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22 November 2013 / Nagib Tharani , Joshua Lenon
Issue: 7585 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Silver linings in the cloud

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Local privacy & regulatory issues must not be overlooked in the migration to the cloud, warn Nagib Tharani & Joshua Lenon

As the market for legal services changes rapidly, law firms of all sizes need to be flexible, responsive to client needs and cost-efficient. One consequence of this change is that practice management systems, once considered as just part of the plumbing, are becoming a key strategic asset to serve clients while maintaining profit margins.

A significant development in this regard has been the move of practice management systems from the firms’ own servers and desktop computers into the cloud. Rather than being installed on a firm’s own computer systems or servers, cloud-based practice management systems and their data are located on a remote server and accessed via the Internet. This means that firms require no specialised hardware or software to use cloud-based systems—everything works through a normal web browser such as Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, enabling the system, data and documents to be accessed from wherever a lawyer—or

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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

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Manchester real estate finance practice welcomes legal director

NEWS
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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
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