Practice Management
Pandemic has “undermined cohesiveness” of firms, lawyers say
Nearly half of lawyers believe that working remotely during the pandemic has damaged the cohesiveness of their firms, a global study has found.
“Startling” – SME firms saw profits per partner rise during lockdown
A 6% increase in profits per partner recorded by small and medium-sized law firms in the first six months of the pandemic was a “startling outcome”, according to a report.
Largely positive response to office return, law firm bosses report
The boss of a Cheshire law firm has said the “constant theme” of recent appraisals is that “people want to come back to the office”, with another saying his firm has reversed plans to downsize its office.
Remote negotiations “speeding up law firm mergers”
Remote communication during Covid has sped up law firm mergers, rather than acting as a hindrance, according to the chairman of the Association of Law Firm Merger Advisers.
High Court upholds judgment on law firms’ unpaid fees
The High Court has rejected a challenge to a judgment in default obtained by two law firms whose retainers were terminated by a Swiss company, which then failed to pay them £500,000 in fees combined.
Oxford firm embraces employee ownership in response to Covid
A 40-strong law firm based in Oxford has become the latest to embrace employee ownership, with the firm’s managing director saying she was inspired to act by how staff rallied during Covid.
CLC to introduce ‘polluter pays’ to cover cost of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is set to become the first regulator to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ element to how it recovers the cost of the Legal Ombudsman from those it regulates.
Law firms will continue with digital learning – if they can find the time
Two-thirds of law firms say the increase in digital learning as a result of the pandemic will continue, but a quarter of firms told a survey their lawyers have “no time” for training during the working day.
CEO who “ran for the hills” loses appeal over failed unfair dismissal claim
A well-known law firm did not fire its chief executive because he made protected disclosures about financial problems that were discovered at the practice, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled.
Firm discriminated against partner suffering mental health problems
A former equity partner at Freeths has won a disability discrimination claim over the way the leading midlands law firm treated him after he was diagnosed with mental health problems.
Blog
CMA guidance on unregulated legal services must be applauded but…
There is little doubt that, with a staggering 3,800 unregulated providers of such legal services, the recent CMA action and guidance was required.
The rise of the agent
We believe AI agents are going to represent the biggest change to the way in which the general public interact with professional services business for generations.
The lonely role of a COFA: sharing the burden of risk management
Compliance officers for finance and administration in law firms can often find themselves walking a solitary path. But what if we could create a collaborative culture of shared accountability?
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