A practice management system (PMS) is the digital home of a law firm’s clients and matters. From the inception of each matter through to its closure, a variety of personnel – partners, fee earners, secretaries, accounting and marketing staff – may work on the matter, or at least require access to data related to it. These people perform different functions, have different business vocabularies and different information requirements. Consequently, user demands on the PMS are many and varied.
Most PMS products are hamstrung by inadequate search facilities and metadata, making it difficult for different types of user to locate information relevant to their specific needs. Even the mainstream, ‘bestof-breed’ systems provide only rudimentary, onesize-fits-all searches. Metadata filters are provided, but these are little more than loosely controlled, flat lists of terms. Each of these typically has – or at least appears to have – equal significance. Poor metadata also makes it difficult to generate reports with the complexity modern firms require.
