Lateral hiring has shed its former stigma and gained popularity, but mistakes are inevitable – particularly when firms from both the US and UK are involved. Over the past 20 years, lateral movement of law firm partners has evolved from being seen as an act of betrayal to one’s existing law firm to a credible […]
The price of oil is not going up any time soon so operators must exploit the situation to create streamlined processes and ditch their ‘two tribes’ mentality. I’ve just returned from Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2015 in Houston. The OTC has been held annually since 1969 and is the leading annual event for the oil […]
In the next decade, artificial intelligence will radically streamline the organisation and economics of law firms. Better get your strategic thinking caps on now. So where are we – where is your firm – on the spectrum between ‘business as usual’ and ‘the end of lawyers’? As the market enjoys its best spell for a […]
Now that more women are adding their skill and insight to the team game of law, the profession stands on the cusp of greatness. We are captives of the era in which we live. But every once in a while it’s possible to stand back and say we’re on the cusp of seismic change and, […]
With the general election just 17 days away and the prospect of a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU if the Conservatives win, firms have to consider the consequences for their clients in the event of a ‘Brexit’. The consequences of a UK exit from the EU would depend very much on what […]
Britain punches above its weight thanks to its cosmopolitan outlook, and law firms head the trend. But equality closer to home remains our flaw. With less than a month until the General Election, the parties are ramping up their campaigns. The diverse nature of our cities across the UK has been much talked about, particularly […]
Few lawyers have a ready answer to my favourite question, but they should. I have a favourite question at the moment that I like to ask lawyers. I mean it to apply to their firms, but it can equally apply to them personally. You can ask yourself it in a minute, see how you get […]
The specific issues that in-house legal counsel face mean their choice of outsourcer is not a straightforward matter of cost. I was chatting to a general counsel recently, seeking to persuade her of the benefits of using LOD* (*other alternative legal services are apparently available) and to start with she shared the usual in-house story: […]
The commoditisation of artificial intelligence means many areas of the lawyer’s trade are at risk – including the ‘creative’ element. Lawyers like nothing more than a good argument. That’s one of the attractions of the job for us. And the arguments are raging over the role of technology in law and driving us into two […]
The Government has admitted unlawful monitoring practices by our intelligence services and new technology will augment their power – unless we act now Sir Tim Berners-Lee recently said that, “we need a Magna Carta for the communications age”. We certainly do, if the recent revelations about our security services snooping on privileged conversations are anything […]
Following the announcement of the Dentons-Dacheng merger, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether other similar tie-ups may follow. While I think the D-D merger may have expanded the pool of Chinese firms which may now see themselves potentially in play, it is not clear that this will lead to a new […]
The law may traditionally be blind, but today’s firms should carefully consider their ethical stance when choosing which companies to act for. Much has been made of the role of global enterprise to impact and influence the progress of the world economy. When 1,100 people were killed in Bangladesh in a garment factory collapse in […]