Can PI survive?

Personal injury has had its fair share of near misses over the past decade. Just four years ago PI firms had to contend with the Jackson reforms – but proposals to raise the small claims limit and create a whiplash tariff might point to the end of the road for cost-bearing road traffic accident claims. Many LPM readers, I’m sure, will be relieved by the recent news that the Prisons and Courts Bill has been scrapped ahead of the general election. But the bill doesn’t cover changes to the small claims limit and – should Theresa May secure the victory she thinks she will get – a returning Conservative government may well simply pick up on PI reforms where they left off. The election might be dominating debate right now, but the political appetite for PI reform hasn’t dimmed. Read our feature on PI’s uncertain future on p34.

THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL

The Prisons and Courts Bill was dropped just as this issue went to press, ahead of the 2017 snap general election. But if the government’s PI reforms do go ahead in their current form, they could be diastrous for PI firms – and a re-elected Conservative government will likely come back to the bill, as it seems they have a drive to tackle perceived problems in the industry.

Huw Evans, director general of the Association of British Insurers, says: “Issues such as the increased cost of insurance for motorists and businesses and the £6bn bill for the NHS are not going to go away, so the incentives for a new government to act promptly are there.”

COMING UP CLOUD

Why do law firms love the cloud? Not too long ago, SME legal leaders wouldn’t have dreamt of keeping vital IT systems or client data outside their offices – but it seems many have now embraced the opportunities that can bring.

According to LPM’s cloud leaders research, carried out in March/April 2017, many firms have moved a lot of their IT online. Almost half (48%) we polled have over half of their total IT systems in the cloud or as part of a managed service. And though as much as a third (32%) of firms have only 10% of their systems there, three-quarters of respondents said that more than half of their IT systems would be cloud-based or a managed service within the next five years. An additional 16% also said that at least a quarter of their systems would be there within the same time.

SUPPORT AND SCALE: MLP LAW

Many law firms don’t see growth as a necessity –and they enjoy talking about it about as much as lawyers like talking about money with clients. North-west firm MLP Law, on the other hand, has made every effort to scale over the past few years and isn’t shy about its progress.

The firm increased its revenue by 42% last year and has seen considerable growth across its departments – but how did it achieve such growth? MLP’s managing partner, Stephen Attree (pictured centre), says a key component of the firm’s development has been providing high-quality support and training to employees.

GUIDING HAND

London firm Dawson Cornwell doesn’t have plans to scale, but wants to be the best family law provider in south-east England. The firm’s finance and practice manager, Geraldine Collier, says: “Dawson Cornwell’s key business objective is to be the best at what it does and provide consistently high-quality service to clients. The firm is well known for its expertise and has this year been shortlisted for Citywealth’s magic circle awards for matrimonial firm of
in 2016.”

But, she adds, the firm is constantly looking for ways to improve client service – which is why it sought to revamp its IT systems last year.