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Introducing a Legal Technology Award Organised by CCH Asia Pte Limited and Supported by the Law Society of Singapore

The internet revolution has brought with it an emphasis on technology in many companies today. But how has that affected the legal community in Singapore? Come 2003, the first CCH Legal Technology Awards Singapore will reward and recognise outstanding IT movers and shakers in the legal community.


Holding the trophy are t he winners of the Awards in Australia, from left, Dianne Bees (KPMG Legal) and Neil Macrossan (Incorporator.com.au, the winner)	A presentation at the Awards night by KPMG Legal

The word inevitably draws to mind alien jargon, software, hardware and the not-too-distant memory of the dotcom bubble bursting. But the fact remains, technology is what fuels the economy in this day and age. Just take a look at how far we have come from the Jurassic era of typewriters and snail mail, to the internet, e-mail, desktop personal computers and networking.

Technology brings with it a new beginning, redefining how profits are measured with an emphasis on returns on investment. More work done with less effort. And many companies are beginning to recognise the efficiencies that technology brings. As companies become more tech-savvy, having an information technology (‘IT’) infrastructure becomes crucial.

Planning for an IT strategy affects all industries across the economy, and this includes legal firms in Singapore. Many legal firms have recognised the need to identify, select and implement an IT strategy that aligns their business with their clients. However, it is difficult for many firms to roll out an IT strategy as the level of IT usage within the legal community is still low.

‘There is a great disparity in technology usage and adoption within the local legal community’, said Ms Yasho Dhoraisingam, Chief Executive Officer, Law Society of Singapore. ‘There is a need to spotlight the early IT adopters within the legal community here; to showcase the value of IT in their business strategy as an example to other firms. And we are about to do that in a big way with the CCH Legal Technology Awards Singapore.’

Starting in October 2002, the Law Society of Singapore and CCH Asia Pte Limited are organising the first award of its kind — CCH Legal Technology Awards Singapore. The aim of the awards is to recognise and reward outstanding development or implementation of legal technology and ultimately to increase the legal community’s awareness and understanding of the benefits to be gained through the implementation of new technology.

‘Through this Award, we can share experiences and resources as a community’, said Ms Dhoraisingam.

The awards are open to all law firms and in-house legal counsel within Singapore that have implemented any form of IT plan since January 2002 to June 2003.

‘Technology is redefining the way in which legal professionals run their practices and their relationships with clients and colleagues’, said Mr Matthew Sullivan, Managing Director, CCH Asia Pte Limited.

‘CCH Legal Technology Awards Singapore is an excellent platform to showcase the best practices and use of technology adoption amongst the law firms and in-house legal counsel’, he continued.

There will be two categories in this award: Best Developer and Best Implementer. The Best Developer category is open to all law firms that have developed and implemented an in-house application or solution. The Best Implementer honours law firms or in-house legal counsel that have best adopted and applied the use of a third party technology.

Although this is the first time that the awards have been held in Singapore, it is already into its sixth year in Australia, and past winners include Incorporator.com.au, KMPG Legal and Blake Dawson Waldron.

In the early years, the awards were open only to law firms in New South Wales and Victoria. Starting in 2001, the awards were opened on a national level, which involved all law societies in Australia. This year, the results of the sixth CCH Legal Technology Awards Australia will be announced at the New South Wales Parliament House, on 28 October.

In Singapore, the first announcement of the awards was made at the Law Society of Singapore’s Annual Dinner and Dance in October 2002 and applications will open in May 2003. After an exhaustive judging process, the results of this prestigious award will be announced at the Law Society’s Annual Dinner and Dance 2003. The winner in each category can stand to win up to S$15,000 worth of cash and prizes.

‘It may be the inaugural CCH Legal Technology Awards Singapore but it’s the first of many to come. And we hope that the firms and in-house counsel will take this opportunity to share with others what they have done’, said Mr Sullivan.

Spotlight on Technology