In-house lawyers “reluctant” to embrace technology
In-house lawyers have been significantly slower to adopt technology than their counterparts in business, according to a prominent legal technology innovator. Former in-house lawyer D Casey Flaherty, an advisor to Dentons’ lawtech incubator NextLaw Labs, said lawyers as a group were “reluctant” to embrace technology
Labour lays out plan to “widen access” to justice system
There are many improvements that can be made both to the law and to court processes to ensure that justice is not simply “the preserve of the rich”, the Labour Party said today as Jeremy Corbyn unveiled its manifesto for next month’s election. It included pledges to widen legal aid eligibility and introduce no-fault divorce.
What’s in a name? Appeal judges reject pleas of claimant who sued wrong firm
Appeal judges have rejected the pleas of a claimant who, faced by two law firms with similar names set up by the same solicitor, sued the wrong one. The court heard how Godfrey Morgan Solicitors and Godfrey Morgan Solicitors Limited were run “in parallel, as distinct businesses”.
Mishcon incubator backs “ambitious” global lawtech startups
The technology incubator of London law firm and alternative business structure Mishcon de Reya has chosen six lawtech companies for investment from a shortlist of 19 startups that pitched last month. Two are based in the UK, with the remainder coming from Germany, the US, and India.
In-house lawyers value responsiveness and understanding above price
In-house lawyers have ranked responsiveness and understanding of their businesses above price as the qualities they most look for when choosing external law firms. One legal counsel at an investment fund said he was “shocked at the poor service we sometimes get” and “often dumbfounded by the poor level of responsiveness”.
“Sloppy is an understatement” – solicitor sanctioned over dubious transaction
A solicitor who “failed to distinguish between the personal and professional” when doing business with a family he knew, meaning that he overlooked signs of possible money laundering, has been sanctioned by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. It said his own description of his work as sloppy was “an understatement”.
Specialist law firms “eyeing market share” from larger and high street rivals
Both larger and high street firms are set to “lose out” in the face of competition from specialist practices as well as non-legal businesses in the coming years, new research has shown. A more “artisan/bespoke” approach is set to gain ground, according to the report.
Not-for-profit criminal firm takes business-like approach and plots future civil work
The first not-for-profit criminal law firm – which opened its doors last month – has underlined its intention to generate surpluses like any other business; it will just distribute them differently. The firm is arranged as a co-operative and set up as a community interest company.
Exclusive: Barristers4U aims to sell advantages of direct access to public
A new brand selling direct access barristers to the general public for consumer law matters has gone live, Legal Futures can reveal. Meanwhile, the first, basic iteration of Billy Bot, the ‘robot junior clerk’ being created by Clerksroom, has gone live.
S&G legal move triggered by impending break-up of Quindell group
The impending break-up of the company formerly known as Quindell was a factor in the timing of Slater & Gordon’s decision to start legal proceedings over alleged fraudulent misrepresentation in the deal to buy Quindell’s professional services division, the firm has said.
