Support for Openlaw Cases

Bug fixes, Updates and Support

Support - Bug fixes, installation assistance, version updates and telephone help

Why is support important?

The support we provide to our users is one of the key factors which differentiates us from other software suppliers. It was recognised by the short-listing of Chris Dale (a solicitor and the original author of the software) for the 2002 LOTIES awards for “help to a customer over and above the call of duty”. The other element which makes Openlaw unique is that although it has been in existence for ten years it is never a finished product. It is in constant development to take account of users’ needs both actual (i.e. in response to requests) and as perceived by us.

What Support do we offer?

Openlaw is designed as an end user tool suitable for use by lawyers and their teams without the need for specialist technical assistance.  It comes with a detailed electronic manual. Its primary functions are accessible and self-explanatory. It does, however, include many sophisticated functions. There is often more than one way to achieve an objective. Its users range from partners with no technical skills who just want to find a document or print a list, to specialist litigation support managers who want to take the software to its limits.

Openlaw is installed on a variety of network operating systems whose IT departments have in common only that they are extremely stretched. It is in the nature of litigation that time is critical, both in terms of chargeable hours and in terms of deadlines to be met. Litigation departments do not work 9 to 5 and when they need support they need it now.

Your entitlement to support depends on the licence type and your requirements at the time of purchase.

Free entitlements

• Bug Fixes: All users are entitled to free bug fixes and can ring us or e-mail us at any reasonable time to report an apparent bug or defect, and expect a prompt response.

• Installation Issues: Most users should be able to install Openlaw without help, by downloading the appropriate install set from our web site. Given the multiplicity of Windows platforms found in firms and the wide range of IT support available on site, it is inevitable that there will occasionally be installation difficulties. Telephone support of these issues is included in the licence prices.

Version Upgrades

This covers:

·        the right to upgrades to your version as they are released (entirely new versions or modules are priced separately)

Additional Telephone Support - free

This covers:

·        telephone assistance with the day to day use of Openlaw

·        This effectively makes us a specialist extension of the IT Help Desk. Users or administrators can phone or e-mail to ask for advice on the best or fastest or most efficient way to achieve the short or long term objectives and on anything else, within reason, which keeps the fee earners earning fees.

·        There are some obvious limits on this: we would hope that users will pool their knowledge to some extent so that a body of knowledge builds up within a firm. We expect you at least to try and find the information in the Manual (which we update regularly to reflect the questions we are asked often). This support is not a substitute for training, nor does it extent to major projects or advisory situations which are more properly consultancy exercises in their own right. 

Additional Telephone Support - charged at £150 per hour

This covers:

·        telephone support which goes beyond the free entitlement described above and into problem-solving and advice on how best to achieve something using Openlaw

·        on-site visits for installation or support