Practice Management
“Partnership penalty” of lower socio-economic background laid bare
Solicitors from lower socio-economic backgrounds take around 18 months longer to reach partner at major City law firms than those from higher ones, a major study has concluded.
Law firms “in denial” about their post-Covid finances
Law firms’ high level of confidence about the future – despite Covid-19 and Brexit – is at odds with a lax approach to finances and could indicate “an industry in denial”, new research has warned.
Firms worry about closing flagship offices post-Covid
Law firms worry that closing flagship offices in big cities as part of the shift to work from home will hit their market share and damage their local reputation, new research has found.
City giant throws weight behind domestic abuse helpline
City giant Hogan Lovells has endorsed the launch of a charity’s government-backed advice line to help employers support staff experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse.
Firm fined for secretly charging clients to repay loan
A law firm which surcharged more than 2,000 clients to help repay the loan it took out for a new case management system has been fined £30,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Metamorph leads way in autumn merger rush
Law firm consolidator Metamorph has unveiled its latest acquisition as one of a slew of mergers and acquisitions that has been announced. Insurance renewal season usually sees activity increase.
Firm’s accounts spoiled by joint venture ABS collapse
Lyons Davidson has had a good-looking year spoiled by the collapse of its joint venture with NAHL plc, meaning that it has posted a £2.8m loss for the last financial year.
Law firms must aim for “cultural equality”, says Post Office GC
Law firms and in-house teams have done “tremendous work” in improving their approach to diversity and inclusion and should now aim for “cultural equality”, a leading general counsel has said.
Law firms cheered by U-shaped recovery
Law firms have seen a U-shaped recovery – and in some work-types, V-shaped – “rather than a dreaded L-type situation where things stay down in the dumps for a long period of time”.
Law firm referral network weathers virus shock
West Midlands referral network Hub.Legal has reported that referrals of work from its 125 member firms have recovered to their pre-Covid level – but several are looking to merge.
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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