All Insights
Bott Van Kesteren Partners (BVK)
Bott Van Kesteren Partners were very clear on one thing: their IT platform had to have the same (or better) level of availability, security, reliability and functionality as that of Linklaters or any other Magic Circle law firm. read more
Webinar: The Art of Successful Project Implementations for Law Firms
PracticeEvolve and InfoTrack have announced a new webinar running on the 21 January and 8 February featuring David Baskerville of Baskerville Drummond designed to help law firms embarking on IT projects throughout 2021. read more
The “R” Rate for law firm growth
Since March 2020, we have become familiar with the “R” rate, which tells us whether the rate of infection for Covid-19 is increasing or read more
Microsoft 365 Practice Primer
During this Practice Primer, we will focus on the three pillars of Microsoft 365 Security Collaboration Automation We will take a ... read more
Microsoft 365 Practice Primer
During this Practice Primer, we will focus on the three pillars of Microsoft 365 Security Collaboration Automation We will take a ... read more
Seasons Greetings from Baskerville Drummond
After the year everyone has had, we’re just pleased to have made it through! 2020 has actually been a great year for business in terms ... read more
Getting the best out of Microsoft 365
In order to identify how M365 can be best used in a firm, we need to look at the way the firm works. This will be focused more on day to day operations rather than any aspects of legal workflow, though there are opportunities to enhance both. The firm may already be using M365 or considering doing so. read more
Baskerville Drummond at Home – Episode 6
In this special Microsoft 365 episode, we talk to our go-to man for all things Microsoft, Nigel Stott. Discussion points ... read more
Lines on Online
For most of our existence mankind has traditionally held only face-to-face meetings (yes, even cavemen had committee meetings and water read more
New Way of Working
Our recent Lines on Online blog series looked at the practicalities around the new world of work. Now, in this guest blog from ... read more
PMS Practice Primer
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and law firms needing a new practice management system at some point. This Practice ... read more
PMS Practice Primer – Part 3
Part 3 - Planning for project success How best to prepare your firm, stakeholders and project teams for PMS change read more
PMS Practice Primer – Part 2
Part 2 - The PMS selection process Comparing traditional and alternative approaches to managing the lifecycle of a PMS procurement read more
PMS Practice Primer – Part 1
Part 1 - The PMS marketplace. Focusing on the recent market consolidation and how that is impacting technology choice and the selection process read more
The Hybrid Work Environment
Other articles in this series have concentrated on some of the meeting solutions that are available and on the best way to run online meetings. This article will consider the differences between in-person and online meetings. read more
Briefed – Issue 3
Briefed – Issue 3 Welcome to the latest edition of Briefed, a handy digest of all the recently published articles, news and blogs from ... read more
The Challenges Around Home Workers
Since the arrival of Covid-19 and lockdown there has been a lot of discussion and articles about home working. Much of this has focused on home working from the viewpoint of the individual – should I use Teams or Zoom, isn’t it nice not having to commute and travel, how do I avoid embarrassing distractions such as the dog barking, etc. This article will focus on home working from the viewpoint of the manager and the organisation. read more
Watch again – PMS specials
Any firm thinking about making a change to their PMS supplier or just interested in keeping tabs on the market might want to watch our two recent Baskerville Drummond @ Home video chats. read more
Hosting Online Meetings
When the UK first went into lockdown during March 2020, a huge emphasis was placed on the importance of online meetings. The business community as a whole had to quickly become comfortable with appearing in front of a camera. read more
On-line meeting software
The sudden requirement to use online meeting software was originally met with panic buying. Firms rushed just to get up and running, but now, six months into the pandemic, firms are reconsidering those initial decisions. So, is that software service good for the future? read more
Howes Percival
Following a sustained period of growth and a doubling of the partnership, Howes Percival committed to a significant program of IT expansion and transformation. read more
NetDocuments Implementation Overview
NetDocuments Implementation Overview We have developed a service to implement NetDocuments in a way that supports your business and ... read more
Baskerville Drummond at Home – Episode 5
In a two-part episode, David Baskerville, Kevin Goosman and Nigel Stott are back to continue their examination of all things PMS. This ... read more
Virtual Part-time FD – the best of everything
In many firms a Finance Director is what you need and they are the people who help you through that stuff - but they can be expensive if you have a full-time one and what do you do with a FD when they aren’t doing high-grade FD stuff? read more
Playing with a straight bat
I had a call from a contact at a managed service provider (MSP) the other week. They had just lost a long-standing client to a ... read more
Microsoft 365 Automation
In this final instalment on Microsoft 365, we’ll be taking a look in detail at the automation tools available. read more
Mosaic Legal Virtual Coffee Break
David Baskerville was recently the guest of Mosaic Legal for one of its Virtual Coffee Breaks. Here’s part 1 of the chat on all things IT for legal read more
Why your practice needs a CRM System now more than ever
Firms are still hesitating to embrace digital and have used many excuses to avoid implementing a new CRM. Here are our 4 top reasons why you need to implement CRM now: read more
Baskerville Drummond at Home – Episode 4
In episode 4, we have a new face for you – Mr Finance, Richard Wyatt. Richard runs us through the range of business and finance-oriented consulting offerings now available through Baskerville Drummond – including the ‘hot pick’ Virtual Finance Director service. read more
Baskerville Drummond at Home – Episode 3
In episode 3, we have brought David Baskerville, Kevin Goosman and Nigel Stott together for a PMS special. We talk to them about the recent consolidation in the legal PMS space, how the vendor landscape is changing and what it all means for law firms. read more
Microsoft 365 Security
In the next instalment of our Microsoft 365 articles, we talk about the security features available as part of your subscription I ... read more
Stick or twist?
Are our current systems future-proof? Well as nobody can fully predict the future there is no definition of a future-proof system, despite what some vendors might claim. read more
Baskerville Drummond at Home – Episode 2
David Baskerville is back answering questions from Sarah Levick, this time on all things Baskerville Drummond – why they came together, who they work for, how they help, with a quick dive into the increasingly popular Virtual IT Director service. read more
Briefed – Issue 2
Welcome to the latest edition of Briefed, a handy digest of all the recently published articles, news and blogs from Baskerville Drummond. read more
Collaborating Effectively in Microsoft 365
In the second part of the series on Microsoft 365, we take a closer look at the collaboration tools available on the platform. In the current situation, with workforces spread geographically whilst working from their homes, the ability to effectively collaborate remotely has never been so important. read more
The curious case of the disappearing phone system
Over the last five to ten years, it has become normal to follow a cloud-first IT Strategy. This is particularly the case when considering telephone systems. The promise of a more robust platform on a ‘pay per user per month’ basis makes compelling business sense for such commodity services. read more
Baskerville Drummond at Home – Episode 1
In a new video series, we’ll be talking to Baskerville Drummond consultants on a whole range of topics over the weeks and months to ... read more
Cost-cutting – you might be getting it wrong
When business slows down or stops and the cash correspondingly also slows down, it is natural – and right – to reduce expenditure. The manager’s job is to manage, not be overtaken by events by failing to respond. read more
Making a success of succession planning
Law firms have a problem. There are too many owners that want to retire and too few people that are interested in taking over their business or share of their business and paying them out, so that they can do so. read more
Why a virtual or part-time finance director makes sense
Over the last 20 years or so, a steady revolution has been taking place in the employment market, which has led to fewer firms employing full-time specialists to lead their business support roles. read more
An acceleration of the inevitable?
I sit here and gaze out into my back garden through the study window, watching the bright blue-sky fade on what has been a glorious ... read more
Microsoft 365 In Depth – What is Microsoft 365?
In the first blog of a four-part series, we will take a detailed look at Microsoft 365 and what it has to offer for law firms. In ... read more
Gotelee Solicitors
Strategy development; project management; supplier selection for new hosted environment and practice management system; lockdown go-live read more
GDPR – Are You Late to the Third-Party?
As we see an ever-increasing stream of high-profile data breaches and regulatory fines Sean O’Brien, Director DVV Solutions, takes a look at one of the most common weak links in law firms’ data security and GDPR compliance programs – the risks posed by third parties and suppliers. read more
CRM in law firms – nothing more than a tick-box exercise
Mention CRM and you’ll get an eye-roll from me. Why? Because most firms have had a play at this holy grail and only succeeded in ... read more
The Benefits of an Independent IT Review
Kevin Goosman, Associate at Baskerville Drummond Consulting Ltd, offers a perspective on the benefits of undertaking an independent IT ... read more
Legal IT Outlook
The following article is based on an interview I did for Extech Cloud back in August 2019. In this COVID-19 world it strikes me even ... read more
The lean, mean – but not so green – IT machine
In 2017 Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet brought the challenge of our use of plastics to mainstream conscientiousness. Whilst most ... read more
Baskerville Drummond strengthens Microsoft Cloud offering with key hire
Baskerville Drummond Consulting has announced details of another key hire to strengthen its IT service offering. Former Clarion ... read more
Finance: It’s the Same Now as Always
Take a step back. Take a deep breath. Look at your Balance Sheet and – most importantly – think. There is never a bad time to review read more
Is this the New Normal?
They have been popular topics for years – working from home, remote working, taking phone calls anywhere, video conferencing, online ... read more
The new drug dealers
Over the last few weeks, we have seen unprecedented offers from IT companies/service providers to assist firms in transitioning from ... read more
Am I Missing Something? What Support Is the Government Giving to Law Firms?
There are several strands in the Government’s support to business. They are looking to reduce business overheads and staff costs and ... read more
Life is a rollercoaster
We were meant to go to Rome the other week with some close friends to watch Italy play England in the Six Nations. It was a trip ... read more
It’s a snow day…
We certainly don’t want to be flippant about the current crisis and the efforts that IT professionals have put in to enable firms to ... read more
Briefed – Issue 1
Welcome to the first edition of BRIEFED, a handy digest of all the recently published articles, news and blogs from Baskerville Drummond. read more
Six things to have on your radar in 2020
Sure, we all want to be ahead of the pack and it is easy to chase the latest fads and glitzy products. But you really need to have the basics in place first. read more
Calico Legal Solutions Group
Last year we joined the Calico Legal Solutions Group and we just wanted to update you on the progress of the group and to ensure you ... read more
Radcliffe Chambers
With the chambers having doubled in size in five years and keen to keep operations tight and professional, we were invited in initially to review and advise on security and encryption measures. read more
Stranger on a train
You’ve read the articles, you’ve sat in the seminars, so you know how it goes. We’re talking cyber security and you know what’s coming... read more
Vendor Management Insights Guide
Vendor management sounds as though it could be a bit of a dry subject but judging by recent outings, it is proving a bit of a hot topic. Download our latest insights guide. read more
The Strategy Challenge – Part 1
Download the first of a two-part article where we explore the challenges around making technology central to the strategic management of law firms. read more
The Strategy Challenge – Part 2
It is all very well to accept the imperative of change in the abstract – but to what extent is it embraced in practice? Find out by ... read more
The Strategy Challenge – Part 1
In the first of a two-part article David Baskerville explores the challenges around making technology central to the strategic management of law firms. read more
Feeling Like a User
IT professionals often lament that users of solutions do not take training seriously nor invest adequate time into learning how to get ... read more
The Strategy Challenge – Part 2
It is all very well to accept the imperative of change in the abstract – but to what extent is it embraced in practice? Doing instead of talking? read more
Vendor Management
Most firms recognise the cost of services purchased for the business but not the impact if those services were not available or the enhancement value they add to the service lawyers provide to their clients. read more
A Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year
Well, 2019 has certainly been a year that’s just kept giving – a great mix of client projects, the addition of new services, the formation of the Baskerville Drummond Group, and our appointment by LawNet as its preferred IT Consultants. read more
Cyber Awareness
It has to be accepted that human behaviour is the biggest risk to a firm’s security but it should also be recognised that staff members are now under a constant attack from organised cyber criminals and therefore need education and protection from social engineering hacking. read more
Attwaters Jameson Hill PMS Selection
Assisting Attwaters management to understand their requirements and to make an informed selection read more
Business Information Reporting Capability Review for Lanyon Bowdler
Lanyon Bowdler requested a review of their Business Information (BI) reporting capability and any need for a new solution. read more
Key hire at Baskerville Drummond Consulting to strengthen service offerings
Baskerville Drummond Consulting Ltd has made a key hire to its team with the appointment of Richard Wyatt, a 35-years’ experienced law firm finance director and long-time Law Society lecturer. read more
Three legal specialists join forces to form Baskerville Drummond Group to support ‘people in law firms’
Today sees the launch of an innovative legal sector-specific group of like-minded professionals, dedicated and passionate about delivering holistic and value-adding consultancy services to law firms, called the Baskerville Drummond Group. read more
IT Strategic Review for Attwaters Jameson Hill
Attwaters requested a full strategic review of their IT as a precursor to future IT projects read more
Baskerville Drummond working in partnership with LawNet
Book your free meeting today and find out how our straight-forward approach to consultancy can assist in meeting your firms requirements. read more
Second Edition of Calico’s Compass Magazine
The Calico group publish several articles a week and the website is already a rich source of knowledge-led content from Calico ... read more
The Alternative Legal IT Conference
I'm delighted to have been asked to host a "Ask the Experts" session at this years Alternative Legal IT Conference which is taking ... read more
Paris Smith PMS Selection
A Practice Management System lasts for 10-15 years. It’s the one system that can change a law firm. PMS selection has no room for error. The selection process is as important as the system selected. read more
The Virtual IT Director versus a Permanent Employee
A ‘virtual’ IT Director is someone who is there for you as and when required without the need to hire someone into this position as a full-time employee with all of the associated costs. They can work for you as needed whether a few days a month, more regularly or simply on an ad-hoc basis. They could work fully on-site or sometimes remotely, whichever suits your organisation. read more
Thursday, 13th June 2019 (9:30am – 16:30) at the Shard, London
Following on from the well-received first Business and IT Leaders Forum in October 2018, we are delighted to be able to announce our ... read more
Calico Legal Solutions Group
Baskerville Drummond is proud to be one of the Founding Suppliers of Calico Legal Solutions Group. Calico is a unique collaboration of read more
Keeping the lights on but enhancing the offering – Getting the balance right
Our colleague Kevin Goosman’s article on Law Firm IT spend was most timely, with a new budgeting cycle approaching. Getting the most ... read more
How to Find Good Legal Sector Suppliers
It’s a typical situation whether at home or at work. You find you need a particular skill or service, but you don’t know where to read more
Law Firm IT Spend – Getting it Right
Having a strong IT capability is critical to all organisations, now more than ever. But like any budget category, you don’t want to ... read more
QualitySolicitors Parkinson Wright PMS Selection
Assisting the firm’s management to understand their requirements and the PMS market and to make an informed selection. read more
One Size Fits all vs Niche Offerings
Introduction Most full-service law firms face the major challenge of having to reconcile the differing IT system requirements of their read more
Presenting a Business Case for Increased IT Spend
My previous article “Law Firm IT Spend – Getting it Right”, gave an overview of achieving the right level of IT spend by considering ... read more
Not just another legal tech event..
On 23rd October at the Shard in London we hosted our first – our very first – networking forum. But why do we want to add yet another ... read more
Beware of what’s in the Barrel
I was recently invited to speak at The Law Society’s Law Management Section conference. My topic was “Getting value from IT ... read more
Law Firm IT Spend – Getting it Right
Having a strong IT capability is critical to all organisations, now more than ever. But like any budget category, you don’t want to ... read more
BUSTING THE BUZZWORDS – Part 3 – Software as a Service
O! it is pleasant with a heart at ease, Just after sunset, or by moonlight skies, To make the shifting clouds be what you please ... read more
The Value of Unstructured Data
What is Unstructured Data? Unstructured is defined as “not formally organised in a set or conventional pattern”. At home, most of ... read more
Phone System Obsolescence
If you are still using an in-house telephone system based on older technologies, then you need to be aware that BT will be making it ... read more
BUSTING THE BUZZWORDS – Ascending into the Cloud
As we trot, canter and then hopefully gallop through all the “Cloud” buzzwords, we will try to provide some context for their logical ... read more
BUSTING THE BUZZWORDS – a somewhat irreverent take on tech geek-speak
Every couple of years and applying Moore’s Law, with increasing frequency one of the giants of the tech industry (or their marketing ... read more
The Daunting Task of Changing Your Practice Management System
Law firms rarely change their PMS, doing so on average about every 15 to 20 years, and rightly so as the cost and effort involved is ... read more
Mergers and IT – Happily Ever After?
Mergers are increasingly common amongst law firms internationally and the UK is no exception. One source indicates that there were ... read more
Silly Business Processes
I recently had an email from Microsoft Bing Places requesting that I ensure our company registration record was up-to-date. The ... read more
LPM Legal IT Landscapes
We attended – and facilitated – at a most informative Legal Practice Management (LPM) event yesterday, where Rupert Collins-White ... read more
PMS Selection for Hunt & Coombs
Hunt & Coombs were using Envision, a product which had been made “end of life” by Thomson Reuters. Baskerville Drummond were engaged to support a critical PMS selection process by providing strategic advice on PMS solutions and vendors, identifying functional needs and undertaking a rigorous selection process. read more
DMS Selection & Implementation for Winckworth Sherwood
Winckworth Sherwood identified that existing SharePoint Document Management System (DMS) was no longer meeting the needs and expectations of a growing business. Baskerville Drummond were engaged to support a critical DMS selection process, provide strategic advice on Cloud SaaS delivery, and provide implementation services read more
Virtual IT Director – Debenhams Ottaway Case Study
We have acted as Debenhams Ottaway's Virtual IT Director since 2015. This case study details our work in aligning IT with the business and improving reliability and performance whilst bringing expenditure in line with industry benchmarks read more
Due Diligence When Selecting an IT Solution or Service Provider
In the context of this article Due Diligence is the careful examination of a company / solution and the evaluation of all associated ... read more
IT Service Review for Stephens Scown
Following a recent change of IT suppliers Stephens Scown had suffered from several system outages. We were engaged to undertake a detailed review of Stephens Scown’s IT Service Hosting provision. read more
The Shifting Sands of IT Solution Provision and the impact on Strategic Decisions
I was not surprised to see Microsoft’s admission that developing new features for the Mobile version of Windows 10 was “no longer a ... read more
IT Review & Strategy Development for Taylor & Emmett
IT Review & Strategy Development for Taylor & Emmet A full IT review leading to the development of an IT strategy Executive ... read more
Merger Support for Veale Wasbrough Vizards
Merger Support for Veale Wasbrough Vizards Enabling the integration of another firm’s IT into VWV (more…) read more
PMS selection project mentoring and support for Anthony Collins
We were engaged by leading Birmingham firm Anthony Collins to provide mentoring and support to their PMS replacement project group. ... read more
PMS Selection for Ellisons Solicitors
We were engaged by leading East Anglian firm Ellison's Solicitors to advise on their PMS replacement project. (more…) read more
Document Management System Selection for Winckworth Sherwood
We were engaged by Winckworth Sherwood to assist with the firm’s selection of a new Document Management Solution. (more…) read more
PMS Selection & IT Consultancy for Standley & Co
PMS Selection and IT Consultancy for Standley & Co A range of IT consultancy leading to a PMS selection project Executive ... read more
IT Health Check & Office Move Support for Wilkin Chapman
Office Move Project for Wilkin Chapman LLP Advice and support for a major office move (more…) read more
Held to Ransom
Ransomware is a type of malware (malicious software) designed to block access to a computer or its data unless a ‘ransom’ is paid. It ... read more
Telephone System Selection for Taylor & Emmet
Telephone System Selection for Taylor & Emmet Requirements analysis and supplier engagement to select a new telephone ... read more
Matthew, Arnold & Baldwin (MAB) Merger Project
It is always interesting to see how a project you are working on is reported in the press. In recent legal press it was reported that ... read more
Recruitment Support for a Top 50 Law Firm
We were engaged by a Top 50 Law Firm to assist with the interview process for their new Head of IT Operations position. (more…) read more
Efficiencies Model for Kutana
We were engaged by Kutana to develop and deploy a model to assess the business benefits that are achieved by deploying Kutana's Kappris read more
Virtual IT Director for Geoffrey Leaver
Virtual IT Director for Geoffrey Leaver Independent Director-level consultancy Executive Summary Client challenge: Geoffrey ... read more
Demystifying PMS Projects – Part 1 of 3
I was recently asked to speak on “Demystifying PMS Implementation’s” at a seminar run by Robert Half. As I said to attendees I’m not a ... read more
Demystifying PMS Projects – Part 2 of 3
This is the second in a series of three articles which are based on our recent Demystifying PMS Implementation’s seminar. In this ... read more
Demystifying PMS Projects – Part 3 of 3
This is the last part of our series articles which are based on our recent Demystifying PMS Implementation’s seminar. In the first ... read more
End of Life for Elite Enterprise
This week saw the confirmation from Thompson Reuters (TR) that the next update (version 3.11 scheduled for release in Q2 2016) will be ... read more
3-Way Merger for Matthew Arnold & Baldwin
We were engaged by Matthew Arnold & Baldwin to lead the IT aspects on their mergers with Dentons, VWV and Hill Dickinson (more…) read more
PMS Implementation, Virtual IT Director & Merger
Initially engaged by a leading London / Birmingham based law firm to provide Consultancy and Project Management services in relation to read more
Virtual IT Director for RightChoice Conveyancing
We have been retained as RightChoice-Conveyancing's Virtual IT Director since July 2015. (more…) read more
IT Review for Piper Smith Watton
We were engaged by Piper Smith Watton to undertake an IT review, to address some operational issues and define the IT strategy: ... read more
Is the Surface Pro an iPad killer?
In 2010 the world of computing changed forever with the launch of a new consumer-orientated product which lawyers were pestering their ... read more
Service Costing for a Top 40 UK Law Firm
David was engaged to create a model to cost IT services for a top 40 UK law firm (more…) read more
PMS Implementation for a leading PI firm
David was engaged by a leading London based Personal Injury and Human Rights law firm to provide Consultancy and Project Management ... read more
Interim Head of IT for a leading East Anglian Firm
David was engaged by a leading East Anglian Law firm to provide interim Head of IT services initially to resolve mission-critical ... read more
IT Review for the British Pipeline Agency
Baskerville Drummond were engaged by British Pipeline Agency (BPA) to undertake a independent review of their IT function. (more…) read more
Interim Head of IT for Kirwans & SGI Legal
Initially engaged by Kirwans Solicitors a leading Liverpool Law firm to provide interim Head of IT services. (more…) read more
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