Practice Management
Majority of mid-sized law firms “have been approached by PE”
Seven in 10 of mid-sized law firms have been contacted in the last year by a private equity investor or PE-backed law firm about acquisition, according to new research.
Criminal law firm to launch AI accreditation scheme
A criminal law firm in Manchester is turning its attention to artificial intelligence (AI) after 29 of its lawyers successfully obtained a client-care accreditation it created.
National litigation practice bought by private equity house
A national practice best known for its credit hire work has become the latest addition to the ranks of law firms owned by private equity.
Top offshore firm eyes new locations after taking external capital
Leading offshore law firm Walkers is eyeing geographic growth after becoming the latest to take external cash after agreeing a “strategic co-investment” into its fund and corporate services business.
Staff churn drops sharply as Knights reports positive results
Listed law firm Knights has significantly reduced staff churn, according to half-year results which showed a 30% rise in turnover to £130m, albeit most of it from acquisitions.
Clients demanding AI chatbots to “circumvent lawyers”
Large law firms are facing “increasing demands from clients” for AI chatbots to allow them to “self-serve and circumvent the need to direct all queries through lawyers”.
Government will put firms “at risk” with client account interest grab
The government’s proposed raid on client account interest “will put high street law firms at risk and force legal fees to rise for those that survive”, the Law Society has warned.
Two more acquisitions for leading PE-backed group
Two of the law firms owned by Lawfront, the largest buy-and-build group backed by private equity, have made their own acquisitions, in our first M&A round-up of the year.
AI tool aims to capture “invisible thinking” of lawyers
A legal tech startup led by a solicitor turned behavioural psychologist is aiming to capture the “invisible knowledge” of senior lawyers for the benefit of both junior lawyers and clients.
AI use and employee ownership trigger staff bonuses at leading firms
Staff at two leading regional law firms have been awarded significant bonuses – one for use of AI and the other for their work in an employee-owned practice.
Blog
Why AI and leadership choices will define law firm profitability in 2026
Despite rapid advances in legal technology, the future of law will not be determined by software alone. It will be shaped by leadership decisions.
Legal director: an alternative to partnership
Firms are increasingly acknowledging the need for alternative senior roles – positions that offer influence and recognition without the obligations of ownership.
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
