New appointments at the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA) will help to strengthen ties with key government bodies

Dedicated working parties will help the LSSA to build on its existing industry relationships whilst forging important new alliances

The Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA), the UK industry body for legal systems developers and vendors, has today announced a number of senior appointments, along with additional details of the special-focus working parties that help the LSSA to forge stronger ties with a number of government and regulatory bodies, including HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Legal Services Commission (LSC), the Land Registry and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Ian Wimbush, the CEO of Peapod LEGALOffice, has been re-elected as LSSA Chairman, and Roger Jackson from Cognito Software has been named as Vice Chairman.  Other new elections include Roger Hancock as Chief Exec, Linetime’s Phil Snee as Treasurer, Cognito’s Kerry Frater as Disciplinary Committee Chairman, and Hilary Fisher from Quill Pinpoint as Membership Committee Chairman.

In addition to setting and maintaining professional standards within the legal software industry, the LSSA manages areas of mutual interest between lawyers and software providers.  The organisation also uses its links with a number of legislative bodies – including the Land Registry, HMRC, the Law Society and the LSC – to develop clear channels of communication so that law firms can gain the maximum benefit from their selected software solutions.

“Our new LSSA Executive Board is totally committed to working alongside government and regulatory bodies to discuss any changes that are likely to affect the legal sector, and to ensuring that these discussions are held at the earliest stage possible,” says Ian Wimbush, Chairman of the LSSA.  “By working together in this way, I am confident that the LSSA can help lawmakers and industry regulators to evolve clear strategies that will deliver the greatest benefits for all parties concerned, and which will take into account the impact that any proposed changes will have on the various IT solutions being used within the legal sector.”

To foster this level of cooperation, the LSSA will continue to use special-focus working parties to strengthen its relationships with key government and regulatory bodies.  Each of these individual working parties meet regularly with their government and regulatory counterparts to provide detailed feedback from LSSA members on topical areas that include legal aid, electronic conveyancing, accounting rules, taxation and more.

Glyn Morris from IRIS as been named as Chairman of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) Working Party, Dominic Cullis from Easy Convey will be responsible for working with the Land Registry, and LSSA Chief Exec Roger Hancock will take responsibility for the HMRC Working Party. The committee that had previously been working alongside the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has now been renamed as the Regulation Working Party.  With Quill Pinpoint’s Hilary Fisher as its new Chair, the group’s remit has been widened to include closer ties with the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) and the Council of Licensed Conveyers (CLC).

“The LSSA’s dedicated working parties will continue to make sure that we have the full attention of the Land Registry, HMRC, the LSC and any other decision makers that hold sway over the legal sector,” Ian Wimbush continues. “We have always known that communication with these groups is vital if we want our collective voice to be heard at the highest levels.  As such, we will continue to work closely with all of these groups, and look forward to fostering a culture that supports open, honest and timely communication between all parties involved.”