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    • reed_smithThe comeback kid: Return to form as Reed Smith hikes London revenue 18% to $222mThomas Alan
    • Cadwalader, Wickersham & TaftCadwalader London revenue drops 13% after restructuring team exit as global turnover makes slight return to growthMarco Cillario
    • James Roome‘Investing in strength’: Akin Gump’s City turnover spikes 28% amid restructuring bonanzaNathalie Tidman
    • Hope floatsComment: It’ll take more than a float to make DWF the new DLAAlex Novarese
    • Chris DeContiNew Law champion Axiom announces IPO plans in trailblazing move for global legal marketHamish McNicol
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  • Analysis
      • Sebastian Prichard JonesDefying gravity – Inside the improbable rise of Travers and Macfarlanes
      • Simon LevineThe DLA interview: On this rock I build…
      • Sabine Chalmers and Georgina Stanley on the 2019 Women in Law debate panelThe Women in Law debate: The challenge of you
      • New Business Models debate at The IvyWe have the technology – Re-engineering a law firm
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      • The Simmons interview: What to worry about
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      • ‘No blueprint’: Looking back at Lehman’s wind-up
      • The GC (re)defined: Beyond the cookie cutter
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  • Insight
      • Tunnel diverThe New GC Toolkit: New game, new rules, new playersLegal Business
      • banks_peter_partnershipThe Path to Partnership: A Special ReportLegal Business
      • digital mapInternational Arbitration Insight: Bigger, longer, more complicatedJames Wood
      • Brexit close to finalThe edge of the cliff – Brexit response for worried GCsJames Wood
      • dollars_and_senseDollars and sense – charting the GC response as sustainability hits the boardroomJames Wood
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  • Comment
        • novarese_alexIt’ll take more than a float to make DWF the new DLA
        • The future of law will need long-term investment
        • Beyond barbarian: Kirkland signs PE’s most wanted
        • Deal View: ‘Tooling up’ – Activist funds edging into the mainstream of UK deal scene
        • Letter from… Frankfurt: Pillars of stone – finding the right mix is tough but global interest in Germany is growing
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  • News review
      • Amy MahonFrom pavements to sidewalks: PE star Mahon’s move to Simpson Thacher melts CC hearts to stoneNathalie Tidman
      • Dipen SabharwalWhite & Case duo among four solicitors made up in reduced silk roundTom Baker
      • eisenberg_nevillePost-merger chemistry and an absence of crisis mark BCLP launch but firm is yet to settle into its strideThomas Alan
      • Piet Hein MeeterNew Law meets Big Four – Has Deloitte got the conviction to match its free-thinking legal pitch?Thomas Alan
      • FrankfurtThird German office and trio of Dublin hires the latest moves in Pinsents’ international odysseyMarco Cillario
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  • International
        • Africa
            • waking_the_elephant_africaLegal leaders in Africa: Waking the elephant
            • city railway illustrationLaying the foundations – lawyers scramble as demand for African infra booms
            • Africa cityThe right platform – trying to find a long-term approach for Africa
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        • Ireland
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        • Israel
            • Man walking on tightrope over Tel AvivIn the game – Israeli law firms embrace risks to secure the tech icons of tomorrow
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            • Tel Aviv cityscape silhouette with circuitry reflectionTrading Places – Israel’s tech-heavy legal market widens its global reach
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            • Sepia Trevi foutain sceneRenaissance style – the battle to modernise Italy’s legal elite
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            • Christ the Redeemer silhouette with life ringRisk and resilience – a booming insurance industry in Latin America
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            • RiyadhMiddle East: Mission unaccomplished
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            • Middle EastRunning on empty – how to survive in the Middle East in the era of cheap oil
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        • Offshore
          • Under Pressure IllustrationOffshore leaders’ year in review: Under pressure
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            • bear on russian flag illustrationRousing the bear – Russian counsel force to hunt in new places
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            • GC Powerlist: Russia Teams

              The Legal 500 law firm rankings: Russia

        • Switzerland
            • mountain skierSwitzerland – The rough and the smooth
            • boat with Swiss flagMaking ripples – Turbulent times ahead for the Swiss legal market
            • Dragon in the mountainsRed dragon, white cross – Can Chinese money kickstart Swiss markets
            • GC Powerlist: Switzerland Teams

              The Legal 500 law firm rankings: Switzerland

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  • In-House
      • Anna CosgraveClient profile: Anna Cosgrave, grazeTom Baker
      • startup bit [Converted]Blockchain: Piecing it togetherGreg Hall
      • three lawyers walking in a lineThe in-house lawyer survey: The march of progressTom Baker
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  • Events
    • Previous Events


      LB Global London Roundtable

      Date: 24 January 2019 Location: The Grubstreet Author, Milton Street, London EC2Y 9BH Sponsored by: Major, Lindsey & Africa  

      Private Practice Powerlist – African Specialists

      Location: The Ned (The Saloon), 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ

      Upcoming Events


      GC Powerlist UK reception 2019

      London, United Kingdom

      28/03/2019

      GC Powerlist: Sweden Teams

      Stockholm, Sweden

      26/09/2019

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      Singapore, Singapore

      07/03/2019

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In-House

Blockchain: Piecing it together

The emergence of blockchain has the potential to touch every sector of business – and law is no exception. We consider how it could impact the legal profession

Posted on 12 February 2019 09:30am4 February 2019 15:10pm
Greg Hall
In-house Financial services

The proliferation of blockchain technology has led many sectors to re-examine traditional ways of doing business, even if the platform remains shrouded in the fog of confusion and hype. Nowhere is the potential more apparent, or the sector more traditional, than in the negotiation, creation and execution of contracts. If the blockchain evangelists are to be believed, the manner in which parties contract will be changing radically in the not-too-distant future. But while a number of high-profile success stories illustrate the potential of the technology, it is clear that there is a long way to go if it is to ever live up to the rhetoric.

To understand blockchain and the value that it may bring to business, think of how an ordinary business transaction works: there is an agreement and exchange of goods or services between parties. Each party will have their own ledger, which records the transaction. But because the ledgers are held independently, there is scope for discrepancy between them – be it through error, disagreement or fraud. Traditionally, this was mitigated by introducing a third party to the transaction – usually a bank.

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  • Latest Issue

    Legal Business February 2019 cover

    • Defying gravity – Inside the improbable ascendancy of Travers and Macfarlanes
    • The DLA interview: On this rock I build…
    • Women in law: The challenge of you
    • We have the technology – Re-engineering a law firm
    • Offshore leaders’ year in review: Under pressure
    • Blockchain: Piecing it together
    • Client profile: Anna Cosgrave, graze
    • Life during law: Jeremy Drew
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  • Most read this week

    1. Taylor Wessing to enter alliance with West Coast leader Wilson Sonsini
    2. New Law champion Axiom announces IPO plans in trailblazing move for global legal market
    3. ‘Not adequately protected’: Junior lawyers demand SRA response on concerns over toxic working conditions
    4. Revolving Doors: DAC Beachcroft hires from Kirkland in the City while Morgan Lewis leads international team push
    5. Comment: It’ll take more than a float to make DWF the new DLA

    Analysis

    • Defying gravity – Inside the improbable rise of Travers and Macfarlanes

    • The DLA interview: On this rock I build…

    • The Women in Law debate: The challenge of you

    • We have the technology – Re-engineering a law firm

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