Leading lawyers debate impact of technology on Middle East's legal practices

Legal practitioners from firms across the Middle East attended the one-day meeting, which aimed to examine how law firms around the world are managing the challenge of moving from paper-based processes to online information sharing.

Issues such as management of legal documents, sharing of case-sensitive information between different locations, and maintenance of absolute confidentiality guidelines, are now high on the agenda for Middle East legal professionals, as they examine ways of improving the flow of information between different offices.

"We are entering into a new era when clients expect instant information-exchange between different legal practices, which is forcing decision-makers to examine how they can differentiate themselves from other players in the field," said Nizar Badwan, managing director, Exact Software Middle East, one of the speakers at the event.

Delegates at the gathering learned how enterprise resource planning solutions can help improve internal processes, and create cost savings, while ensuring appropriate levels of security for case-sensitive information - an important concern for busy legal organizations.

"The aim of the seminar was to demonstrate to heads of legal firms how technology can be used to their advantage. There are now secure and easily-accessible IT solutions available for the legal profession, and it's important that the heads of these firms feel confident that this technology actively improves the way that they do business," Badwan added.

Last year, several legal practices selected Exact Software as the backbone of their technological infrastructure, looking to link their offices across the UAE and wider Middle East, and attain a competitive advantage over their rivals.

Feedback following the conclusion of the seminar included strong interest in the security aspects that Exact Software's ERP solution can deliver. Decision-makers were impressed that confidential client documents could be stored in protected areas that can only be accessed by authorized personnel.

"Hosting industry-specific events such as this allows Exact Software to demonstrate how our solutions can be tailored to meet the needs of the legal profession. We plan to host similar events for other high-level service companies in the future," concluded Badwan.

The Exact solution means information is always available when needed. Its single database platform ensures that data is not duplicated, but can be accessed by those who are authorized to use it.