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International Edition

Make rain while the sun shines

'I trained to be a lawyer - not a salesperson'; 'selling is like stalking'; 'we have a marketing department - isn't it their job?'. Such are the typical refrains when lawyers are told they have to develop their business.
6 minute read

International Edition

It pays to prepare

On 15 December, 2007, independent legal professionals, as defined, will need to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007. The Law Society recently issued a practice note outlining good practice and providing direction on new measures coming into force.
6 minute read

International Edition

The great divide

Two years ago Nigel Knowles, Ed Smith and Richard Chaplin published an article in Legal Week under the auspices of the Managing Partners' Forum (MPF). The article, 'The Unsung Heroes', was intended to be a clarion call to law firms to better appreciate the importance of client service professionals (CSPs) for the success of the business.
5 minute read

International Edition

Close call

In June this year, Sheffield was hit by severe flooding, following some of the wettest weather on record in the UK. On Monday (25 June), Irwin Mitchell's Sheffield offices, located across two buildings in the centre of the city, were badly hit by the flooding. The ground floors of both buildings were engulfed with water.
6 minute read

International Edition

Digital Dictation: Dictating the future

Legal Week's analysis of digital dictation systems (DDS) a year ago revealed a market that was still to be fully convinced that this technology is an absolute 'must have' for law firms. Indeed, the research showed that almost 40% of the top 100 firms had not embraced DDS in any form. Crucially, that statistic included all five of the magic circle firms - a statistic that no longer stands after Linklaters introduced digital dictation firm-wide.
23 minute read

International Edition

Digital Dictation: Model behaviour

Any survey of information systems at law firms would reveal they have invested heavily in a range of such systems that cover most areas of the business and practice. It is also equally likely to reveal diverse ways in which such information is held and managed in at least some, but probably most, of the key systems. It is only to be expected that new or replacement systems initiatives would be undertaken at different times because firms cannot renew all their systems at the same time.
7 minute read

International Edition

Don't believe the hype

Not surprisingly, when it comes to the vastness of the internet, the media likes to focus on the new: new technologies, new phenomena, new dangers, new ways to fritter away time, new knee-jerk reactions by large businesses. Newness is also great for consultants and people involved in business development: new initiatives to be launched, new budgets to be created and new corporate policies to be devised.
6 minute read

International Edition

Firm agreement

Clive Greenwood looks at whether restrictive covenants will survive when a law firm's partners vote to become a limited liability partnership
7 minute read

International Edition

A client's perspective

I am a prospective client of your firm and I thought I would get in touch. We are looking for a long-term business partner and yours looks like the type of firm we could get close to.
8 minute read

International Edition

Source of confusion

So many news articles and IT analysts' reports have been written about open source software (OSS) and its rising popularity that the resulting mound of paper could probably wallpaper an area twice the size of Wales. However, with their characteristic, dogged resistance to change, commercial lawyers have continued to view the subject as the preserve of only the geekiest lawyers working in the technology, media and telecoms (TMT) department.
7 minute read

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Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what’s happening in the legal industry.

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