Comment
The big event
In recent editions I have mentioned that, for a variety of reasons, the Law Management Section committee has been very short on members; I am delighted to report that we now have a full complement.
Features
Game plan?
In the first of a series on setting up a new firm, Steven Petty looks at the importance of a strategic plan in ensuring the business has appropriate goals – and achieves them
Evolving for success
In a healthy but changeable legal services market, firms cannot afford to rest on their laurels. Nick Jarrett-Kerr suggests 12 strategic projects for firms looking to get and stay ahead of the competition
Under the lens
Alan Hodgart explains why a clear strategic focus is essential for the smaller law firm, and how to define and execute your strategy to the benefit of your business and your clients
Limited appeal
In the second of our series on law firm structures, Andrew Allen takes a look at the potential benefits and drawbacks of using a limited company as your core trading structure
Who do you know?
David Gilroy explains how effective client relationship management can help you keep and win clients, and how to get it right in practice
The business end
Catherine Gannon talks to Diana Bentley about the challenges and rewards of setting up Gannons, a boutique firm working with private companies and small businesses
After hours
The changes to solicitors’ CPD, from an hours-based to a competency-based regime, are now well under way. Nicola Jones outlines the practicalities of compliance with the new system, and the benefits it can bring for firms and the legal sector
Rocky road
In a volatile market, the expectations placed on solicitors can put a real strain on their practice. Paul Coombes explains how you can manage expectations and stay ahead in one of the most changeable areas of practice: residential conveyancing
Remote control
In the second of our series on outsourcing for law firms, Kerry Underwood explains the benefits his firm realised through setting up an office in South Africa to undertake the firm’s back-office functions
Paying the price
Clients are more demanding on fees than ever before, and that pressure shows no signs of waning. But how can you set pricing so it’s both acceptable to the client, and sufficiently profitable for the firm? Robert Mowbray outlines a three-step approach
A tangled web
It has been said that there are two types of firms: those that know they have been attacked by cybercriminals, and those that don’t yet know. Francis Dingwall looks at how to prevent attacks, and how to mitigate them when they do happen