Tim Pullan is a solicitor in the IT Telecoms Group at ArnheimTite & Lewis. He may be contacted at tim.pullan@uk.pwcglobal.com. On 12 July, the Government announced that the UK Data Protection Act 1998will come into force on the 1 March 2000. This announcement has ended months ofspeculation about the start date for the new legislation,…
Read More… from Data Protection Act 1998: Preparing for Compliance
William Cook is a solicitor in the Intellectual Property andCommunications Groups at Simmons & Simmons, with particular experience inpatent litigation and advice relating to copyright and other forms of protectionof computer software. The recent decision in Mars UK Ltd v Teknowledge (11 June 1999) raisesimportant issues for companies making goods containing computer software, inparticular concerning…
Sarah Ahmed is a Partner and Head of the Commercial Departmentat Anthony Gold Lerman & Muirhead. She can be contacted on 0171 940 4000. Management consultancy, including computer consultancy, is one of theso-called ‘new professions’ who can buy insurance labelled ‘professionalindemnity’ to underwrite their competence. The case of Stephenson Blake (Holdings) Ltd v Streets Heaver…
Read More… from Duty to Advise and Warn: Careless Talk Costs
Professor Graham Greenleaf, the co-founder and Co-Director of theAustralasian legal Information Institute (AustLII) is coming to London inNovember. He will take the opportunity on his visit to speak at a meeting on 8November which is jointly organised by SCL on the subject of access to law viathe Internet and to update his audience on AustLII…
Richard Cohen is Legal Director of Epoch Software. He can becontacted on 0181 931 3030 or via e-mail at richard@epochsoftware.co.uk There was a time when solicitors were held in high regard. Much like doctorsand bank managers their expertise was never questioned and their incomes wereassured. However, now that the year 2000 is almost upon us,…
Read More… from E-Legal Practice Will Save the High Street Lawyer
Jeremy Hyman is IT Partner at Berg Kaprow Lewis, producers ofPKM Intranet, a mid-range Knowledge Management solution. He can be contacted at jeremyh@bklchart.co.uk Most legal practices have made significant investments in their IT systems.The fact is that the vast majority of IT systems are not providing benefits inline with their potential. They perform tasks that…
Read More… from Computerised Alchemy: Turning Data into Knowledge
Andrew Terrett is a legal information systems advisor withMasons Solicitors. He is also the author of The Internet – BusinessStrategies for Law Firms to be published by the Law Society later this year.He can be contacted at andrew.terrett@masons.com ‘Success in the marketplace today is directly proportional to theknowledge that an organisation can bring to bear,…
Rosemary Jay is Legal Adviser to the Data Protection Registrar.This is the first in an occasional series of updating columns. It has to be said that the victories of local football teams have figuredlarge in discussions in the Registrar’s office over the last few weeks anddays but some time has been spared to consider other…
Jemima Stratford is a barrister at Brick Court Chambers, London,who specialises in European law including competition law, and in human rightslaw. Jemima is co-author with fellow barrister James Flynn of Competition:Understanding the 1998 Act (Palladian, 1999) The Competition Act 1998 introduces radical and long overdue reforms of UKcompetition law. When the Act received Royal Assent…
Read More… from The Competition Act 1998: A Short Guide for IT Lawyers
Karen Leyshon is a IT Specialist Solicitor with Morgan Cole,based in Reading. On 1 January 1998 the European Directive on Databases was introducedinto UK law by way of the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997. Itwould seem to be a good time now, more than one year later, to reflect on howthe new legislation…