 | Cartmell Shepherd in its present form was the result of an important merger in 1989. This brought together the Carlisle firm of Cartmell Mawson & Main and the Penrith practice of Little and Shepherd - with the name of the new partnership bearing an acknowledgement to the founders of both firms.
Unlike some business amalgamations, where the purpose is to create economies by cutting back on personnel and resources, the newly merged firm of Cartmell Shepherd began immediately to invest in measures which would increase and strengthen its client services.
Perhaps the most significant of these was computer technology. At around that time, Bill Gates' vision of "a PC on every desk" was just becoming a reality for many British firms. The legal profession as a whole, however, was taking a rather more cautious approach the new technology : lawyers might have long ago abandoned quill pens, but a long tradition of conservatism (small "c") meant that few felt ready to start embracing the mouse just yet.
It therefore caused quite a few murmurings within the legal world when Cartmell Shepherd was among the first practices in the UK to install a sophisticated computer management system. Using specially developed legal software, its purpose was to speed-up routine tasks associated with certain legal procedures - and to provide more time for the lawyer to concentrate on aspects of client work requiring his or her personal attention.
The system was networked in the practice's offices, and very quickly brought about the improvements envisaged. It also allowed Cartmell Shepherd to offer services such as property conveyancing at a very competitive cost... an edge the firm has never lost. |