Practice Management
Ex-partner fails in challenge to City firm’s accounts
A law firm was wrong to make provision in its statutory accounts for all of the money owed by a fixed-share partner, but not when it came to the partners’ accounts, the High Court has ruled.
Simpson Millar exits most of private client in profitability push
National firm Simpson Millar is to exit private client services except for personal injury and family law as part of a major restructure sparked in part by the introduction next year of fixed recoverable costs.
Large law firms “struggle to give their lawyers a voice”
The largest law firms in the UK and US “struggle to give their lawyers a voice” through thought leadership, new research has found, with smaller firms more effective.
Lawyers “will walk” if hybrid working demands not met
Lawyers working in large law firms are committed to working remotely from home post-pandemic, with almost half willing to walk away if told they have to attend the office full-time.
Law firms not responding quickly enough to new competitors
Traditional law firms are failing to adapt quickly enough to respond to new competitors, or to differentiate their services by offering alternative approaches, research for listed law firm DWF has found.
Websites of top-100 law firms “slow and full of broken links”
A study of top 100 law firm websites has rated only one as ‘excellent’ in terms of speed and only 13% as having no broken links, with many riddled with basic SEO errors.
Litigation funder keen on taking more stakes in law firms
The world’s largest litigation funder, Burford Capital, is looking for more law firms willing to exchange a minority stake for capital as an alternative to stock market listing.
“Astonishing” revenue rise for top law firms in pandemic
The top 50 law firms increasing their revenue to over £20bn during the first financial year of the pandemic has been branded an “astonishing achievement”.
Scottish firm targets major expansion after first English acquisition
An ambitious Scottish law firm has made its first move south of the border by acquiring a large conveyancing business as it looks to rapidly build a full-service offering in England.
Firm cleared of disability discrimination against senior support manager
A senior manager at law firm Berrymans Lace Mawer has failed in a claim that her stress, anxiety and depression constituted a disability.
Blog
The SRA needs to admit it got it wrong about SLAPPs
The High Court judgment in Ashley Hurst v SRA in January raises serious questions about the regulator’s approach to allegations of SLAPP-like behaviour.
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
