Practice Management

Smaller law firms have recovered their confidence in the future, with hiring more lawyers their joint top spending priority the next 12-18 months.

Global alternative legal services provider Axiom has entered the UK in-house legal recruitment market, both for permanent staff and for ‘interim to permanent’ positions.

Private equity-backed Lawfront – which earlier this month made its fourth major acquisition – is now looking to build a group turning over £150m, Legal Futures can reveal.

Private equity-backed Lawfront has made its fourth major acquisition, and eighth in total, by buying Manchester-headquartered Slater Heelis.

The earnings gap between male and female barristers is not explained by caring responsibilities, choice of practice area, or amount of legally aided work, Bar Council research has found.

A police station representative at a North-East law firm was unfairly constructively dismissed after having problems with the partner who supervised her.

Several more law firms have become B Corporations, ranging from a long-established London firm to a niche disputes practice, taking the total to 20.

Seven out of 10 law firm leaders believe associates are “less loyal than previous generations”, while only a quarter of associates aim to become a partner at their firm in the next five years.

A law firm specialising in advice for SMEs is launching a partnership with an Australian firm in a bid to provide clients with an international service which “does not cost an arm and a leg”.

Large firms swallowing up small practices has been the theme of a spate of mergers and acquisitions, while one listed law firm has picked up a corporate advisory business sold by another.