Modern lawyers
dictate using
SpeechLive from Philips
The facts
The customer
LM&DS lawyers association, Mechelen, Belgium
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Philips partner
Leysen Dictation Service Center
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The solution
PocketMemo Voice Recorder
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SpeechExec Transcription Set
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Tom De Smet is a partner lawyer at the law firm LM&DS. When he started there in 2008, he and his partners opted for digital innovation – an obvious choice as it helped them provide a better and faster service to their clients, whilst at the same time, keeping their costs down.
Time savings were also a critical factor in this decision. We made an appointment with Tom, who gives us an insight into the use of Philips SpeechLive dictation solution and its integration in his workflow.
Dictating with SpeechLive is a strategic choice
LM&DS is a modern company managed by the partners on a daily basis. LL.M De Smet explains: “Each case or project is assigned to a partner lawyer based on their specialism: Kris Lens and his two partners for family and family property law on the one hand, and real estate and environmental law on the other; Yves Mertens for liability and insurance law; Sven Mertens and Veerle Stroobants for social law; and Senne Meeus and myself for corporate law and contracts. The partner is assisted by a number of staff members and provides definitive advice and any recommendations regarding the legal process in their field of law – always trying to avoid the dispute getting to court. Each team is supported by a joint secretarial office that works for everyone, and our work is also aided and speeded up by digital solutions. For example, we use the Philips PocketMemo Voice Recorder DPM8200 and associated software via SpeechLive in the cloud, and there are Philips transcription sets for secretaries. VoIP and numerous Microsoft applications are also perfectly integrated into our workflow. Digitization is therefore a must. We see it as a strategic choice.”
From analog to digital
Lawyers certainly keep the paper mills in business. LL.M de Smet gives us a flavor of what things were like in the past: “10 years ago, lawyers worked with dictation machines and cassettes. Trolleys carrying all the paperwork for the case trundled around the office, emails were printed out, the cassettes were typed out and collected, the post was distributed in trays. All this involved a huge amount of paper. Every lawyer ended up with several paper files on their desk – an enormously cumbersome and time-consuming way of working. In today’s digital world, things are a bit different.” The lawyer doesn’t hold back when discussing the decision for digital: “Back in 2014, we made a clear decision in favor of digital solutions for our paperwork. We also tackled dictation digitally with Philips SpeechLive. Now I don’t know how I ever managed without it. We use the dictation devices and associated software via a local server; the secretaries type out our dictations and share them digitally with everyone who is following the case. Nowadays, that applies to all documents: the unnecessary steps have been eliminated.”
A modern lawyer’s office must keep pace with technology and digitization. We chose the SpeechLive dictation solution from Philips. Now I don’t know how I ever managed without it.
Tom De Smet
LL.M.
“
The impact of the Corona crisis
And then the Corona crisis arrived, forcing everyone to stay in and work from home. LL.M De Smet explains: “When the crisis broke out, we were already set up to work from home from a digital perspective. Our dictation processes were ready too. The only problem was the use of the software on a local server. Nils Leysen, manager of Leysen Office Machines, provided the solution: Philips SpeechLive in the cloud. Since then, all lawyers in our office work with their digital dictation devices via the cloud: they use the dictation device and the docking station from home and share all dictations via the cloud. The secretaries type it and add it to the digital file, which all employees receive at home. It’s as simple as that.”
The benefits of SpeechLive in the cloud
When we ask the partner about the benefits for him, for the lawyers, and for their clients, we get a clear answer: “The benefits are obvious,” says LL.M De Smet, “every staff member working on the case is always fully up to speed; we share all information digitally, including dictations. SpeechLive is very stable, the dictation device is easy to use and we can – if we need to – use the app on our smartphones, which has the same capabilities as the dictation device. For me, the biggest advantage is that I can follow up things quickly. Company law changes quickly; dictating via a high-performance system makes it possible to keep up. You can do that anywhere and at any time using SpeechLive via the cloud.” And for the customers? LL.M De Smet concludes by adding: “It speeds things up for customers and ensures their case is processed more quickly and costs less: a clear gain for them. Dictation and digital transmission is faster than doing it yourself; it does require a high-performance system, but SpeechLive delivers on its promises 100%. And there’s another message for every colleague: analog working is a thing of the past. It’s time to put aside your fears and opt for the future – digital solutions for dictation. This approach allows you the flexibility that every customer expects.”