Some people think it is easy to run – and to grow – a law firm. I feel like I have had a lifetime in lawyer and team management and in law firm ownership and leadership. Taking all of that experience (of things done right and wrong), add the experience gained from working with a host of law firms since I left private practice, and harnessing the clarity of thought I now enjoy that few managing partners could dream of whilst in the hot seat, I believe I can point to at least 10 pieces of jigsaw that a firm needs to come together – over and above efficient IT and a solid compliance and risk-management framework – to make up the perfect foundations for a high-performance legal business.

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day and on Sunday Mother’s Day, so it seems quite poignant to talk about how my mum spurred me on to follow my dreams of being a lawyer, writes Gill Aitken, general counsel and Solicitor for HM Revenue & Customs. Every one of us have people standing alongside us to support, encourage and (sometimes) push us along the road to success. Unfortunately for my mum, her own career was cut short because of archaic rules and legislation that prevented married women from working in the civil service.

It was the weekend and I found myself sat in a room full of barristers and judges, a little too much like how I spend some of my weekdays. We were gathered for a compulsory training course run by Gray’s Inn for new practitioners (barristers of under four years’ advocacy experience). Most of my group, like me, were on the cusp of going from new to ‘established’ practitioners. Our training included various interim applications for which we had to draft a skeleton argument. The feedback from the trainers on our skeletons stuck with me. We had all written far too much and probably double what was required. I wondered why.

Tackling social mobility has become a key issue within the legal profession. Targets and initiatives aimed at improving diversity and inclusivity have gathered momentum in recent years, and this has culminated in a marked increase in the volume of women and ethnic groups entering the sector. Indeed, the legal sector is perhaps doing more than most to combat diversity issues. Published in June 2017, the Social Mobility Employer Index ranked UK employers for the first time on actions taken to provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds. In total, 16 law firms made the top 50, as well as the Honourable Society for the Inner Temple. These efforts are paying dividends.

It’s been a buyer’s market in recent years for solicitors purchasing professional indemnity insurance (PII). But could that soon change? We canvassed the views of a number of experts to find out what 2018 might hold. For some law firms with good claims records, the benign picture of 2017 remains unchanged, with insurers offering a range of incentives, including 18-month contracts and additional cyber cover or lower run-off premiums, to encourage them to review their options earlier and go with them. However, problems far away from the UK legal sector could have an effect on how much solicitors pay for their insurance in future.