In an era when half of UK firms holding personal data were hit by a cyber breach or attack in the past year, the general public are becoming increasingly aware of where their data is stored and how it’s being protected. A few short years ago, many wouldn’t have been able to define ‘cloud technology’ or have known what a ‘ransomware attack’ is, but that has changed. Widespread coverage of these issues is growing, and scrutiny of targeted firms is intensifying.

Avocado toast featured heavily at the recent Legal Geek conference as a metaphor for how established and new technology solutions are being knitted together by innovative lawyers to streamline their processes and transform client service. This is not simply for the sake of technological progress; a consistent theme throughout the day was how new technology will free lawyers from mechanical tasks and allow them to focus on the more rewarding aspects of the job. When it comes to mechanical tasks, like bulk document review, machines are clearly going to be better at them than people.

The clock is ticking for UK employers who haven’t yet gone live with auto-enrolment workplace pensions. The final staging dates are imminent and the Pensions Regulator is now routinely publishing details of employers who’ve been ordered to pay fines for ignoring new pension rules. If you’re not compliant already, now’s the time to act. It hasn’t been labelled “the biggest shake-up of pension reform for a generation” for nothing.

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted: the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Marketing pioneer John Wanamaker may have been forgiven for his lack of insight into his advertising budget back in the late 19th century, but what of today’s marketers? Surely in today’s data-driven age, accessing and utilising marketing budget data is commonplace? But in a world where there is a plentiful supply of data and information to aid marketing planning and decision making, it was quite shocking to see in new research that so many firms are investing in marketing activities that they openly admit are neither important nor effective.

Before you spend any money, it’s vital that you understand where your audience is and what the most effective channels for reaching them are. No matter what your budget is, you want to make sure that you are using it smartly. For sure, depending on your area of practice and location(s), the level of budget required to gain and maintain online prominence can vary quite dramatically, but in our experience, smaller firms can compete with their larger, more illustrious neighbours for prime online real estate by spending smarter.