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As a practising barrister, Orlagh McGahan saw that there was a need for software that would help barristers, most of whom are self-employed, to automate their administration and financial activities including billing and the maintenance of financial information.
Orlagh decided to set up her own business to develop the software. She sought advice from Invest Northern Ireland about development and intellectual property issues associated with the creation of a software product. Invest NI provided support to help her create the basic concepts of the proposed system allowing Orlagh to evaluate the viability of the product.
Once this was established research and development support was provided to take the product through to full development.
Orlagh says: “The new software is based extensively on my experience in the legal profession in Belfast, particularly my early years handling publicly funded cases.
“I evaluated a number of existing software packages and found that none of them really suited the role and requirements of barristers. This led me to consider the steps I needed to take to design a software solution to this problem and the easiest way for barristers, especially recent graduates, to access the technology.
“I talked to a number of software houses here and subsequently decided to set up my own business to help drive the development of the idea forward.”
Orlagh took part in Invest NI’s business start programme to help her establish her business, OMG Software in Belfast.
“Invest NI’s business start programme was immensely beneficial and helped me with essential information about business procedures and requirements. Invest NI also helped me link up with a software company in Lisburn to turn my idea into a working prototype and then a final product using the latest cloud technology for easy access.”
The innovative software, ‘Briefed’, is accessible through desktop and laptop computers, and can be used on smartphones and tablet computers. An app is currently under development.
OMG Software has already gained recognition in the business community, being shortlisted for Best New Business in the Belfast Business Awards 2012 and Best Research and Development Product in UTV’s Business Eye Awards 2012.
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