Nearly one in two lawyers expect profit per equity partner to grow by up to 10% in the next year, according to a NatWest survey of 400 lawyers attending the annual NatWest Legal Conference series across the UK in October. More than half expected fee income to rise by up to 10% in the next year, and a quarter expected an even bigger rise of between 10% and 20%. Steve Arundale, head of professionals at NatWest, says: “The optimism could be down to the uplift in the economy which has stimulated an increase in transactions.”
20 November 2014
More optimism over profit for lawyers
MOVERS & SHAKERS
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’
Gardner Leader—Michelle Morgan & Catherine Morris
Regional law firm expands employment team with partner and senior associate hires
Freeths—Carly Harwood & Tom Newton
Nottinghamtrusts, estates and tax team welcomes two senior associates
NEWS
Children can claim for ‘lost years’ damages in personal injury cases, the Supreme Court has held in a landmark judgment
The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
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
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