Practice Management
Partnership “validly kept alive” to avoid pension liability
A law firm that incorporated its business but kept the partnership alive solely to frustrate a retired partner’s pension entitlement has defeated that partner’s claim in the High Court.
Call for “real inclusion” rather than tick boxes at the Bar
The Bar should focus on “real inclusion” and “actionable, practical steps” to improve diversity rather than tick boxes, a black barrister and human rights activist has argued.
Hale: Gender-biased instructions holding back female barristers
Women not being instructed in the best cases and “traditional assumptions about who gets what sort of judging job” are the main reasons for there being relatively few in the senior judiciary, Lady Hale has argued.
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.
Blog
Is your Google Ads budget funding your competitors’ AI visibility?
If your cost-per-click has crept up again this year, you’ve probably assumed the market simply got more expensive. That’s the wrong way to read what’s happening.
Containing the spread of unapproved AI
Nearly 60% of fee-earners admit to using unapproved tools (like free versions of ChatGPT). Yet 68% of firm leaders are confident there is zero risk of unapproved AI being used for client work.
When AI adoption goes wrong, costs add up fast
City AM recently reported that London is fighting to claim the title of ‘global capital of legal AI’. However, it’s crucial we remember that adoption alone does not create value.
