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Internal affairs

28 October 2010 / Nick Jarrett-kerr
Issue: 7439 / Categories: Features , Legal services , Profession
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Nick Jarrett-Kerr explains why today’s lawyers need an advanced set of life & business skills

There was a time, several decades ago, when solicitors were widely regarded —in what was then a male-dominated profession—as “men of affairs”, able to advise clients holistically on a wide range of their life, business and personal issues of which legal issues formed only one element. However, the mushroom-like growth of other professionals such as accountants, financial advisers, property experts, and wealth advisers steadily eroded the lawyer’s position of influence all through the 20th century leaving solicitors in the UK as technical advisers at the tail end of transactions, and as the last port of call when all other efforts by other professionals to solve problems had failed. Regulatory protection in areas such as litigation and probate helped to preserve the standing and the market position of law firms and at the same time a growing tide of legislation gave lawyers a technical stronghold from which to operate profitably and with the fearless independence which is the hallmark of the

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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
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
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
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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