Sovereign LAW - An Overview

Sovereign LAW is the complete Practice Management System for Solicitors. It forms a fully integrated module within the Sage Line 100 Business Software system (a product of The Sage Group PLC), thereby providing solicitors with the unbeatable combination of leading commercial software and a system specifically designed to meet their practice management and accounting requirements. The ability to run on the major operating systems offers great flexibility in the choice of hardware.


Designed by Solicitors for Solicitors - as an effective management tool

Sovereign LAW is unique amongst the major software packages in having been designed by solicitors for solicitors. This design was from first principles after a thorough consideration of the needs of the profession and the particular requirements of multi-department firms. The objective was to provide an effective software tool to assist in running the practice as a business. The validity of this approach has been proved by successful installation in a wide range of offices and a continuous growth in the user base since 1991.


Practice Management Standards - quality control based on client care

The Law Society's Practice Management Standards emphasise that law firms need to improve the quality of office and case management if they are to meet the demands of clients and bulk purchasers of legal services and at the same time achieve profitability and success. Sovereign LAW meets very closely the requirements of the case management, office administration and financial management sections of the Standards. Furthermore, Sovereign LAW provides a sound foundation for quality control based on client care by allowing the automatic production of client care and terms of business letters, and reporting facilities to monitor that the terms are being adhered to. The software is accordingly of great assistance whether firms are merely seeking to improve the quality of service they offer, putting themselves in a position to meet the Legal Aid Board's franchising proposals, or going for ISO9002 or a Total Quality Management programme.


The LAW Database - clients & contacts and a lot more

At the very core of the module is the LAW database. This has a sophisticated relational three-level structure which is headed by the client and contact records but also contains data on the connections between clients/contacts, mailshot and other letters sent to them, together with file records. At this level the database contains details of the quality/case synopsis, terms of business, time records, incidental expenses and ledger postings relating to the file. Such a structure leads to impressive performance and capability of the software.


A Strategy for the Future - flexibility and protecting investment

Curat Lex recognises that every solicitors' office is different and therefore does not seek to impose a technological straitjacket, but rather be flexible enough to fit in with the firm's own strategy. This will be based on:-
  • Sovereign LAW running throughout the office
  • on the firm's choice of hardware
  • alongside other software packages (such as Microsoft Office)
  • with the ability to exchange data between them
Such a strategy allows individual solutions whilst at the same time preserving existing and protecting future investment to the greatest possible degree.

Sovereign LAW was conceived from the outset as being for use throughout the office. An integral part of the design is therefore that information is secure, accessible and flows freely between users. Businesses which can satisfy these three requirements are increasingly recognised as those likely to succeed in the present day competitive environment - a consideration which applies with equal, if not greater, force to law firms.


The Benefits of Integration with Sage Line 100 - making use of standard software

Sovereign LAW is written in Retrieve 4GL, the same language as the Sage Line 100 system, which is now a recognised leader in the commercial software field. The benefits arising from this include:-

- a consistent, user-friendly and secure interface
- a comprehensive nominal ledger with which many accountants are already familiar
- the ability to tailor the system to individual requirements
- sophisticated and flexible reporting, using “open” reporting tools
- hardware independence and a choice of the major networking systems
- the option of making use of the Sage purchase ledger and payroll packages
- a commitment by Sage (shared by Curat Lex) to continuous enhancement of the product

The Sage System Manager provides the interface between the software and the operating system, and also controls the user environment. Currently supported operating systems include Windows 98, 2000 and XP.

The standard reports, Sage Report Generator and the ability to query the data from Microsoft Office or other products such as Crystal Reports using SQL query language makes the choice of reports infinitely flexible.

The Sage Line 100 Nominal Ledger allows analysis by both cost centre and department, which is ideal for multi-department and/or multi-branch firms. The standard features include:-

- Profit & Loss
- Balance Sheet		 ( Month-To-Date, Year-To-Date, and comparisons including variance analysis
( with budget and previous years.
- Trial Balance
- VAT returns and reconciliation
- Budget facilities for all income and expense accounts
- Prepayments and Accruals
- Audit reports
The sophistication of these facilities explains the increasing trend towards making use of standard software packages wherever possible. Curat Lex does not have to waste time trying to re-invent the wheel but can concentrate exclusively on the Sovereign LAW module and providing the best possible solution for solicitors.

The Curat Lex strategy on development of the software is of continued enhancement of the database coupled with increased ability to interface with other software.