LPM INSIGHTS ROLL

EDITOR’S LETTER
Kayli Olson | Editor, LPM | 15.10.2019
Autumn has dropped and it’s time to dust off those jumpers for pumpkin season. With a lot on the horizon, October may feel like the calm before the storm. But in the meantime, LPM checks in on law firm and client technologies. In this increasingly on-demand world of consumer behaviour, Jem Sandhu investigates what apps […]

Technology transfusion
Jane Pritchard | Elawvate | 20.09.2019
If only it were as easy as a Star Trek Borg assimilation – being plugged into the mainframe platform and obtaining the mindset needed for the digital transformation. Over the past 20 years in practice, and the last five in consultancy, I’ve been immersed in digital transformation – working from an SME private practice background […]

NEW DIVERSITY
Emma Whiting | Torque Law | 20.09.2019
Q What is neurodiversity? A The term is used to recognise that everyone’s brains are wired differently. In HR circles, neurodiversity is the movement to create a more inclusive working environment for people who have ‘hidden’ disabilities such as autism, ADHD and dyspraxia. People with these conditions are neurodivergent in that they’re different from those […]

REIMAGINING INCLUSIVITY
Jem Sandhu | Features writer, LPM | 20.09.2019
What are the ‘elephants in the room’ when it comes to truly making inclusivity the default position in an organisation? These were the creatures being discussed at Taylor Vinters’ zebra project event on 6 June, Diversity and inclusion – from tokenism to transformation. The zebra project brings together business leaders and thinkers to ‘reimagine business’ […]

TELLING RETAIL
Bernard Savage | Director, Tenandahalf | 10.09.2019
It’s often said that things come full circle in life. After spending the first 10 years of my career at Procter & Gamble in the 1990s, working with Boots, Asda and the Co-op, I’ve spent much time in more recent years advising law firms to do what savvy retailers do. Here are five lessons I […]

EDITOR’S LETTER
Kayli Olson | Editor, LPM | 9.09.2019
Welcome back to the wonderful world of LPM. Hope you’ve had a lovely summer – it may be nearing the end but we’re kicking off September with a story of growth. What does it take to tighten finances and find the funding and right strategy needed to support growth? Josh Adcock raises the curtain on […]

Lessons in lecturing
Polly Jeanneret | LPM's people guru | 10.07.2019
Q A member of staff has informally complained about a solicitor who is vegan and who has been ‘lecturing everyone’ about veganism (complainant’s words not ours). What would you advise? A Veganism is potentially protectable under the Equality Act. So it can – though doesn’t automatically – have the same protection as other, more familiar, […]

Stress tests
Barry Davies | Practice manager, Douglas-Jones Mercer | 17.06.2019
At home, I recently discovered my young daughter avidly pretending to read through an old copy of Law Firm Remuneration, Reward and Motivation (edited by J Renz). Such a proud moment led me to thinking how things might be for future generations, such as hers, as to the drivers for motivation at work and performance […]

LINKED UP
Catherine Bourne and Natasha Koshnitsky | Archon Solicitors | 17.06.2019
As solicitors, we find LinkedIn is a fantastic way to remain in professional contact with a whole host of individuals who could be important for our careers. However, from an employment law perspective this connectivity, while a very important benefit, can also cause legal wrangling – for example, when an employee breaches their restrictive covenants […]

FORGET ROBOTS
Steven Theharne | Managing partner | 14.05.2019
I recently wrote an article about the impact robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and other IT developments will have on the delivery of legal services. I espoused the need for all firms to embrace the new technology, whether it be a fundamental change to working practices or simpler changes to internal processes. I contended that this […]

CLOUD LANDING
Angus Whyte | Managing partner, Land Law | 14.05.2019
Q Why did the firm decide to design its own IT platform? A Commercial property is among the most document-heavy practice areas in the legal sector – the work has a lot of moving parts. For example, a single transaction can easily generate dozens of lengthy documents as well as layers of title information that […]

TOO OPINIONATED?
Polly Jeanneret | LPM HR Agony Aunt | 14.05.2019
Q What’s all this furore over lawyers avoiding wearing brown shoes with blue suits? A There is no furore: there is a social media furore and that is not the same thing. For those of you who may have missed the non-furore, it all started with a report on social media from a conference where […]