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06 March 2008
Issue: 7311 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Profession
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Top 100 play it cautious

News

Clients are increasingly asking their solicitors about their business continuity plans, according to Legal Risk Solicitors’ fifth annual survey.
More than three-quarters of the top 100 law firms have finalised a business continuity plan, while the rest have at least a draft plan in place.

However, just over a third of the 64 firms responding to the survey say they have tested their plans in the last 12 months.

The law firms responding to Legal Risk’s Top 100 Law Firm Professional Indemnity and Risk Management Survey 2008 include 22 of the top 30 firms and range from Magic Circle to the smaller firms.

Every firm states that it limits liability contractually at least part of the time. According to Legal Risk, limitation of liability clauses “are becoming more sophisticated and involve more than a simple liability cap...we doubt many firms limit liability 100% of the time”.

Some 14% of firms changed broker, while 9% changed insurer in a soft insurance market.
Legal Risk partner, Frank Maher, says: “The continued low cost of insurance is reflected in the fact that 25% of respondents increased cover.  However we believe there is a real risk that after this year’s renewal, not only will insurance costs rise significantly but some firms may have far more difficulty obtaining the cover they want.”

Issue: 7311 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Profession
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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

Asserson—Michael Francos-Downs

Manchester real estate finance practice welcomes legal director

NEWS
Children can claim for ‘lost years’ damages in personal injury cases, the Supreme Court has held in a landmark judgment
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 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’
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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