Arrested development – the legal innovation report

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Arrested development – the legal innovation report

The legal industry is still fragmenting. Pre-2008 it was an easier game: a buoyant economy, predictable government and a converging world flattened by globalisation and the internet. Law firms sought to be ‘global’ and ‘full-service’ and merged or opened offices accordingly. The business model was simple: bigger clients, bigger teams, higher utilisation, higher rates. Hold onto more rainmakers than your rivals and the fortifications of a professional monopoly took care of the rest.

What has evolved post-2008 is a buyers’ market that shows no signs of abating. ‘There’s more choice of providers now than ever,’ says Chris Fowler, general counsel (GC) of BT Technology. ‘Alternative providers have a far greater share of wallet. There’s more of them and a wider spread, and then you’ve got the Big Four coming into play. The key thing coming into focus now is choice.’ Continue reading “Arrested development – the legal innovation report”

Sponsored briefing: ‘Fantastic boutique CM Murray dominates the market in the partnership space’

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Sponsored briefing: ‘Fantastic boutique CM Murray dominates the market in the partnership space’

CM Murray is a leading specialist partnership and employment law firm based in London. The firm is ranked by the legal directories as Tier 1 for both of its practice areas, and enjoys a market-leading reputation for advising professional and financial services firms on sensitive and complex cross-border partnership and employment law issues.

The breadth and depth of the firm’s partnership practice encompasses the 360-degree life cycle of partnership businesses, offering both contentious and non-contentious partnership law advice. The firm’s non-contentious law firm expertise includes establishing law firm LLPs/partnerships and alternative business structures, drafting and reviewing LLP/partnership agreements, advising on partnership and governance structures, partner remuneration and contribution, LLP conversions and internal restructuring, international network structures (including Swiss Verein structures), and associations and law firm M&A. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: ‘Fantastic boutique CM Murray dominates the market in the partnership space’”

Enterprise GC view: Retail in a cold climate – learning from the high street

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Enterprise GC view: Retail in a cold climate – learning from the high street

One set of February figures just published showing the worst retail footfall on record – as revealed by one GC in the room – this panel discussion at Enterprise GC proved a timely reminder of the challenges faced by the retail sector and all those who sail with her.

And with these challenges comes a lot of learning for GCs and senior in-house lawyers in other sectors too. Almost inevitably Amazon – and, by extension digital transformation and disruption generally – dominated some of the discussion. And, it seems, that issue is more acute in the UK than almost anywhere else in the world, given (among other factors) Amazon’s extraordinarily high rate of market penetration. ‘The UK is the perfect size for Amazon’s model,’ said one GC in the know. One more gloomy forecast from the table was that if you’re trying to compete with an Amazon or similar market leaders head on now, it’s too late. Continue reading “Enterprise GC view: Retail in a cold climate – learning from the high street”

Employment partners rue ‘conservative’ Supreme Court judgment in highly-anticipated gig economy case

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Employment partners rue ‘conservative’ Supreme Court judgment in highly-anticipated gig economy case

A Supreme Court decision which was expected to have significant ramifications for the ‘gig economy’ has disappointed employment partners who hoped the ruling would move questions around workers’ rights further forward.

The Supreme Court today (13 June) unanimously ruled in favour of heating engineer Gary Smith in his claim against Pimlico Plumbers, establishing that he was a ‘worker’ and not self-employed. This meant he was entitled to certain employment rights such as holiday pay, although not wider rights given to full-time staff. Continue reading “Employment partners rue ‘conservative’ Supreme Court judgment in highly-anticipated gig economy case”

The Bar Elite: Silk and steel

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The Bar Elite: Silk and steel

Despite Brexit, costs pressures and the loss of financial crisis work, reports of the commercial Bar’s decline are overblown. We identify the sets and the silks redefining the modern Bar

Everyone in the global business community seems to know that many of Britain’s brightest lawyers practise at the commercial Bar, helping to maintain London’s position as a world leader in litigation. Over the past decade, nearly 70% of cases in London’s commercial Court have been brought by overseas clients: Russia, Kazakhstan, Switzerland and the US routinely originate the most litigants. Continue reading “The Bar Elite: Silk and steel”

The new space race

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The new space race

‘For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace.’
John F Kennedy

When President John F Kennedy stood before Rice University on 12 September 1962 and boldly declared that not only would the US be the first country to land on the moon, but they would do it before the end of the decade, he captured the imagination of a generation. Continue reading “The new space race”