Luminance has shot to prominence unlike any other UK legal tech start-up. But Hamish McNicol finds there is still plenty to do to break into the top of the profession ‘We’re changing things to the extent Excel changed the way accounting is done,’ Luminance chief executive Emily Foges proclaims. ‘You can’t imagine doing anything financial …
Alongside the oft-spouted rhetoric of ‘more for less’, in-house lawyers are more frequently bringing work in-house and trying to wean themselves off external advisers and panels. In our survey, 85% said their company has a policy of retaining more matters in-house to reduce legal spend. When asked the same question in 2015, only 70% of …
Continue reading “Shake it all about: in-house versus external advisers”
AI contract analysis system Kira has been on a trying journey. Having landed $50m in funding, Hamish McNicol and Thomas Alan assess how much longer that journey could last Noah Waisberg recently threw a diamond into an audience of more than 1,000 people. It was the annual Legal Geek legal tech conference in London. Public …
My dad was born in Kashmir and was in the Pakistani Air Force, posted to Turkey. India and Pakistan were separating and he decided he wouldn’t go back. He moved to the UK and met my mum at night school. She worked in a biscuit factory when I was a kid and was all about, …
In-house legal teams have become more sophisticated over the last 20 years but, according to many general counsel (GCs), the pressure to widen their skillsets over the next decade is intense. For Pearson GC Bjarne Tellmann, the roundedness of the modern in-house lawyer starts with the training they receive, but he laments a hole in …
Continue reading “The MBA all-stars: training and development for GCs”
Despite clear progression in the use of non-legal business professionals within in-house teams, general counsel (GCs) often still see ‘legal ops’ as more buzzword than beneficial. There have been successes. Mo Ajaz is the highly-regarded chief operating officer (COO) at National Grid and, according to GC Alison Kay, he is vital in driving efficiencies. ‘We …
For all the rampant spin around alternative legal suppliers, it is safe to say general counsel (GCs) have been less than satisfied with their services. Trainline GC Neil Murrin has few qualms around the quality of the people the likes of Axiom, Lawyers On Demand (LOD) and Obelisk provide, but finds pricing a sticking point. …
Continue reading “Assault on the alt: GCs on the new law providers”
‘I wrote my own resignation letter twice in the first six months,’ Matt Wilson, Uber’s associate general counsel (GC) for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says. ‘I didn’t hand it in either time, but it was close.’ A frank, but not surprising, admission. Wilson has, in the view of one peer, had one of …
The lack of overlap between Gordon Dadds and Ince & Co made the tie-up an ‘overwhelmingly attractive proposition’, the firms’ leaders say. Gordon Dadds will be become the UK’s largest listed law firm by revenue after an announcement this morning (29 October) confirmed its acquisition of Ince for an expected £43m. The new firm, to be called …
Continue reading “‘Fit like a glove’: Gordon Dadds brings Ince into the modern era, says leadership”
Gordon Dadds is set to become the UK’s largest listed law firm by revenue after acquiring Ince & Co for an expected £43m. An announcement to the London Stock Exchange today (29 October) confirmed Gordon Dadds had agreed to acquire all of Ince, including its international LLP. The new firm, to be called Ince Gordon Dadds, …
Continue reading “Gordon Dadds to become largest listed firm with £43m acquisition of Ince”
