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Smart investments

03 December 2015 / Dr Marc K Peter
Issue: 7679 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Dr Marc K Peter explains how mid-sized law firms can use technology to succeed in a challenging marketplace

In today’s legal market, it is no longer enough for law firms to excel at providing legal advice to their clients. Consumers are getting smarter and, in response, law professionals have to increase the effectiveness of their client servicing, the quality of their legal information, and the business processes of their practice.

It is only by understanding the challenges facing the legal profession as we move towards the 2020s, that organisations supporting the industry can truly provide value and return on investment. In a series of interviews conducted in July this year, a number of partners of mid-sized law firms discussed the challenges and opportunities facing their business. During discussions, four core issues affecting law firms in today’s market were identified (see diagram below).

Attracting new business in a competitive marketplace

Finding and retaining new clients is a challenge for any business. However, since the legal industry was deregulated four years ago, lawyers have had to

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
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