Practice Management

The use of artificial intelligence is more widespread in the law than in other sectors, and IT chiefs see more applications for it in the future, a survey has found. It said that 55% of senior IT decision makers in law firms have adopted predictive coding and 48% machine learning technologies.

Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, is trialing software that helps to predict the likely course, cost, length and outcome of litigation, Legal Futures can reveal. The strategic adviser to its NextLaw Labs subsidiary said that so far its lawyers have been “really impressed” with the results.

Law firms are missing a key opportunity to differentiate themselves against online providers of residential conveyancing because they fail to deal with telephone enquiries properly, a report that includes three years of research in has found.

A regulatory agenda that is looking to help consumers shop around for legal advice means that many law firms are running out of time to get to grips with customer service, a report being launched at today’s PI Futures conference has warned.

A gender gap in salaries continues to dog the solicitors’ profession, with men earning on average almost a fifth more than women, according to an earnings survey conducted by the Law Society. Meanwhile, a niche City law firm that shares its profit among all staff has paid out more than the equivalent of a year’s salary to every employee in four years.

The Internet will take over as the main way SMEs and consumers access the law, the owner of the biggest online advice service for small businesses has predicted. Rory MccGwire said consumers would rely on a mixture of online DIY, telephone or online help, and lawyer-matching or comparison websites.

The latest skirmish in a long-running row between two solicitors whose partnership dissolved in acrimony, has seen the High Court rule that the failure of one to mention to his creditors that he had been struck off was a “material irregularity”.

Academics at Westminster Law School have joined forces with their counterparts in the university’s Department of Computer Science to create a virtual reality ‘game’ that they hope will teach students criminal law.

Online legal services business Rocket Lawyer is expanding into continental Europe on the back of its success in the UK to date, which has seen nearly 200,000 people sign up to the service and create more than a million documents in less than four years.

There is still evidence of a culture within law firms where incoming client enquiries are not valued, or seen from the client’s point of view, a new report has found. Concert’s Legal services communications report said there was a “particular gap” around sales-focused communication.