Mattersmith is a boutique firm that specialises in commercial contracts, IT outsourcing and data protection. As well as offering legal advice, the firm provides a range of information services, templates and documents to help with the in‐house procedures of clients.
The firm uses Lexis®Library and Lexis®PSL to help them keep on top of the latest developments in the fast‐changing areas of IT and data protection law.
The importance of legal technology
Andrew Scott, CEO at Mattersmith, is a commercial lawyer with over 30 years’ experience in Magic Circle and international law firms. He was a pioneer in LawTech development and implementation, relying on this expertise to set up a firm which incorporates leading edge technology. He believes that the legal sector should embrace technology, not least as a means to increase productivity.
“Firms can improve their productivity quite significantly, both by simply using the cloud and also by harnessing more complex, advanced technology that we’ve developed. But I think firms need to adopt technology in some shape or form, as there will be a big shake out in the market.”
LexisLibrary helps with complex issues of law
Andrew naturally decided to use LexisLibrary in his firm, having already come to rely upon it before as a crucial resource for everyday legal practice. Since even standard matters are often very tricky, access to LexisLibrary is particularly useful for distilling complex legal issues.
“When we talk about everyday matters, those aren’t necessarily simple, and they often raise complex issues of law and practice. We need to have a valuable, easily usable source of legal texts and statutes and materials. You can’t do without LexisNexis, so that was why I subscribed. I’d used LexisNexis in the past and it was great — so it was the natural place to go.”
It’s essential
Access to LexisLibrary means that Andrew and his team can quickly search the relevant law, recap the essentials, and seamlessly incorporate any updates into the advice which they subsequently provide to clients.
“The benefits of LexisLibrary are its ease of use — the search tools and browsing tools are very good. It’s kept up to date. And it just speeds up the process. When providing complex legal advice, it's essential.”
Demonstrating your knowledge
Andrew has found that the daily updates provided by LexisNexis are helpful, both from the angle of professional development and demonstrating knowledge to existing and prospective clients.
“The daily updates are hugely valuable for continuing professional development. They can also provide the basis for social media posts to demonstrate you’re ahead of the curve.”
Reducing the risk for General Counsel
Having been a GC himself, and as someone who often works with in‐house legal teams, Andrew thinks that access to LexisPSL and LexisLibrary is vital for GCs in terms of staying on top of the law and reducing their exposure to risk.
“If you are advising on substantive points of law, you need access to a reliable authoritative source of information. Not having something like the LexisPSL or LexisLibrary service would leave GCs quite exposed.”
LexisPSL has evolved into Lexis+® UK
All our practical guidance tools and content are now fully integrated with legal research on Lexis+ UK, see the practical guidance and the underlying law it supports all in one place.
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