Weightmans is in with the IT crowd

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.