Expert Analysis

• Why Neurodiversity Support In The Legal Sector Is Important

  

  With recent statistics revealing that high numbers of legal professionals are reluctant to disclose their neurodivergence for fear of adverse consequences, organizations and employers should develop awareness and understanding to encourage a committed source of talent with requisite skills to make a positive contribution, says Kevin Athow, general counsel at BSH Home Appliances.

• Legal Sector Will Benefit From New Data Security Standard

  

  The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office-approved new privacy certification scheme for the legal profession will inevitably become the default for law firms, chambers and vendors to prove their U.K. General Data Protection Regulation compliance, says Orlagh Kelly at Briefed.

• PR Perspectives: Navigating UK And US Legal PR Differences

  

  Despite apparently negligible differences between U.S. and U.K. legal systems, public relations requires an understanding of regional nuances and complex legal issues, and U.K.-based PR professionals looking to gain traction in the U.S. must adapt their strategies accordingly to achieve successful cross-jurisdictional campaigns, say Ben Finnis and Elizabeth Rincon at Greentarget.

• Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

  

  Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

• Risks The Judiciary Needs To Be Aware Of When Using AI

  

  Recently published judiciary service guidance aims to temper reliance on AI by court staff in their work, and with ever-increasing and evolving technology, such tools should be used for supplementary assistance rather than as a replacement for already existing judicial research tools, says Philip Sewell at Shepherd & Wedderburn.

• Prompt Engineering Skills Are Changing The Legal Profession

  

  With a focus on higher-value work as repetitive tasks are delegated to artificial intelligence, legal roles are set to become more inspiring, and lawyers need not fear the rising demand for prompt engineers that is altering the technology-enabled legal environment, say Eric Crawley, Shah Karim and Paul O’Hagan at Epiq Legal.

• 4 Legal Privilege Lessons From Dechert Disclosure Ruling

  

  The Court of Appeal's recent decision in Al Sadeq v. Dechert LLP, finding that evidence may have been incorrectly withheld, provides welcome clarification of the scope of legal professional privilege, including the application of the iniquity exception, says Tim Knight at Travers Smith.

• PR Perspectives: Don't Overstate Well-Being Or Enviro Efforts

  

  Law firms should look to embrace a strong arsenal of sustainability and well-being initiatives before beginning to publicize their commitment to green and mental health efforts, or they can face the risk of making false claims, says Steve Rudaini at SJR Communications.

• Record Level Of Partner Hires Shows No Sign Of Slowing

  

  With indications that law firm hiring activity is increasing, the competitive market is causing candidates to evaluate potential employers more carefully, and large numbers of partners are migrating away from Silver Circle and West End firms in pursuit of closer parity in work and pay, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.

• PR Perspectives: Choosing How To Communicate For Impact

  

  Successful legal public relations involves developing productive working relationships, and choosing which medium to use when communicating is important, since it will reflect the level of familiarity with the lawyer or journalist as well as the message, says Daniela Conte at Gibson Dunn.

• Talent Acquisition Is Shifting As US Firms Permeate London

  

  U.S. law firms’ continued growth in London and aggressive talent acquisition strategies are reshaping how lawyers are attracted, nurtured and retained, and success in this evolving environment lies in understanding and adapting to changing priorities and values, says Nathan Peart at Major Lindsey.

• More Remains To Be Done To Achieve Gender Parity In Law

  

  Significant strides have been made over the years to improve gender diversity in the legal profession, but the pay gap, lack of workplace flexibility and uneven child care burden remain significant challenges to progress, says Caroline Green at Browne Jacobson.

• US And UK Law Firms Continue Trend Of EU Expansion

  

  A broad spectrum of U.S. and U.K. law firms are now seeking fresh opportunities in Europe's fastest growing and constantly evolving sectors by opening offices in strategic locations across the continent, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.

• Legal Industry Can Help Steer UK Out Of Social Mobility Crisis

  

  The legal industry has a responsibility to help mitigate the U.K. social mobility crisis highlighted by the recent State of the Nation report, and it can start to increase socioeconomic diversity in its ranks by focusing on reducing the educational barriers to entering the profession, says Jo-Anne Pugh at BPP University Law School.

• 2024 Will Be A Busy Year For Generative AI And IP Issues

  

  In light of increased litigation and policy proposals on balancing intellectual property rights and artificial intelligence innovation, 2024 is shaping up to be full of fast-moving developments that will have significant implications for AI tool developers, users of such tools and rights holders, say lawyers at Mishcon de Reya.