Although many legal businesses claim to have introduced enlightened client-based practices, the existence of widespread poor satisfaction levels is arguably the sector’s Achilles heel, acting as a drag on performance in an era of fierce competition. It is also the reason that everyone from consumer representatives to regulators of the profession can continue to chide the sector for harbouring outdated attitudes and being demonstrably out of tune with modern shoppers for goods and services.

Mention the term succession planning in a law firm’s offices and most people over the age of 55 wince like a snail on a salt lick. So I suggest we abolish the phrase ‘succession planning’ and replace it with the term ‘success planning’. After all, what most law firm planning seeks to achieve is a successful outcome for the lawyers who want out or to slow down a bit, for the lawyers who are building for their future, for the financial stability of the law firm itself and, lest we forget them, for the firm’s clients who may be about to lose access to a trusted adviser.

Claims management companies continue to generate negative headlines but all too often it’s a handful of rogue companies that give genuine legal services businesses like mine a bad name. This needs to stop. And here’s why.

The personal injury industry is waiting with bated breath for the government to publish its consultation paper following the proposals in the Chancellor’s last Autumn Statement that the small claims limit could rise from £1,000 to £5,000, and that injured victims of road traffic accidents would no longer be able to claim for whiplash. These reforms could dramatically change the way that people claim in the future, and how solicitors’ firms operate.

I read with interest a recent report by Citizens Advice on litigants in person (LiPs) that said the “distrust of lawyers is exacerbated by stories in the media about ‘fat-cat’ lawyers who overcharge and underdeliver”. And it led me to think – where does this image come from? I can only think the public’s perception of law firms is somewhat confused having watched too many Americanised legal dramas, such as Suits, The Good Wife and, if you’re of a certain age, LA Law.