Practice Management
SRA: Firms can prolong extended PII cover with agreement
Law firms unable to secure professional indemnity insurance because of Covid-19 can prolong the extended indemnity period by agreement and with regulatory approval.
Kennedys to launch SQE apprenticeship
City law firm Kennedys is to launch a 30-month ‘graduate solicitor apprenticeship’ when the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) comes into effect in autumn 2021.
Top firms “failing to communicate” own responses to Covid-19
The country’s largest law firms are providing clients with plenty of advice on the legal implications of the Covid-19 crisis but doing little to explain their own response, research has found.
Children seeing parents “distressed” by remote hearings
Children are “coming in and out of the room” during remote family law hearings and in some cases witnessing their “distressed” parents, a major study has found.
Largest law firms closing gap on website performance
The largest law firms are closing the gap with their smaller rivals on website performance but still falling behind on speed, according to the latest research.
Video hearings “more likely to lead to convictions”
Video hearings in certain criminal cases are more likely to lead to defendants receiving a prison sentence, a major study has found. It also highlighted the difficulties they cause defence advocates.
Big firms “burning through” the little cash they have
Many of the country’s largest law firms are unprepared for the rate at which they are burning through cash during the Covid-19 pandemic, a review of their accounts has revealed.
“My friend’s name is Sidley” – Domain hijack bid fails
A man who claimed to have registered the domain name ‘sidleylawyers.co.uk’ on behalf of a friend called Sidley who was about to qualify has been ordered to hand it over to US giant Sidley Austin.
ASA upholds legal training company’s complaint about competitor
A company that trains foreign lawyers to qualify as solicitors has successfully complained about a competitor that claimed to be the number one provider.
Legal project management “needs common standards”
Legal project management has received an unexpected boost from people working from home as a result of Covid-19 but law firms are keen on formal standards for it, according to a study.
Blog
Why this is the year for law firms to embrace generative AI
After more than a year of pilots, proofs of value and early experimentation, firms are increasingly embedding AI into day-to-day workflows.
Client account interest is not spare change
The proposed Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts scheme is being framed as a sensible, international, “tried and tested” way for the profession to help fund a justice system under strain.
The formula for finance-enabled business development
Client concentration or over-dependence now counts as a top strategic risk for 26% of firms. Cross-selling is an antidote – a way to bolster revenue resilience without relying on client acquisition.
