Tarantella Enables Internet Access for Law Firm’s Clients
Leading UK corporate law firm, Hammond Suddards Edge, was
created by a recent merger of two top-shelf firms: Hammond Suddards
and Ellison Edge. It is now the seventh largest corporate law firm
in the UK, with nearly 2,000 employees, including 900 lawyers. Management
at Hammond Suddards Edge has renewed the firm’s commitment to continued
development of client services supported by Internet and extranet
technologies. At the same time, management recognizes the need to
create greater efficiency within the new, larger organization. Tarantella
web-enabling software has been chosen as the best solution to help
them achieve these goals. 
Hammond Suddards Edge is already familiar with Internet
technology, with expertise inherited from both original organizations.
Now the firm uses Tarantella web-enabling software to allow clients
access to information. Clients of the firm can access their debt
collection case files as well as check their debt recovery work
status, all via their own desktops or remote computers. Clients
appreciate having this quick, easy access to their files any time
of the day or night and customer support staff spend less time relaying
basic information to clients.
Significant Customer Support Needed
Commercial debt collection has been a long-standing service at
Hammond Suddards Edge; it is organized into a business unit called
DebtLine. Managing debt collection accounts requires significant
customer support to keep clients informed on the status of debt
collection cases. Given the volume of debt recovery business that
Hammond Suddards Edge handles, clients can frequently have multiple
cases. The problem merits a flexible, user–friendly means of accessing
mission critical data.
Hammond Suddards Edge turned to Linetime (an SCO reseller) and
Tarantella to provide an effective, cost-efficient way to enable
client access to debt recovery data over the Internet. Linetime
specializes in supplying IT solutions to the legal profession, and
has a proven track record in the development and implementation
of a broad range of legal support software.
Secure Database Access Via Tarantella
Linetime proposed a solution, incorporating Tarantella Enterprise
II with their own debt recovery software called Debtime. A high-volume
debt recovery package, Debtime collates commercial debt across all
of a customer’s client database. The debt status is compiled and
made available over the Internet using Tarantella. Linetime chose
Tarantella Enterprise II because of its scalability, robustness
and centralized control features, allowing any user or workgroup
instant access to applications, or disabling that access. Tarantella
software web-enables any application without rewriting any code.
In this environment, Tarantella Enterprise II is installed on an
Acer® server running a UnixWare®
operating system, and is supported by another Acer server running
Debtime.
Debt collection clients of Hammond Suddards Edge are already using
Tarantella software to access their legal case files and review
their own company’s debt recovery progress.
Tarantella Enterprise II is easy to use. We haven’t
had to install any software onto Hammond Suddards Edge’s clients’
PCs or, indeed, their servers. All that is needed is for their clients
to have access to the Internet. The legal files and debt recovery
work can be accessed remotely at low cost and, using Tarantella
software, extremely quickly.
John Burrill, managing director at Linetime
Multiple Key Benefits
The key benefits that Tarantella has brought to Hammond Suddards
Edge are:
Increased service and value for clients
Hammond Suddards Edge has added greatly to their value proposition
by empowering their clients to review their case data quickly and
simply anytime they are online.
Lower client service costs
Hammond Suddards Edge’s use of online services for their debt collection
clients has increased efficiency by reducing the staff support needed
to handle client inquiries.
Fast, low-impact installation
Tarantella and Linetime have ensured fast deployment with minimal
disruption of Hammond Suddards Edge's existing IT infrastructure.
Scalable
Tarantella scalability ensures the ability to deploy new applications
as needed in the future, continuing to support Hammond Suddards
Edge's effort to provide online services to their clients and protecting
their investment in Servers and Applications.
Tarantella and Linetime have ensured fast
deployment with minimal disruption of Hammond Suddards Edge's existing
IT infrastructure.
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The Challenge
Managing debt collection accounts requires significant
customer support to keep clients informed on the status of debt
collection cases. The problem merits a flexible, user–friendly means
of accessing mission critical data.
The Solution
Linetime chose Tarantella Enterprise II because
of its scalability, robustness and centralized control features,
allowing any user or workgroup instant access to applications, or
disabling that access.
The Benefits
— Increased service and value for clients
— Lower client service costs
— Fast, low-impact installation
...and more!
Customer Testimonial
"Our clients are extremely pleased with this new
service. Tarantella provides security and confidentiality, –crucial
to this sort of communication. Tarantella reduces the need for clients
to call the law firm and speak with a specialist debt collector,
which we feel is a real business benefit as it saves time and ensures
openness with our clients. We are encouraging our clients to use
this service as our research confirms that offering an online service
is the way of the future. "
—Gerry Barron,
Head of the commercial debt recovery unit, DebtLine Technologies
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