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25 March 2016
Issue: 7692 / Categories: Legal News
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Decision makers v practising lawyers

Mid-sized law firms are struggling to let go of traditional ways of working despite laudable intentions to be progressive, according to a report commissioned by LexisNexis.

The report, Mind the Gap, exposes a major disconnect between what practising lawyers working at the coalface think their firm’s priorities for change should be, and the views of decision-makers on the subject. It is based on interviews and surveys with more than 150 law firms.

Nearly half of the decision-makers acknowledged that they found it difficult to let go of conventional values and adopt new ways of working. Decision makers ranked information sources as their number one priority change for this year, but lawyers would prefer to increase investment in processes and technology.

The report revealed optimism about the future. Four out of five firms are “quite or very” confident about future growth. Nearly three out of five believe their size gives them a competitive advantage.

 
Issue: 7692 / Categories: Legal News
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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