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16 June 2011 / Joe Reevy
Issue: 7470 / Categories: Features , Profession , Marketing
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It’s good to talk

Concerned about the future of legal services? Talk to your accountant, suggests Joe Reevy

Concerned about the future of legal services? Talk to your accountant, suggests Joe Reevy
A couple of things are beginning to annoy me about the debate about the future of legal services.
The first is that the way the debate is being presented is that there is one of two possible futures for law firms. One of these is to “brand build” and the other is no future at all: an unavoidable, slow, painful demise for firms that don’t take certain actions. I just don’t believe that the future for law firms is anywhere near as black and white as it is being portrayed.

The second annoyance is the old chestnut that services are to be commoditised and that the inevitable result of this will be more work being done on ever lower margins and (here we go again) an unavoidable, slow, painful demise for firms that don’t take certain actions.
These positions have been repeated so often that

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
The Senior Courts Costs Office has clarified that judges conducting detailed assessment proceedings cannot order security for costs—a ruling that may leave successful parties exposed to further litigation expense
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
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