build on the
firm's IT provisions and facilities. The key to our continuous
improvement will be communicating with users and making sure we
don't just fix problems when they arise, but analyse the root cause
and make sure they don't happen again," Stuart said.