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30 September 2019
Categories: Legal News , Profession , Legal services , Technology
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Weighed down by admin?

Nearly half of all lawyers feel burdened by too much ‘low-value’ administrative work, research shows

In the UK, two-thirds of lawyers gave the opportunity to work in an intellectually stimulating environment as a key reason for their choice of profession, and more than a third became lawyers to do ‘rewarding work’, according to a survey of 258 lawyers (125 in the UK and 133 in the USA).

The survey, conducted by legal industry cloud provider Intapp, revealed that three-fifths of UK lawyers are satisfied with their work-life balance. However, 45% of UK lawyers complain they do more administrative tasks than they expected and nearly a fifth (18%) say either the majority or nearly all of their time is spent on low-value work.

Asked about technology and their expectations for the future, 30% of UK lawyers wanted their firm to modernise the workflow process and 29% felt their firm should provide services to make elements of their legal work more efficient.

Some 44% of UK lawyers want to see their firm invest in content or document management systems, 28% want to see investment in mobile-enabled technologies and 41% feel that artificial technology (AI) could help improve conflicts clearance.

Chris Turk, regional vice president, EMEA of Intapp, said: ‘These survey results have shown the impact that tools and processes available can have on the daily life of a lawyer.

‘Modern firms―those that take into account the environment of a firm, and the impact of technology on its employees―are the ones that will see the most positive change.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—David Abbott & Claire Keat

DWF—David Abbott & Claire Keat

Senior appointments in insurance services and commercial services announced

Clyde & Co—Nick Roberts

Clyde & Co—Nick Roberts

Aviation disputes practice strengthened by London partner hire

Ellisons—Marion Knocker

Ellisons—Marion Knocker

Residential property lawyer promoted to partnership

NEWS
he abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 evictions marks the beginning of a ‘brave new world’ for England’s rental sector, writes Daniel Bacon of Seddons GSC
Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way column rounds up a flurry of procedural and regulatory changes reshaping housing, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and personal injury litigation
Patients are being systematically failed by an NHS complaints regime that is opaque, poorly enforced and often stacked against them, argues Charles Davey of The Barrister Group
A wealthy Russian divorce battle has produced a sharp warning about trying to challenge foreign nuptial agreements in the wrong English court. Writing in NLJ this week, Vanessa Friend and Robert Jackson of Hodge Jones & Allen examine Timokhin v Timokhina, where the High Court enforced Russian judgments arising from a prenuptial agreement despite arguments based on the landmark Radmacher decision
An obscure Victorian tort may be heading for an unexpected revival after a significant Privy Council ruling that could reshape liability for dangerous escapes, according to Richard Buckley, barrister and emeritus professor of law at the University of Reading
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