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24 March 2017 / Dominic Zammit
Issue: 7739 / Categories: Features , Profession , Marketing , Technology
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Managing your brand (Pt 2)

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Uberisation of the legal sector is closer than you think, says Dominic Zammit

Picture this. Virtual reality meetings, automatically tracked against client records. Relationships managed online through dedicated client “rooms” within the firm’s practice management hub. Software that tracks work in real time through wearable devices, enabling clients to see what each member of their legal team is working on, monitoring efficiency and expenditure.

Sound like a nightmare? Well, maybe. But it’s almost certainly a glimpse into the future of legal practice. And we’re not talking 50 years either—more like five or perhaps ten.

Tech juggernaut

The technological juggernaut is unstoppable. The last decade has delivered nothing short of a revolution in consumerism and now the lines between professional and personal are becoming increasingly blurred. We want the same service from our law firm as we receive from Amazon. Fast, efficient, transparent, customer driven. Not words traditionally associated with the legal sector.

To meet changing customer expectations, law firms need to do more than invest cash (although of course this is

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal

Penningtons Manches Cooper strengthens international disputes team with appointment of leading arbitration partner

Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders

Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders

Shakespeare Martineau strengthens trust and estates disputes team with new appointments

Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore

Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore

Bellevue Law strengthens employment disputes and international advisory capability with senior associate appointment

NEWS
A divorced woman has secured funding to participate in her former husband’s inquest after the Legal Aid Agency reconsidered repeated refusals
The Thirlwall Inquiry has exposed a ‘complete failure’ to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, but its recommendations must now be put into practice
More than 500 former rugby players can pursue brain injury claims despite serious failures to disclose documents ordered by the High Court
When does a solicitor’s retainer become a contentious business agreement? The Court of Appeal’s decision in Broadfield Law UK LLP v Barnes shows that listing hourly rates alone will not do, leaving firms and clients uncertain about their rights over bills
Developers in areas with poorly performing councils can apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate for permission under section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
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