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Resolution or revolution? (2)

14 October 2011 / David Greene
Issue: 7485 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services
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David Greene predicts how the profession will respond to (& survive) the law’s “Big Bang”

Last week saw the formal introduction of alternative business structures (ABSs) with elements of the press referring to it as law’s “Big Bang”. While some commentators have made much of the proposed changes—a headline in The Times this week suggests the changes will “spell the end for thousands of solicitors”, (10 October) the process seems set to progress more as accrual than large explosions. For many litigators the ABS revolution may be more of a sideshow as they attempt to manage the Jackson reforms and the swathe of satellite litigation that will follow. History tells us that solicitors are adept at working with change, but what are the specfic challenges they face and how might they respond?

ATE

If there is one element of the Jackson package which causes them a problem it is the non-recovery of the ATE premium. The problem is deepened by the current debate on “Qualified One Way Cost Shifting” (QOCS). Jackson’s idea

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
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