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03 September 2009 / Susan Knox
Issue: 7383 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Dispelling technophobia

Susan Knox claims lawyers cannot ignore the omnipresent call of new technology

Today, many people in the UK include mobile phones, PDAs, instant messaging clients and social networking applications as their primary means of communication. Lawyers are no exception, frequently using these tools in their personal as well as professional lives. Many lawyers nevertheless discount newer means of communication as potential sources of evidence, instead focusing on “traditional” sources of electronic evidence such as hard drives, back-up tapes, CDs and DVDs. However, by avoiding these new technologies and tools, lawyers may be overlooking critical evidence.

Newer means of communication
 

Having more or less completed the move to computers, word processors and e-mail messages, Britons are now swiftly moving toward ever more portable versions of these tools. Once, a laptop computer was viewed as the convenient alternative to being tied to a desk or office. Now, many laptop users read and write e-mail messages while on the go using handheld PDAs that also act as phones, portable music systems, GPS devices, cameras and planners. Some

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Signature Litigation—Catherine Naylor

Signature Litigation—Catherine Naylor

International fraud and asset recovery offering boosted by partner hire

Stevens & Bolton—Alexa Payet

Stevens & Bolton—Alexa Payet

Private wealth disputes team adds contentious probate specialist

Morgan Lewis—Paul Feldberg

Morgan Lewis—Paul Feldberg

Firm strengthens investigations and sanctions capabilities with London partner hire

NEWS
Cheshire West, which established an ‘acid test’ for deprivation of liberty safeguards, has been overturned by the Supreme Court
The Chancery Division and other segments of the High Court are to be replaced by a new Business and Property Division (BPD), in a major civil justice shakeup
Law firms that hold client money will need to file annual accountants’ reports and make a declaration, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) confirmed this week
Two district judges and a tribunal judge have been sanctioned for delays in delivering judgments and orders
Private equity (PE) investment into UK law firms halved to £250m last year, but deal volume rose, according to research by Acquira Professional Services’ Momentum private equity market tracker
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