By Philip Hoult
Clifford Chance (CC) has handed former KPMG partner Dr Brian Collins the demanding brief of establishing the new multi-million pound IT systems for the global giant created by its forthcoming merger with Rogers & Wells and Puender Volhard Weber & Axster.
Collins, who joined CC this week as its director of systems integration, has been brought in to handle the IT purchasing requirements of the new firm and, specifically, the practice management and document management systems it will need.
The three firms currently have a number of different systems in place, although Puenders has recently started installing CMS Open, the practice management system used by Rogers & Wells.
CC has been looking to replace its two existing practice management systems – developed in-house after the merger of Coward Chance and Clifford Turner in 1987 – and it would appear that the use of CMS by its two merger partners will favour the US supplier.
However, Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, which is also negotiating its participation in the merger deal, uses the rival Keystone system, and CC is also understood to be evaluating the Elite system – CMS' biggest rival in the US.
The firms also have different document management systems in place, with CC using DocsOpen, while Rogers & Wells uses the increasingly popular iManage package. Puenders does not have a specific document management system in place at present.
Collins, a former KPMG partner and previously head of information systems at the Wellcome Trust, said: "The short- to medium-term aim is to ensure that the information and communication systems are 'inter-operable', which means that all the systems for exchanging documents, telephones and e-mails work easily and efficiently.
"Ultimately it is about creating a platform for a global law firm to offer services in new ways."
The cost of integrating the systems of a business with a combined turnover of $1bn (£625m) is expected to run into millions of pounds.
Although he declined to say how much the firm would be spending, Collins admitted: "It is one of the hottest commercial buttons we have at the moment."
Bob McLeod, who heads CC's IT operations, will continue to be responsible for the day-to-day running of the firm's systems.
Collins will report to Garth Pollard, CC's executive partner, who will become chief operating officer of the new firm.
Describing Collins' brief as "a major task", Pollard said: "Global integration of the constituent firms' IT systems is a top management priority."
CC's partners agreed in July to merge with Rogers & Wells with effect from 1 January, 2000. Puenders partners will vote this month.