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16 November 2012 / Paul Hughes , Paul Hughes
Issue: 7538 / Categories: Features , Training & education , Profession
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Value creation

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Why being a good in-house lawyer isn’t enough. Paul Hughes presents the case for evolutionary change

In-house lawyer numbers are on the increase in an ever more challenging environment. Evolution tells us that population growth means more variations adapting and outperforming others.This increase in diversity in the in-house population means greater numbers are delivering services which add more value...and they are getting noticed.

Why? As organisations seek greater competitive advantage in challenging global markets, in-house legal teams need to offer new ways to compete. In 2010 a Nabarro LLP report supported this, highlighting increased CEO expectations for in-house legal teams to help deliver an “edge” over rivals.

In-house teams not adapting to this changing environment may end up extinct—or “outsourced”—over the next decade. This has already started in the US, where a growing number of legal firms offer an outsourced “one-stop shop”. Where regulations allow, this is an attractive option if the existing team is not perceived as a “strategic asset” and remains instead an overhead. This has been happening across most

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Sponsored by
Birketts—Nathan Evans

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Commercial and technology team in Cambridge strengthened by partner hire

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Hampshire firm appoints head of new family department

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Mazur and more—inside the litigation frontline

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

NLJ this week: Social media bans for children spark legal dilemmas
Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
NLJ this week: Leasehold reform risks creating ‘forgotten freeholders’
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
NLJ this week: Court of Appeal clarifies when a claim truly begins
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
NLJ this week: Split FDRs could ease pressure—and boost settlements
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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