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Law firm risks: weathering the storm

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Trying times: Clare Hughes-Williams & Patrick Hill advise on how best to mitigate exposures in an economic downturn
  • Certain risks for law firms become more prevalent during times of economic crisis, including the frequency of claims and the possibility of cyber-attacks.
  • It is vital to maintain strong financial governance and security systems during such times.

The news that the UK may be entering a recession is as unwelcome for the general public as it is for business leaders.

Professional services firms, and law firms in particular, are no exception. Recessionary conditions traditionally have an adverse impact on real estate and corporate lawyers with fewer deals being done, while their insolvency colleagues experience an uptick in activity levels as businesses start to suffer.

But are there any exposures that are specific to a poor economic climate, and can we mitigate those exposures?

Financial governance

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has recently made it clear that it will be keeping a watchful eye over

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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