Client engagement for the legal sector has evolved greatly. We continue to see the methods used to obtain and maintain clients improving through the use of a more considered and joined-up approach. Now, more than ever, firms must pause and look at the environment around them to see how client-centred operations can create new and […]

Welcome to the future. Hope everyone’s on track with the transporting hubs, wearable wellbeing tech and flying vehicle airspace car park permits. Or for those more pessimistic, have you got your staff radioactive suits upgraded, air filtration systems running and fully functioning on-prem gardens tended? There’s a lot to absorb as 2020 gets underway, and […]

The word ‘compliance’ is often followed with a huge sigh or groan of despair. Compliance and risk management have always been one of the biggest challenges faced by SME legal businesses and disproportionately impacts them the most. It’s a reality we must accept, so what are the regulatory risks we face? The fact that law […]

The compliance officer for finance and administration (COFA) role is nearly seven years old and there are still mixed views on the purpose and success of the role in becoming, along with the compliance officer for legal practice (COLP), the lynchpin – or, some might say, Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) ‘watchdog’ – of compliance and […]

As 2019 nears its finish line, the Institute of Legal Finance and Management (ILFM) is keeping close tabs on regulatory and legal activities in the pipeline. With the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new handbook right around the corner, SME firms need to be on top of potential changes to process and administration. A particular area of […]

How its innovative ‘Talking Works’ case resolution method results in happy

LPM’s people guru Polly Jeanneret talks Love Island, social media slander and secret HR meeting recordings Q I have noticed that you talk a lot about ‘difficult’ or ‘temperamental’ partners. But in my experience it’s the clients that are the worst. We have one who treats our staff pretty shoddily: shouty, critical, unpleasant. Another told an […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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’ […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]