Camerons launches cost-saving venture through Dundas offices as the firm prepares for move to Cannon Place

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CMS Cameron McKenna plans to utilise the Scottish offices and personnel of new merger partner Dundas & Wilson as a form of northshoring as the top-ten firm unveiled its real estate ‘deal of the century’ with its move into its new Cannon Place offices next year.

The Dundas cost-saving initiative, spearheaded by Camerons energy partner Stephen Millar, who alongside managing partner Duncan Weston and senior partner Penelope Warne led the merger negotiations between the two firms, will see Camerons split the pricing of City-generated deals into work done in London and that which is hived off to Scottish lawyers under the supervision of a partner.

Continue reading “Camerons launches cost-saving venture through Dundas offices as the firm prepares for move to Cannon Place”

‘The message from clients is clear’ – BLP chief on the thinking behind its latest New Law venture

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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) this week unveiled a bold attempt to re-enforce its credentials as a ‘New Law’ pioneer, announcing the launch of a multi-strand venture that includes the launch of a new Manchester hub as part of a drive to create a comprehensive suite of options to reduce costs and improve flexibility for clients.

The ‘four-pronged approach’ will see the 786-lawyer firm consult its clients on how to improve its work processes; roll out its already successful Lawyers on Demand (LoD) service to include virtual transactional teams to back BLP clients; offer an extension of its current outsourcing and project management services, including deploying its Managed Legal Services (MLS) division; and provide the option of a low-cost centre in Manchester as an extension of its 11 existing offices. Continue reading “‘The message from clients is clear’ – BLP chief on the thinking behind its latest New Law venture”

Tanks off our lawn – BLP aims to retake future of law turf with huge expansion of ‘New Law’ services

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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has today (11 March) launched an innovative package of services for clients, which includes rolling out a lower cost team in a new Manchester office early this summer.

The four-pronged model, dubbed the Integrated Client Service Model, will see the firm analyse the systems and processes that clients need; offer them virtual transaction teams as an extension of its existing Lawyers on Demand (LoD) business; offer third parties an outsourcing service based on the type of managed legal services offering currently provided to clients including Thames Water; and access to a ‘large pool of high quality legal staff’ in Manchester.

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After South Africa, Hogan Lovells launches nearshoring venture in Birmingham

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Following Hogan Lovells announcement at the start of February that it is setting up a business process outsourcing centre in South Africa, the top 15 LB100 law firm has launched a new legal services centre in Birmingham to undertake low level legal work as a cost effective extension of its London office.

The nearshoring venture, called the Legal Service Centre, will be developed over time in response to client demand but it is expected to comprise up to 20 lawyers initially. London partner Alan Greenough will be moving to Birmingham to manage the office, which is expected to be established by autumn this year. Continue reading “After South Africa, Hogan Lovells launches nearshoring venture in Birmingham”

Sole adviser: Eversheds wins Tyco-style primary legal services contract with IATA across 158 countries

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Building on the success of its game changing multi-million pound annual retainer with Tyco International, Eversheds has won its largest-ever primary legal services provider contract with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) across 158 countries.

Following a competitive pitch, the UK top 10 firm has secured a contract to service all the legal needs of IATA, the trade association for the world’s airlines, in 93 countries across Europe, North Asia and Asia Pacific, in addition to the existing fixed-fee contract it won last April to deliver legal services in 65 countries across Africa and the Middle East. Continue reading “Sole adviser: Eversheds wins Tyco-style primary legal services contract with IATA across 158 countries”

BT selects Axiom for global legal outsourcing and analytics contract

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Jobling steps aside as head of volume business BT Law

An innovator long at the vanguard of transforming the traditional in-house legal function, BT in February entered into a three-year contract with Axiom to provide the telecoms giant with legal outsourcing and analytics services across the UK, US, Africa, Middle East and Asia, replacing and extending a contract formerly held by legal process outsourcing (LPO) provider UnitedLex.

All work previously undertaken by UnitedLex, which includes 30% of BT’s global services division’s legal work in the UK, transferred to Axiom on 1 February after a successful tender process that concluded towards the end of 2013.

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Legal innovation – Connect2Law’s Jabbari to join Parabis to extend ABS portfolio and set up regional network

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Just weeks after resigning from Manchester-based consumer services and personal injury (PI) firm Pannone following its £33m acquisition by ASX-listed Slater & Gordon, the firm’s former executive board member and chief executive of Connect2Law David Jabbari has joined Parabis as a partner.

At Parabis, which last month partnered with Direct Line Group as the insurance giant obtained authorisation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to become an Alternative Business Structure, Jabbari (pictured) will establish a Connect2Law-style branded network of leading regional law firms in the UK. Continue reading “Legal innovation – Connect2Law’s Jabbari to join Parabis to extend ABS portfolio and set up regional network”

Guest post: The New World of Legal Work vs Global Behemoths

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There’s an interesting tension between Sir Nigel Knowles prediction of legal behemoths straddling the globe with investment bankers outriders (or is it the other way round) whilst the remainder squabble over the scraps, downsize or fail (I may have sexed it up a bit, which it does not need; it’s a very interesting piece) and Jordan Furlong’s New World of Legal Work (a supercharged, short Susskind-esque parlez with the world of legal work in 2020 where firms are expected to be smaller). It too is an excellent read.

Let me pick up some of Jordan’s key points: Continue reading “Guest post: The New World of Legal Work vs Global Behemoths”

USP: PwC to expand legal services with ‘under one roof’ pitch as LLP results show legal revenue up

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PwC has plans to grow its legal services capability and promote to clients the obvious advantages of providing business and legal advice under one roof, after the Big Four accounting giant last week became the first of its direct competitors to secure alternative business structure (ABS) status from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

The firm announced on 31 January that it had received authorisation from the SRA to convert to an ABS, enabling it to own PwC Legal and consolidate its global network of over 2,000 lawyers, working in a far more joined up fashion with its legal arm. Continue reading “USP: PwC to expand legal services with ‘under one roof’ pitch as LLP results show legal revenue up”

Structural or cyclical change in the law? 2014 should answer the big question

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It’s been obvious that something fundamental happened to the world economy during 2008, ushering in the worst relative trading conditions since the 1930s. It is, likewise, demonstrable that this shift has had a material impact on the legal profession in terms of reduced growth prospects, changing corporate buying habits and pressure on the conventional model of law.

The point that has yet to be resolved – and which has huge significance to the western legal industry – is whether that change represents a permanent structural shift underwritten by technology and the rise of non-law firm providers, or a severe cyclical depression from which the profession will in time recover. Continue reading “Structural or cyclical change in the law? 2014 should answer the big question”