KEYSTONE SIGNS UP MINTER ELLISON AND SHARES SLIDE
Coinciding with the announcement, the company also made the following statement: "The board would like to remind investors that market conditions remain soft and potential clients continue to take time in making purchasing decisions. Although the Minter Ellison contract is a step in the right direction, the board believes that further significant progress is necessary for the group to meet its targets."
Although this does little more than repeat, almost verbatim, the warning the company made just before Christmas, in its interim results, about the general post Y2K sluggishness of the IT market, it seems to have been unnecessarily treated as a veiled profits warning by some investors and prompted a 17 percent fall in the company's share price on the London Stock Exchange.
UK CIVIL COURTS TO GET IT NEW LOOK
A new Court Service consultation paper, Modernising the Civil Courts, outlines how technology and new ways of working can be used to improve the range and quality of services available for people who need to use the civil courts. The proposals, which received a £43million funding boost in the Spending Review 2000, are the first major review of the way the civil courts deliver services to the customer. They aim to support the progress made by civil justice reforms launched in April 1999 and create a civil court system fit for the 21st century.
Introducing the consultation paper, David Lock said: "This is an unparalleled period in the history of the civil justice system. In the space of less than a decade we have seen significant civil justice reform and the birth of a new era in Human Rights. There have been major changes in the way citizens interact with the state and with each other. Disputes are no longer simply about local problems, and often relate to contracts and agreements made across regional and national boundaries.
"Yet the structure of the civil courts and the way they work has not kept pace with these changes. Most people using the court are still limited to communicating in writing or by attending in person. While this was entirely appropriate for the time of Dickens, it no longer serves modern day society. Nor does the location of county courts best match service to need. While many of the urban and suburban courts are close to each other with good public transport links, rural courts, where public transport is difficult, are thinly spread.
"Developments in technology have given people more direct access to services from their own homes, the library, workplace and even the supermarket. Email has become the communication medium of choice for much of business. People are able to see the benefits of technology in other areas of their lives and, rightly, expect better services and modern facilities from the courts. These proposals show how the civil courts can, with the help of technology and partnerships with other agencies, provide easier and cheaper access to justice."
The proposals include:
Ian Magee, Chief Executive of the Court Service said: "These proposals are about extending court services into the heart of the community. Modern technology allows the court into people's living rooms and offices via personal computers and digital TV, making our services available at times and in ways that suit our customers. But so much of our work involves those who have no access to technology, or who are excluded by language or disability. Through partnerships with advice agencies we hope to reach out into society to those who might otherwise be excluded.Ê
"Changes will happen at different speeds. Some ideas are already being tried in the courts, and the report outlines the proposals for more pilot projects. It is important that our customers - those who already use the courts, and those who may have to do so, consider these suggestions and give us their views about the service they want from the civil courts in the 21st century."
Lord Justice Brooke, who represents the judges on the Board that produced
the consultation paper, said: "The Court Service has kept the judges fully informed of these ideas. The judges are keen to see that sensible use is made of modern technology and working methods in the day to day business of the courts, and we will study people's responses to these suggestions with interest."
The pilot projects include:
The Court Service aims to produce a blueprint for the future of the civil and family courts and a detailed implementation plan by early summer 2001. This will take account of responses to this consultation which ends on 21st April 2001. Copies of the consultation paper are on the Court Service web site at www.courtservice.gov.uk
MORE PROBLEMS AT LERNOUT & HAUSPIE
FROM DOTCOM TO DOT GONE
City of London law firm Paisner & Co acted for Great Universal Stores (GUS) in its acquisition of the assets and technology of the troubled ISP Breathe.com. Once rated one of the UK's top five ISPs, Breathe's assets went for the knock down price of £1.4million
The dot.com networking group First Tuesday is reported to be up for sale at a
price of just £2 million. Israeli venture capital fund Yazam paid a rumoured £33 million for it last year. First Tuesday has also reduced its London Head Office staff to just eight
The Dutch trustees of internet retailer LetsBuyIt.com have announced they are seeking to put the company into bankruptcy. The application will be dealt with by an Amsterdam court today (Friday 19 January). The company's founder and acting chief executive John Palmer is attempting to put together a last minute rescue bid however the trustees have described the management regime at the company as "deplorable" and blamed the company's problems on "boardroom bickering". Although the company had raised $182million over the last 12 months, it is reported to only have $17million left and to owe creditors at leastr $12million. It closure would result in the loss of over 320 jobs and be the biggest European dotcom failure to-date.
Finally, in a victory for online privacy, it has been reported that the troubled online toy store Toysmart will destroy its customer database rather than sell it to help pay off creditors.
NABARRO NATHANSON LAUNCH NEW E-TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
The e-Technology Awards ceremony dinner will be held on 22 May 2001 at the Madejski Stadium, Reading, in the heart of the Thames Valley - home to the highest concentration of e-technology companies in the UK. The main categories are: the e-Infrastructure Award
for the IT or communications hardware company providing the best infrastructure for e-commerce; the e-Software Award for the best supplier of software enabling collaborative e-business; the e-Services Award for the best implementation consultancy or e-services provider; the Sunrise Award for the infrastructure, software or services new-comer with the brightest future - companies must be no more than three years old; and the E-conomy Award for the infrastructure, software or services company that has delivered the best
return on investment for its investors.
Nominations must be received by Wednesday 28 February 2001. To request an entry form and for further information, please contact: Jessica Powell, Expertease (020 7936 8400) or
email: jessica.powell@expertease.co.uk
PRICELINE SETTLES PATENT LAWSUITS
LEGAL WEEK RETRACTS ALLEGATIONS
STEPSTONE WIN DEEP LINKING CASE
SEX FOR SALE
BOSSES SNOOP ON THEIR STAFF - AND POLICE JUST SNOOP
Meanwhile, at a meeting between the UK's Internet Service Providers Association and Members of Parliament, MPs were told that one of the biggest problems ISPs face is dealing with "stupid questions" from the police. ISPA council member Tim Snape is reported as saying "My children at primary school are better trained on the internet than the local police".
LEGAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS.COM - FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF LEGAL TECHNOLOGY INSIDER. NEXT ISSUE 24.01.2001
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