Practice Management
Legal sector to shed thousands of jobs in coming years
The legal services sector is to shed 13,000 jobs in the decade to 2027 – with a further 22,000 at risk if technology brings radical change to the workforce, research for the Law Society has predicted.
Moving home using just an app comes a step closer
A start-up aiming to give home buyers access to all the information on their move via an app is set to launch a pilot with several leading software providers – and through them law firms.
Deloitte Legal joins tech lab bandwagon
The UK legal arm of big four accountant Deloitte has become the latest law firm to launch a tech lab to incubate lawtech start-ups.
Law firm wrong to make solicitor pay for training course
A law firm made an unlawful deduction of wages when it took £1,700 from the salary of a sacked solicitor turned office manager to cover the cost of a training course, an employment judge has ruled.
Alternative legal providers “will boost lawtech sector”
Tech is a key element of growth in UK legal services, while investment deriving from market liberalisation and alternative providers increasingly linking up with law firms has strengthened the sector.
STaRs and SQE “will drastically increase supply of lawyers”
The combination of the new Standards and Regulations and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam “will drastically increase the supply of lawyers”, the European head of Rocket Lawyer has predicted.
International firm launches automated T&Cs product
Global law firm giant Reed Smith has launched a product that automates the legal bit of online competitions, with lawyers or non-legal consumers able to generate t&cs in multiple languages in compliance with local laws.
In-house lawyers need to “grasp nettle” with legal tech
Law firms are “way ahead” of in-house lawyers in adoption of legal tech and the latter need to “grasp the nettle”, the chief executive of a start-up which helps corporate counsel manage their workload has argued.
Law firms “fobbing off clients” with AI claims
Lawyers’ devotion to billable hour has stopped truly disruptive technology from changing the way legal services are delivered to the public, last week’s Legal Futures Innovation Conference was told.
Arbitration and ODR to settle smart contract disputes
Arbitration and online dispute resolution should be used when there are disputes about smart contracts, the Chancellor of the High Court has said.
Blog
From templates to culture change: Lessons from the SRA on source of funds
The SRA’s new thematic review into source of funds and wealth reveals both progress and persistent blind spots, with source-of-funds checks too often thought of as a procedural hurdle.
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
