The issues of meeting risk and compliance regulatory requirements are always of the utmost importance to law firms, but never more so than when your fee earners and finance staff are working remotely.

Law firms are progressively beginning to embrace a more client-centric approach to strengthen the relationship with their clients and prospects and become more value-focused, where their value is defined at the intersection of branding, client relationships, differentiation, and added-value services.

Summer 2020 was a busy time for Doug Sawers, managing director at Access Group’s newest division, Access Legal. Putting the pandemic aside, Access Group acquired two law tech companies in quick succession: case and practice management provider Eclipse, acquired in June, and SaaS practice management provider DPS Software a month later.

Innovation usually involves taking at least some risk. Will your new business idea or process work? And will it stick? Achieving return on investment – money and time – will depend on both. Law firms clearly need to remain as open as possible to alternatives as they navigate the challenges in our dramatically changed business landscape, but may find their risk appetites have also altered somewhat.

Many law firms report managing very similar challenges and priorities over the last year, with much emphasis on adapting to change. One company sure to be keeping a close eye on the reality of that is the giant of client experience Salesforce, which recently saw a first magic-circle firm move to take advantage of its cloud-based platform.

Law firms around the world have had their work cut out managing the new ways their people suddenly needed to collaborate during the pandemic. However, Dan Anderson, CEO of system integration specialist SeeUnity, says the path to maximising investment in a platform such as Microsoft Teams is not entirely new.

LexisNexis Enterprise Solutions today announced that Simply Conveyancing, ranked among the UK’s top property law and conveyancing firms, is live on legal workflow and case management solution, Lexis Visualfiles.

On March 25, 2021, Intapp and Fireman & Company hosted “Creating the Connected Firm: Why Experience Matters,” the first in a series of industry roundtable discussions. Kieron Champion, Managing Director at Fireman & Company, and Gareth Thomas, Practice Group Leader at Intapp, explored the importance of building a connected firm, hiring the right people, and adopting strong governance, processes, and technology.

Research by PwC found that 84% of digital leaders “mandate collaboration and cross-functional work”. To do so, the business leaders who have embraced digital “provide the tools and leadership to make it happen”. This pre-covid-19 research offers insight for firms in search of a similar, successful path.

Knowledge and specialist expertise differentiate law firms and in-house legal departments from the rest, so effective Knowledge Management is critical for maintaining competitive edge. However, successful Knowledge Management is a journey, not a destination.

Equipped with data-driven insights their competitors don’t have, high growth firms use a broader array of digital marketing techniques that help them generate more digital leads, even as the world economy grinds to a halt.

Planning for and delivering a successful acquisition – whether you are the vendor or the buyer – is fraught with difficulty.

Today’s legal departments and law firms are under immense pressure to work quicker and reduce costs, whilst continuing to deliver high quality services. McKinsey estimates that 23% of work done by lawyers can be automated by existing technology.