AN online legal resource which was built up by a Scottish lawyer has secured financial backing to develop its offering as it prepares to move towards a paid-for subscription model.
Glasgow-based CaseCheck has more than 20,000 people signed up to access its database of legal case reports and expert summaries.
Much of the material is submitted by professionals in the sector and those registered are also able to comment on the submitted files.
With more than 13,000 files across 40 areas, the business, which was founded in 2007, believes it is the most substantial resource of its type.
Now founder Stephen Moore, a qualified lawyer, is hoping to move the business forward.
He said he has secured financial backing from Royal Bank of Scotland and the West of Scotland Loan Fund to help improve the site.
Along with extra content – including thousands of personal injury files from across Europe – a new mobile-optimised version will be available.
Personal alerts mean that users will be able to find out when cases in their area of interest are being added.
Mr Moore said: "If you look at the iTunes model, that has shown that small fees can be charged for services which provide some sort of value.
"We think that by charging a small fee to a large number of users we can build the business.
"At the moment, most subscribers are individuals but as we move towards a charging model we will look at corporate and enterprise packages."
There is also a plan to create an online portal to allow solicitors to participate in and record their continuous professional development (CPD).
CaseCheck director Murray Mathieson said: "Something that's missing on the market for lawyers is an easy-to-use online CPD recorder that suits their behavioural tendencies.
"We have recognised this and taken the opportunity to introduce it in the new version of CaseCheck.
"Currently, lawyers across the UK are attending courses and undertaking other developmental activities but frequently these are not being recorded properly.
"CaseCheck will be able to rectify that failing."
Mr Moore further hopes to increase marketing activity to get the CaseCheck brand name more widely known.
"We had no idea the user-base would grow so large or that it would be used so frequently by visitors from around the world. We've had enquiries from around 200 countries.
"Turnover since we established in 2007 has largely matched expenditure, since we have been committed to reinvesting funds back into CaseCheck to build up the reach and integrity of the product.
"Accessibility and affordability have been at the heart of CaseCheck from the beginning and I think they are even more relevant today due to the wider economic pressures that every business and individual is facing."
Mr Moore said he hopes to begin moving to a paid subscription model, starting at around £2 per week, before the end of this year.
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