ALPMA awarded HGR with the 2005 Locus Business Improvement Award in the over 50 lawyers category at the ALPMA legal management summit held in Sydney on 21 October.

“The firm has adopted the latest practice management system technology, and is working with other firms to further develop a sector leading client relationship management capability,” said Cheng-Kwee Chua, the firm’s head of IT.

The firm was also recognised for its use of technology to ensure its partners are easily accessible to clients. All of HGR’s partners, practitioners and management now carry the BlackBerry 7730 handheld devices, using the new version 4 operating system. These provide 24 hour access to email, contacts’ details, and the HGR intranet, including the firm’s practice, document and case management systems..

“The need to keep in touch with clients has justified our investment in personal communications technology. With HGR, client access to partners is not just a throwaway line in our promotional effort — it is a genuine ethos and we ensure we have the means to meet our clients’ expectations,” said HGR managing partner Andrew Newbold.

Research in Motion, Telstra and Schepsi Communication conducted an end-user trial with HGR before the firm took on the new BlackBerry devices. The firm said it was continuing to work with Telstra to pass on the firm’s expertise and experience using the new version of the operating system.