Kramer Lee Associates (KLA), the legal IT reseller that has recently become a unit of Hummingbird, has seen a partial exodus of technical and sales staff since its acquisition by the Canadian document management supplier.

Six ex-KLA staff, led by former sales executive Roger Pickett, have formed their own company, Phoenix, which is already accredited as a reseller and integrator for iManage, Hummingbird's main competitor.

Prior to the buy-out KLA was iManage's most successful reseller in the UK; some of its former staff are understood to have felt aggrieved at the abrupt change in direction.