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Every cloud...

11 June 2009 / Simon Young
Issue: 7373 / Categories: Features , Employment
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Savvy firms will benefit from the recession blues, says Simon Young

Many law firms will have had difficult times over the last year or so in dealing with over-staffing issues and the conduct of redundancy programmes. In a profession where often working lives are spent in one firm only, and there are ties of loyalty both up and down, this has often been traumatic.

The depth of feeling against firms which have had to take these steps can be seen by the various blogs, and comments posted against the newswires declaring each latest batch of bad news. Ironically, these have often focused on the methods adopted by management, even where the necessity for cuts has been admitted. So, how can it possibly be suggested that there may be plus points resulting from these moves, as they move forward into post-recovery trading times?

The truth

The honest if unpalatable truth is that for some firms the clearances were a godsend, and offered a chance to take tough management decisions which otherwise would never have been made,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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