Blog

There is little clarity presently on ‘how’ Brexit will take place – and law firms, many of whom are involved in cross-border activities – need to be prepared.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has consistently said to law firms that, if they don’t want to change with the introduction of SQE, they don’t have to. That, of course, is true, but it rather misses the point.

From memos, letters and emails, through to contracts and court forms – lawyers’ daily lives revolve around compiling documents. The more streamlined and intuitive this process is, the better.

Data is the modern oil – bytes of data streaming in worldwide from every direction to power our economy’s technological revolution. Unlike natural resources, however, we’re at no risk of running out of data.

The purpose of artificial lawyers is to augment legal ability and expertise. Improved productivity, efficiency and accuracy matter, but the ultimate goal is to empower lawyers.

The concept of dishonesty within the legal profession has always struck me as particularly inflexible. This is not without good reason, as it is a foundation of our profession that no solicitor should ever act dishonestly.

Using the internet or a smartphone app has become second nature to most of us and handling legal transactions digitally should be no different. The emergence of e-signatures is making this a reality.

The Supreme Court judgment in Perry v Raleys Solicitors was a much anticipated decision on the court’s approach to causation and quantum where the claim was for loss of a chance to pursue litigation.

The competitive wind has changed in the solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance market, while regulatory changes and the ground-rent scandal could spell trouble for lawyers.

The Linklaters v Mellish case has brought the issue of how law firms deal with sexual harassment, and how the courts deal with confidentiality, back into the spotlight.