Executive Data Systems Information

Executive Data Systems, Inc. made an early decision to dedicate its efforts to the development of legal-specific systems. Beginning with a software contract for Sun Oil Company, Dr. John Duncan, then the Director of Computer Science at the University of Miami, and Carl Williams, a graduate of the same university, wrote a time, billing, and accounting system for the law office called SunLaw. Next, Dr. Duncan and Mr. Williams obtained the rights to sell SunLaw and founded Executive Data Systems, Inc. in 1979. The founders decided to design and service turn-key time, billing, and accounting systems in the South Florida legal community. Since its beginning, Executive Data has become a technology leader with successful installations and dedicated clients across the country. The original group installed its first system late in 1979 on a Digital Equipment Co. minicomputer. The software was redeveloped for use with UNIX in 1983 to allow for its use on different brands of hardware. The group then installed some of the first commercial law office UNIX minicomputers in the nation. Executive Data then developed a DOS-based billing package for smaller offices and installed their first Novell word processing systems. Realizing by 1987 that the Novell network was the wave of the future, we redesigned our software such that all front and back office systems not only run on the same hardware, but on the same database as well. This was accomplished by bridging the UNIX system to Novell and eventually combining all databases into one. As a result, the Novell PerfectLaw Software Portfolio now combines the front office functions of calendar/docketing, document assembly, and case management with the back office functions of time, billing, and accounting resulting in one total solution to law office automation. In 1993, Executive Data successfully tested a factory direct service program similar to those used by Dell and Gateway Computer Corporations. Today, PerfectLaw network systems are installed in law offices and legal ...