Guest post: ‘Stockholm syndrome’ in legal services – GCs are captured by their advisers

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A caricature may reveal a truth…

‘Why, if there is all the talk of change, is change so slow?’

One might be forgiven for thinking that there is rather too much talk of change in the legal profession and perhaps rather less evidence of it happening. It is not easy to see the wood from the trees sometimes, but I would like to offer a perspective on why this may seem to be the case from both a law firm and a client point of view. Continue reading “Guest post: ‘Stockholm syndrome’ in legal services – GCs are captured by their advisers”

Guest post: Where now for legal regulation? – A consensus to change the UK regulatory framework has emerged, but none over direction

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A direct consequence of the government’s decision in May not to make any major changes to the regulatory framework for legal services is that it simultaneously fired the starting gun for the race to introduce major changes to the regulatory framework for legal services.

Continue reading “Guest post: Where now for legal regulation? – A consensus to change the UK regulatory framework has emerged, but none over direction”

Guest post: The Age of Anxiety – In London, in New York, it’s still hard out there

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We’re just back from a week in London – coincidentally smack in the middle of the UK firms’ earnings-release season – and for reasons far more profound than that annual roll call of bragging rights, the level of preoccupation with the future in the great City has never to us seemed higher to us. A telling, and extremely representative, moment came when one managing partner we were meeting with started to enumerate the threats facing his (very solidly performing) firm as, ‘One,…., and two…., and – oh hell, there are threats everywhere!’

Continue reading “Guest post: The Age of Anxiety – In London, in New York, it’s still hard out there”

Guest post: A profession not at ease with itself or the world? The Bar’s working life survey

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I took a little time to browse the Bar’s working life survey. It’s a large survey. Although it’s not immediately clear how representative it is, almost 3,300 barristers completed it. Here are some of the things I noted (this is a rather idiosyncratic list so read the report if you want a fuller view): Continue reading “Guest post: A profession not at ease with itself or the world? The Bar’s working life survey”

Guest post: DRIP – a torrent of mass surveillance seems more likely

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Last week, the Home Secretary announced that, with all party agreement, the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill – (DRIP for short) – would be introduced into Parliament. Much of that is covered in the previous post of 10th July. Since then, criticism has mounted in relation to the late introduction of the Bill prior to the summer recess. Continue reading “Guest post: DRIP – a torrent of mass surveillance seems more likely”

Guest post: A few thoughts on the Butler Sloss controversy

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Lady Butler Sloss, a former and eminent senior judge, with significant experience through a child abuse inquiry (Cleveland) of matters of child protection has been appointed to lead an independent inquiry into historical child abuse. Interestingly, she relinquished the Diana inquest when forced to have a jury trial. The Telegraph story at the time reported:

‘These inquests now require a jury, and I do not have the degree of experience of jury cases that I feel is necessary and appropriate for presiding over inquests of this level of public interest.’

Continue reading “Guest post: A few thoughts on the Butler Sloss controversy”

Guest post: Light at the end of the tunnel for the SFO and a review of the last 12 months from David Green QC

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Introducing the annual report for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the last financial year David Green, CB QC, director of the SFO had this to say: ‘Since I took up post in April 2012, we have sharpened the strategic focus of the SFO on the casework for which the Roskill model was designed and intended. This is the topmost tier of serious and complex fraud and bribery. Continue reading “Guest post: Light at the end of the tunnel for the SFO and a review of the last 12 months from David Green QC”

Litigation finance for trustees

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Nick Rowles-Davies of Burford Capital talks facilitating recovery while mitigating risk

Litigation is an ever-present issue to trustees, whether bringing claims or defending cases. Now more than ever there is a need for trustees to be aware of the options available for funding this litigation.

There has been a significant increase in certain types of litigation in the last few years, for example, fraud cases such as the Stanford and Madoff matters, media litigation caused by events at News Corp and the largest area of litigation in recent times – banking and finance litigation. Continue reading “Litigation finance for trustees”