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30 January 2020 / Grania Langdon-Down
Issue: 7872 / Categories: Features , Brexit , Profession
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Litigation futures: strong & stable despite the Brexit effect

While Brexit has created unhelpful uncertainty for litigators & their clients, statistics suggest that international cases in London are on the rise & that the capital remains a primary global legal centre. But what about the future & wellbeing of the next generation of litigators & what should law firms be doing to ensure their teams are both diverse & inclusive? Grania Langdon-Down reports

 

For litigators, 2020 is going to be a year where their focus is both on external issues, including any fallout from Brexit and procedural changes, and internally on how best to ensure teams are not just diverse and inclusive but properly supported amid increasing concern about mental health and wellbeing.

For the first time, the NLJ’s annual online survey of litigators, conducted with the support of the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA), asked whether the legal community needs to do more to promote diversity and inclusion and what areas could be improved. Eight out of ten of the 120-plus respondents said

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law

NLJ Career Profile: Ken Fowlie, Stowe Family Law

Ken Fowlie, chairman of Stowe Family Law, reflects on more than 30 years in legal services after ‘falling into law’

Jackson Lees Group—Jannina Barker, Laura Beattie & Catherine McCrindle

Jackson Lees Group—Jannina Barker, Laura Beattie & Catherine McCrindle

Firm promotes senior associate and team leader as wills, trusts and probate team expands

Asserson—Michael Francos-Downs

Asserson—Michael Francos-Downs

Manchester real estate finance practice welcomes legal director

NEWS
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
The Supreme Court has drawn a firm line under branding creativity in regulated markets. In Dairy UK Ltd v Oatly AB, it ruled that Oatly’s ‘post-milk generation’ trade mark unlawfully deployed a protected dairy designation. In NLJ this week, Asima Rana of DWF explains that the court prioritised ‘regulatory clarity over creative branding choices’, holding that ‘designation’ extends beyond product names to marketing slogans
From cat fouling to Part 36 brinkmanship, the latest 'Civil way' round-up is a reminder that procedural skirmishes can have sharp teeth. NLJ columnist Stephen Gold ranges across recent decisions with his customary wit
Digital loot may feel like property, but civil law is not always convinced. In NLJ this week, Paul Schwartfeger of 36 Stone and Nadia Latti of CMS examine fraud involving platform-controlled digital assets, from ‘account takeover and asset stripping’ to ‘value laundering’
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