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12 January 2024 / Nigel Clark
Issue: 8054 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Out with the old… in with the new

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Nigel Clark looks forward to some radical change in 2024
  • Proposes lawyers adopt a different approach to client fees, billing targets, the partnership model and the long-hours culture.

Now 2024 has arrived, I have been reflecting on my 25-year career in the legal sector during which I’ve worked in ‘Big Law’ across four countries and three continents, and with alternative, consultancy platforms including my own which merged with Nexa back in 2017.

While I am passionate about the UK legal sector, it would be fair to say that, in my opinion, many aspects of it need to modernise or, at least, require a new approach, starting with….

The billable hour, machismo firm culture & the gender pay gap

From the moment we qualify as lawyers we know how much billable time we must do each day, week, month, year to prosper in our law firms and progress in our careers.

Philip Larkin asked, ‘Why should I let the toad work/ Squat on my life?’ as he railed

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Sponsored by
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
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NLJ this week: Company conspiracy clarified
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
NLJ this week: Home is where intent lies
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
NLJ this week: Farewell to Chancery
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
NLJ this week: Silence carries a price
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
NLJ this week: Costs sting after a courtroom gamble
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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