In 17 years as a legal journalist, I have attended a lot of conferences. An awful lot of conferences. And a lot of awful conferences, come to that. So last Friday’s LawTech Camp London was something a bit different – I cannot remember the last time there was such palpable excitement in the air at an event, generated by the sense that technology will introduce genuinely revolutionary change into the delivery of legal services. Some of the speakers raised our eyes to what is on the horizon. Many in the audience were ready to embrace it.

Beware the British summer – the season of storms, gales, flooded caravans, transport chaos, sporting disappointment and, if you’re not careful, one other seasonal surprise. At this time of year, many firms rally their troops with an office summer party. Often held outside, it seemed such a great idea all those dark, wet, cold months ago. Now that it’s light, wet and cold, don’t make the mistake of going on holiday without knowing who won the COLP raffle. Your post-holiday, back-to-work blues won’t be helped by finding that you drew the winning ticket in your absence.

The alternative business structure landscape is finally stirring into life with a rash of eye-catching and some downright left-field players emerging into the light. Some are well predicted, with the Co-operative Group making the boldest play and seeking mass distribution through major customer centres around the country and up to 3,000 new staff. Others, like Eddie Stobart, underline how fluid the picture could be.

Amid all the bad news assailing solicitors, various third parties have grasped a fundamental truth about them – they are good at the law but many of them are not really interested in business. This is where the good news starts. There are now several conglomerates operating in the legal services market offering solicitors the business acumen, back office, bulk purchasing, mentoring and management training that they need.

It is no great secret that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) sees its role in enforcing the government’s ban on referral fees in personal injury as a hospital pass. It would much rather that paying or receiving a referral fee be made a criminal offence and taken out of its hands. After all, the SRA (in its previous guise as part of the Law Society) has been down this road before and it wasn’t a happy experience.