Practice Management

Lawyers’ use of generative AI is accelerating quickly but there is a major mismatch between in-house and private practice expectations of the impact on billing, new research has found.

There is a “higher level of confidence” among law firm buyers and “clear signs that the scale and pace” of M&A will increase in 2024, a report has found.

Employee-owned law firm Ison Harrison doubled the turnover of its commercial division last year, partly by advising other businesses on how to become employee-owned.

The number of lawyers talking to wellbeing charity LawCare about problems of workplace bullying and harassment more than doubled last year.

Pressure from managers or other colleagues is the biggest and still growing concern for young lawyers, who are pushing back on the hours they are expected to work.

Fletchers Group, the serious injury law firm owned by private equity, has continued its expansion by taking on the once-core motorbike work of Macclesfield firm Thorneycroft.

Regional law firm Muckle, based in Newcastle, has become the first in the North-East to become a certified B Corporation, changing its LLP agreement as part of the move.

Kent law firm Cripps has secured B Corporation certification, one of the biggest law firms to do so, and said it would have to keep improving to meet a “higher bar”.

Artificial intelligence could transform law firm billing “beyond recognition” as the time taken to complete tasks becomes “almost irrelevant”, a report has predicted.

Large losses at law firms have been “trending up” and firms should look at their culture to address often simple errors caused by stress, pressure or fatigue, a professional indemnity insurer has said.