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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

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Commercial and technology team in Cambridge strengthened by partner hire

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Hampshire firm appoints head of new family department

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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