Our Question time campaign answers common queries raised by Howard Kennedy Trainee candidates. So here's the inside scoop!
Howard Kennedy is consistently reviewing the technology it uses so that it doesn't just keep pace with other firms but also leads the way.
The firm is currently in the process of rolling out new hardware for everyone. When I started at the firm, the trainees were one of the first groups to be given a new Samsung phone to replace the old Blackberries. As someone who is used to an iPhone, it took me a little getting used to, but having a work phone that actually... well, works is brilliant. The IT team are also moving everyone from a desktop to a laptop, which is making working life a lot easier as well. It means that you automatically have two screens - your desk monitor and the laptop screen, so document work and research is easier, and the laptops themselves are so much quicker. The firm has also set up the infrastructure in the office so you can transition from your desk to anywhere else in the office really slickly. Gone are the days of handwriting attendance notes then typing them up; I can now write my attendance notes on my laptop when I am speaking with a client, so it saves time for me and cost for them.
Howard Kennedy is also implementing new software to help make us more efficient. One of the more time-consuming bits of the job is time-recording, as to bill efficiently you need to record your time properly. The firm has invested in Carpe Diem for our time-recording software, and the interface is so user friendly it makes it easier to record quick tasks in one click. The software will be improved in the future as well to tie the time you record to the work you are doing. So if you forget to start your timer, it will prompt you to add some time based upon writing a letter, taking a call, or doing some research. You don't realise how much time it can take to record your time so anything that make it easier is always good.
The firm is even looking into AI to do some of the more mundane tasks, but I don't think we are quite at the stage of having robot lawyers yet...
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