Blog

It will be a great pity if any policymakers are influenced by this report because it suffers from some serious flaws and misinterpretations of what is going on in England and Wales.

In the absence of full-scale office-based working, law firms and corporate legal departments will need to find new ways of ensuring collaboration and knowledge sharing among their legal professionals.

What the pandemic has brought into sharp focus for firms is a desire to reduce costs. In 2019, research found cost reductions were last on a long list of priorities for firms; now they are near the top.

As my legal career progressed, I began to realise the reality was very different than I had envisaged. I was in a constant state of stress, working very long hours. I normalised the stress, as it seemed to be everywhere I looked.

Virtual supervision is important, but it is very important that that supervision doesn’t become virtual, and not fit for purpose. So how do we guard against that?

There are always problem files, difficult clients and issues that consume us with fear and worry. However, the more we procrastinate, the more ghoulish and horrifying the task grows.

It is 48 hours I’ll never forget. I’d spent the weekend completing a major new deal for my firm when I turned on the TV news on 23 March 2020.

Employment lawyers understand discrimination laws better than anyone. Yet this doesn’t mean lawyers have the comfort and confidence to discuss and address race-related issues in the workplace.

Without the right people around me, the experience would have been challenging and unpleasant. There are so many spinning plates that there is always a danger that you become a ‘yes-person’.

I do not want to stay inside for ever, but I also do not want to waste time that doesn’t need to be wasted. We now have a work/life integration, where we used to aim for work/life balance.