Improved Efficiency Prompts Firm-Wide Roll Out of SRC WinScribe

London, 7 July 2004 - Top 100 law firm, Hugh James, is rolling out the WinScribe digital dictation workflow solution from SRC to all 5 Welsh offices after a pilot in the firm's Cardiff office delivered immediate improvements in efficiency and increased team working.

The SRC WinScribe solution was piloted by 13 fee earners and 8 secretaries in the Employment Law and Company Commercial departments of Hugh James' Cardiff office and will now be rolled out to a further 150 fee earners and 90 secretaries across the firm.

"The introduction of the SRC WinScribe digital dictation workflow solution has had a significant, positive impact on the working practises and efficiency of our Cardiff office, particularly the ability to share work more effectively between secretaries," said John McManus, HR director, Hugh James."We are looking forward to extending these benefits to all our offices once the roll out is completed in mid-2004."

Hugh James evaluated all the major digital dictation workflow systems before selecting the WinScribe system from UK WinScribe Platinum Partner, SRC, for the Cardiff pilot programme.

"The fundamental objective for our introduction of a digital dictation system was to improve working processes and increase efficiency throughout the firm. In this respect, the sophistication of WinScribe's workflow functionality set it ahead of the other systems and has enabled the firm to rapidly achieve significant improvements," said Mr McManus.

"We were also impressed by SRC's 9 years experience of providing digital dictation solutions to law firms. Their team spent time to understand our exact objectives and requirements, which has been clear through the success of the pilot programme."

Mr McManus said that before the introduction of the SRC WinScribe solution, secretaries had no idea how much work was contained on tapes awaiting transcription. The WinScribe system now allows Hugh James' secretaries to see full details of all the jobs for their team, giving them the freedom to organise their day more effectively. Furthermore, the firm's fee earners are now easily able monitor the status of their work at-a-glance.

"The reaction of both the fee earners and secretaries involved in the pilot programme has been extremely positive. In fact, on the odd occasion that secretaries have had to use analogue tapes - when completing work for non-WinScribe users - they have commented that they don't like going back to the old system," said Mr McManus.

When working away from the office, Hugh James' fee earners are able to dictate jobs directly into the WinScribe system via a fixed line or mobile telephone. In addition, users can also access the system remotely using a laptop and secure Internet connection. This functionality has enabled a fee earner who recently broke her ankle to continue working from home by dictating jobs via the WinScribe system using a laptop and Philips SpeechMike.

The roll out programme includes SRC's installation and project management services and the delivery of a comprehensive 'Train-the-Trainer' course, which will enable Hugh James to extend the benefits of the SRC WinScribe solution using their own in-house training resources. Each new user will receive training based on that SRC courseware, while the solution will continue to be backed up by SRC's high-quality support services.

Hugh James' roll out of the SRC WinScribe solution follows other roll-outs by leading law firms including Irwin Mitchell, Morgan Cole, Dickinson Dees, Hill Dickinson, Pannone & Partners, Cobbetts, and Memery Crystal, together with The Corporation of London, The Court Service and The Valuation Office.

About Hugh James
Hugh James is one of the leading law firms in the UK. It is a practice which provides a comprehensive range of commercial and private client services through its network of offices across South Wales. Hugh James has experienced phenomenal growth and success since it was formed in 1960. It is a dynamic firm with an enthusiastic and innovative approach to delivering high quality services. The firm's commitment to embracing new technology is reflected in the continuing development of the Hugh James gateway to the firm's online legal services websites, which include the upgraded click2law.com site. This site comprises automated information, frequently asked questions and fixed fee packages for the business community. The firm has a national reputation for its business and insurance litigation practice. It also has a strong reputation for its commercial property and insolvency work and has a rapidly growing commercial practice. The firm is proud of its commitment to private client and Community Legal Services scheme and continues to be involved in high profile claimant litigation.

About SRC
SRC is the European leader in delivering cost savings and productivity improvements through turning speech technologies into solutions. The company provides professional services for digital dictation and speech technologies, delivers speech-based customer contact services, and develops and hosts high-quality speech applications on its carrier grade hosting platform.SRC's industry experts ensure successful delivery and operation of solutions that achieve customers' business objectives. SRC partners with best-of-breed desktop and telephony speech technology providers, including IBM, ScanSoft, WinScribe, Nortel Networks, Nuance, SpeechWorks, Rhetorical and VoiceGenie.SRC is privately owned and backed by leading financial institutions including 3i group and Cazenove & Co. For more information visit:
ww.src.co.uk

Richard Whale
Marketing Manager
SRC
T. 020 7471 0127
F. 020 7610 1806
www.src.co.uk