The legal profession is in a state of flux, and excelling at the practice of law is no longer a guarantee of success. Alternative business structures are increasing competition. Clients are demanding greater transparency and value, as well as alternative fee structures. To navigate this change in how the business of law operates, law firms need to operate in the international arena and take advantage of new industry and expansion opportunities.
“Traditional practice management systems haven’t been designed to deliver against these more complex commercial requirements” says General Manager of LexisNexis® Enterprise Solutions Alan Fraser, who’s based in London. “The future belongs to those firms that can deliver high quality service, provide greater value for money, become more transparent, and have the ability to do business like their clients.”
Alan adds, “Our clients didn’t feel well served by traditional software vendors. The legal sector has been too niche for large software vendors to devote large R&D resources making products specifically for them. Legal sector experts like LexisNexis have tried to deliver the whole package in the past, and that has taken resources away from their core capability.”
The solution? A “best of both worlds” enterprise-grade business management system, developed by LexisNexis and powered by the solid foundation of Microsoft Dynamics™ AX.
Code named Nimbus, and rolling out initially in the UK, it has all the usual elements of practice and financial management, but also offers human resources management and performance management that law firms haven’t needed before—but need to evolve into a more commercial approach to practicing law.
“Basing our business management system on a Microsoft® platform is a good fit for law firms, as most use Microsoft® desktop applications such as Office™, Exchange and SharePoint® already,” says Fraser. “This lets them leverage existing investments and get up to speed quickly with a familiar solution that looks and works like applications they’re used to.”
Nimbus is currently only available in the UK, but it’s a globally-capable product with multi-company, multi-currency and multi-lingual functionality. “We want to make sure we can walk before we run,” Fraser notes. “We’re taking a very methodical approach and limiting numbers so that we can focus on each firm and ensure the solution is of the highest standards to meet their needs.”
To learn more about Nimbus, visit the LexisNexis UK website.