Transformation troubles: responding to a new era of change

LexisNexis uncovers the challenges facing SME law firms in its latest Bellwether report, outlining three major threats on the horizon in need of urgent attention.

|LexisNexis|

The post-lockdown boom has restored business confidence for small law firms. Many have seen their financial expectations met and have devised ambitious growth plans, with mergers and acquisitions becoming increasingly attractive.

But a new wave of change is on its way and small law firms will need to move quickly in order to stay afloat. Can small law leaders apply what they’ve learnt in the last 24 months to a new era of transformation? Or will an out-of-the-woods attitude hold them back?

In the tenth edition of the LexisNexis Bellwether report, we explore the triumphs and challenges facing small law firms and solo practitioners.

Train your own, grow your firm: the business case for the SQE in SME law firms Case Study

Henna Zafar | Business development manager, BARBRI |
For many of the SME law firms we work with, this autumn is the first time they will support trainees through the SQE. The concerns we hear are consistent — firms don’t feel they know enough about the SQE, most don’t have a learning and development team and partners are already stretched. Those concerns are […]

Ready for growth? The questions every law firm should be asking

Chelsea Goldsby | Operations director, Osprey Approach |
New research from Osprey Approach and Legal News Wales reveals an ambitious legal sector facing some familiar — and some less expected — challenges. But what can SME law firms learn from the findings? The Welsh Legal Sector Transformation Report 2026 draws on the views of more than 50 law firms and in-house legal teams across Wales. […]