http://www.thelawyer.com http://www.thelawyer.com http://www.thelawyer.com/magazine/graphics/logo-rss.png http://www.thelawyer.com http://www.thelawyer.com/adversity-challenger/1013797.article http://www.thelawyer.com/adversity-challenger/1013797.article Nobody fights harder in tough civil action cases than Jocelyn Cockburn, a trait that saw her crowned The Lawyer’s Partner of the Year 2012 Mon, 17 Sep 2012 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/global-exchange-in-association-with-the-open-university/1013429.article http://www.thelawyer.com/global-exchange-in-association-with-the-open-university/1013429.article The growing importance of public international law and global human rights practices were examined at The Lawyer’s latest roundtable discussion Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/land-craft/111791.article http://www.thelawyer.com/land-craft/111791.article Jean Bursle and Matthew Edwards report on how the Australian property market and the recognition of native title have found some middle ground Mon, 6 Sep 2004 06:27 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/trials-and-tribulations/111359.article http://www.thelawyer.com/trials-and-tribulations/111359.article As the holiday season begins, one group of lawyers has never been busier. Jon Robins meets Stephen Jakobi, the face of Fair Trials Abroad Mon, 2 Aug 2004 04:10 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/awards-preview-assistant-solicitor-of-the-year/110474.article http://www.thelawyer.com/awards-preview-assistant-solicitor-of-the-year/110474.article On 22 June, 1400 people will crowd into the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane for the most eagerly-awaited event of the year. With only one week to go, The Lawyer brings you a sneak preview of the shortlisted individuals and teams Mon, 14 Jun 2004 11:44 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-trial-blazers/108269.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-trial-blazers/108269.article How should Saddam Hussein be tried? Jon Robins talks to the key legal opinion-formers Mon, 2 Feb 2004 15:25 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/information-overlords/108214.article http://www.thelawyer.com/information-overlords/108214.article When data protection can kill: Information Commissioner Richard Thomas speaks out on Ian Huntley – and makes a plea for common sense. By Jon Robins Mon, 26 Jan 2004 10:49 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/candid-cameras/107778.article http://www.thelawyer.com/candid-cameras/107778.article As programme makers persist with dramatic reconstructions of court cases, the drive to broadcast the real thing is reaching fever pitch. Jon Robins reports Mon, 1 Dec 2003 14:44 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/public-figures/107770.article http://www.thelawyer.com/public-figures/107770.article A powerful remedy is emerging in relation to human rights damages, says Tim Ward and Daniel Beard Mon, 1 Dec 2003 12:49 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/human-wrongs/107764.article http://www.thelawyer.com/human-wrongs/107764.article The Americans’ internment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay has highlighted the issue of international human rights. Richard Gordon QC asks whether things would be different if the US were party to the ECHR Mon, 1 Dec 2003 12:17 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-rights-path/107763.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-rights-path/107763.article Although the pattern varies in each of the UK's jurisdictions, human rights is weaving its way into the fabric of the legal systems Mon, 1 Dec 2003 12:03 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/personnelity/77048.article http://www.thelawyer.com/personnelity/77048.article There's nothing quite as irritating during a time of worry than a habitual optimist. The ability to conjure up silver linings where even the darkest clouds are gathering never achieves very much. But even the most ardent optimists must be having a hard time finding any kind of silver lining to the current economic situation. Every day brings or a new report underlining just how bleak the prospects of avoiding a recession are. Much of the speculation has moved away from whether ... Mon, 29 Oct 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77095.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77095.article The relationship between large firms and the individuals who work in them has exercised the minds of management writers for decades. In the 1980s, the accepted wisdom of the supremacy of organisation over individual was turned on its head as the 'me-first' culture took hold. In the parlance of the day, the excellent firms would be those who could change the organisation to suit the needs of the key individuals. Rather than forcing these individuals to bend to the will of a ... Mon, 1 Oct 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77490.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77490.article The internet has transformed our lives. Office life, in particular, will never be the same. Mon, 3 Sep 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/down-to-a-fine-art/77353.article http://www.thelawyer.com/down-to-a-fine-art/77353.article An increasing number of law firms are collecting quality works of art to display around their offices. Richard Cree asks whether the right image can help motivate your staff Mon, 3 Sep 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/case-study-dmh/77552.article http://www.thelawyer.com/case-study-dmh/77552.article Art can play an important role within law firms as: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/making-the-board/80645.article http://www.thelawyer.com/making-the-board/80645.article Finance directors are crucial to the smooth running of law firms. So how do you attract the right one for the job? Or should you grow your own? Kelly Harrison investigates. Mon, 30 Jul 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/80609.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/80609.article There are many conflicting theories on stress in the workplace. For some, it is little more than a healthy adrenaline rush that keeps organisations ticking; for others, however, stress is a force of evil, the cause of most workplace sickness and a financial burden on any forward-thinking firm. But regardless of where you stand on the stress debate, not many would dispute that everyone needs to unwind sometimes, or in modern parlance, everyone needs to 'chill' a bit. And there ... Mon, 30 Jul 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/move-with-the-times/77549.article http://www.thelawyer.com/move-with-the-times/77549.article An increase in M&A activity and the desire for a better working life mean that more are relocating to pastures new. Richard Cree discovers how to help with the move Mon, 2 Jul 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77187.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77187.article If one phrase has come to represent the latest next big thing in management as well as human resources (HR) thinking it is that post-millennial buzzword du jour - creativity. Even the briefest of glimpses at one of the burgeoning selection of management magazines will reveal the depth of support for the current mantra of 'be creative'. Book review pages in particular are bursting with the latest selection of authors desperate to get anyone who will listen to create like mad. Mon, 2 Jul 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/bonus-points/77004.article http://www.thelawyer.com/bonus-points/77004.article Major change is taking place in the way that law firms reward staff, particularly the rank-and-file fee-earners. Pay rates and reward structures are being imported from US law firms via their London offices, and are leading to changes within City firms. One of the most noticeable changes is the greater use of bonuses.`While profit-sharing schemes are the basis of all professional partnerships, the use of bonuses in law firms for associates and assistants, and in some cases for non-fee ... Mon, 4 Jun 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77256.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77256.article As you will have noticed over the past few weeks, we live in an age of opinion polls and focus groups. It seems that the guiding principle for New Labour is to keep everyone onside and to annoy as few as possible. And while opinion remains divided about how accurate polls are, what better way to test prospective policies than with a few well-structured focus groups?`But what impact are all these focus groups having outside of politics, besides making a few market researchers and psephologists .. Mon, 4 Jun 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/surplus-to-requirements/77597.article http://www.thelawyer.com/surplus-to-requirements/77597.article The question of who owns an occupational pension scheme's surplus has once again reared its ugly head in the form of the recent House of Lords ruling in the case involving the National Grid pension schemes.Two National Grid pensioners objected to the use of the pension scheme's surplus to fund redundancy packages subsequent to privatisation. They argued that it was the scheme members and not the employer who should benefit from any surplus. After a long and acrimonious ... Mon, 7 May 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/making-or-breaking-a-merger/77088.article http://www.thelawyer.com/making-or-breaking-a-merger/77088.article dsdgdsfgdsfgMakeGood employee communicationsCompensation programmesA clear business strategyBreakProblems with human resources integrationCompensation issuesCultural issuesSource: Hewitt Associates Mon, 7 May 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/merger-management-dealing-with-staff-nerves/77135.article http://www.thelawyer.com/merger-management-dealing-with-staff-nerves/77135.article The time before and after a merger is one of immense uncertainty for employees. Not only are they feeling insecure about the future of their jobs but often their entire remuneration package comes under scrutiny. The best way to deal with this uncertainty is to provide them with regular information. Even if you have got nothing to say, tell them what you are working on and when you expect to be able to make an announcement. Employees should also be told about the implications of the ... Mon, 7 May 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/customer-relationship-management/80604.article http://www.thelawyer.com/customer-relationship-management/80604.article Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is now being allocated significant budgets by companies which understand the importance of retaining customers to improve their bottom line. Poor customer service leads to lost customers, opportunities missed through poor targeting and higher acquisition costs, but companies are still failing to make proper use of customer data and are flouting regulations at the same time.According to new research carried out on behalf of Mondex International ... Mon, 7 May 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/80548.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/80548.article Mergers are an unavoidable part of modern corporate life. If you have not already been through the process, the chances of you managing to avoid it much longer are slim. But what exactly is the role of human resources (HR) in a merger? It is a simple question with a complex answer.While some HR managers offer one-to-one counselling for every clerk and post boy, others want to be in the boardroom calling the shots even before the ink is put to paper on any deal. PricewaterhouseCoopers' ... Mon, 7 May 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/don039t-worry044-be-happy/80636.article http://www.thelawyer.com/don039t-worry044-be-happy/80636.article Last year's Industrial Society research entitled "Maximising Attendance" revealed that sickness absence costs the UK economy £13bn annually. It is surprising, therefore, that only 28 per cent of organisations claim to record all absences, and that there still seems to be a belief that nothing can be done to improve the situation. Companies that have tried to do so have found that the key to increasing attendance is to first discover what makes people ... Sun, 8 Apr 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77132.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77132.article Like all managers, most notably football managers, HR managers are prone to use the odd cliché. For every football manager who revels in "a game of two halves", an HR manager somewhere is speaking with apparent sincerity about how "people are the firm's most important asset". Despite the collective cringe that follows this pronouncement, many employers still resolutely defend their claims to this effect.Of course, for ... Sun, 8 Apr 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/advice-for-the-young-at-heart/77474.article http://www.thelawyer.com/advice-for-the-young-at-heart/77474.article Traditionally, the only cases where employers paid for financial advice was for staff who were about to retire. Now one of the fastest-growing employee benefits, independent financial advice is offered to all levels of employees. It can cover any aspect of finance, from the tax implications of maturing share options to what employees should do if they have an endowment mortgage.The three biggest drivers behind this change are the move by occupational pension ... Mon, 12 Mar 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/80544.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/80544.article For the modern law firm, as for many types of organisations, the need to encourage diversity has become something of a mantra for success. Whether it refers to client lists or areas of practice expertise, diversity is hailed by many as the new specialisation. It is this as much as anything that fuels the continual merry-go-round of mergers and acquisitions.Nowhere is this quest for diversity felt more keenly than in the HR office. Although last year's ... Mon, 12 Mar 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/80562.article http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/80562.article Living Culture: A Values-Driven Approach to Revitalising Your Company Culture by Jan Thornbury, published by Random House (ISBN 0-7126-6959-0)A self-help guide for corporations, this book advises how to identify your firm's culture and "revitalise it" to maximise success.Jan Thornbury is a business consultant who assisted KPMG in their "culture change" process. Stephen Butler, KPMG's international chairman, explains the firm's objective ... Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77080.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77080.article Some years ago, when I was working at a firm that shall remain nameless, we were each sent a pack of benefits brochures. In the folder (a dull grey one) was a letter from our human resources department telling us that because the firm cared about our health it had negotiated special discounts with, among others, a hospital cash-plan provider and a private medical insurance provider. You don't need to be a genius to work out that this went down like the proverbial lead balloon. ... Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/flexible-working-case-study/77286.article http://www.thelawyer.com/flexible-working-case-study/77286.article Elaine Bradley, head of tax at US law firm Dorsey & Whitney, has a very flexible arrangement with her employer.Not only is she allowed to work from her Oxford home when she is not required at the firm's London office, but she also spends one day a week running her own internet company Byabiz.com.When she is at home, Bradley works on a laptop and takes calls on her mobile or dedicated business line. "For most of my clients, it doesn't matter whether ... Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/perks-of-the-job/77465.article http://www.thelawyer.com/perks-of-the-job/77465.article Lawyers have a reputation for working long hours, and although larger law firms deny that they actively encourage staff to work late, they do not exactly persuade them to go home. In fact, they offer a range of lifestyle benefits based firmly around the workplace.The largest City firms run in-house gyms and swimming pools which, while helping to relieve stress, mean that employees frequently live their work and social lives without stepping outside ... Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-plan/77416.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-plan/77416.article What exactly is a stakeholder plan?A stakeholder plan must be a defined contribution (money purchase) scheme. Its annual charges must not be more than 1 per cent of the value of the fund. The minimum contribution cannot be set at more than £20. The scheme must have its own trustees or stakeholder managers.What do employers have to do?By October 2001 employers must:- Consult with relevant employees and designate a stakeholder ... Mon, 15 Jan 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77368.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77368.article Ask a group of HR managers to name the most over-used word in the workplace and there is a fair chance that "stress" would appear high on the list. While we live in an increasingly pressurised world with the workplace at the centre of this pressure, stress remains an elusive concept. One of the reasons it is so hard to deal with is that it is hard to be sure exactly what we are talking about. What is stressful for one employee is merely a bit of pressure for another. ... Mon, 15 Jan 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/a-stake-in-the-future/77123.article http://www.thelawyer.com/a-stake-in-the-future/77123.article The idea behind stakeholder schemes was a good one - give low earners a vehicle in which they can save safely and at a low cost through their employer, with all contributions deducted at payroll.Like all good ideas, it is great in theory, but although stakeholder schemes do not come into force until October, it has already received heavy criticism for missing its target audience.The charges for stakeholder schemes are capped at 1 per cent ... Mon, 15 Jan 2001 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/island-hoping/77807.article http://www.thelawyer.com/island-hoping/77807.article Business is booming in Jersey and Guernsey. So says Bailhache Labesse partner Mark Lewis, echoing the sentiments of dozens of lawyers on the islands. And this is despite somewhat gloomy predictions 18 months ago that the Channel Islands would have trouble maintaining their position in light of the burgeoning euro and pressure to conform to international regulations. Mon, 4 Dec 2000 02:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77712.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77712.article Employee empowerment is a phrase that gets around. Whether it is a management text, a personnel magazine or an interview with a successful young e-business entrepreneur, everywhere you look someone is proclaiming their faith in the ideology of empowerment. And yet does anyone really know what it means? And for the few who do, are they really ready to embrace it? The fact is that we live in an age where human resource managers are desperate to prove their strategic worth to organisations. ... Mon, 4 Dec 2000 02:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/search-and-employ/80330.article http://www.thelawyer.com/search-and-employ/80330.article The chances are that many of you reading this will have used a recruitment consultant at one time or another. You may have wanted to test the water or were just intrigued by an advertisement, or you may simply have wanted an escape route. The selling point of recruitment agencies is very simple; it is based on hope. Hope for the candidates that they might get that perfect job, and hope for the law firm clients that they can get the perfect lawyer. But with recruitment becoming increasingly ... Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/zmb/80745.article http://www.thelawyer.com/zmb/80745.article Having demerged from its secretarial recruitment division in the summer, ZMB was taken over by Hays for some £15m last month. With a turnover of around £6m, it placed approximately 30 partners last year.The rising stars at the moment are Yvonne Smyth and Andy Russell, who have stepped smoothly into the gap made by Joe Macrae's departure this summer. Smyth moved 10 partners last year, and both recruiters are thought to have each billed at least £500,000 in fees. Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/77924.article http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/77924.article One of the better guides to effective managerial behaviour, Developing Management Skills for Europe, is now in its second European edition. Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/lending-a-helping-hand/77923.article http://www.thelawyer.com/lending-a-helping-hand/77923.article You know the situation: deadline day is upon you and the nanny has just phoned to say that she is going back to Uzbekistan, immediately. Your best suit needs collecting from the dry cleaners before tomorrow's presentation and you haven't even begun to think about your dinner tonight. So what do you do? For an increasing number of staff in UK law firms, the answer is simple: you make a single phone call to sort it all out, from cover for the nanny to collecting the dry cleaning. Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/ej-legal/77844.article http://www.thelawyer.com/ej-legal/77844.article It may not have a huge turnover - reserves are in the region of £2m - but EJ Legal is rapidly positioning itself as the smaller alternative to QD and ZMB for partner moves. The firm moved around 60 partners last year (unlike QD and ZMB, its partner practice is not supplemented by a focus on the assistant market), with Simon Janion the biggest biller. Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/tmp-qd/80050.article http://www.thelawyer.com/tmp-qd/80050.article Taken over by TMP for some £40m in July this year, QD is still regarded as the market leader in private practice legal recruitment. It turned over £16m last year, £11.5m of which was in legal, and placed nearly 80 partners. The most prolific mover of lawyers was Greg Abrahams, who personally found new jobs for nearly 20 partners and who billed a total of £1m. Other major placers of lawyers include Seamus Hoar, Sarah David, Gavin Sharpe, Nick Shilton and Will Cock, all of whom billed ... Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/78039.article http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/78039.article Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action by Michael Armstrong, published by Kogan Page (ISBN 0749433310) Mon, 6 Nov 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/talk-about-communication/80816.article http://www.thelawyer.com/talk-about-communication/80816.article The increasingly global reach of major City firms and their ever-growing size benefits clients in many ways, but only if the firms' internal communications systems are effective. Mon, 6 Nov 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77986.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/77986.article Partners in commercial law firms have never been more mobile and hiring a whole team is now common practice. Even 10 years ago, it was almost unthinkable for a partner to leave an established City practice, let alone to leave for a practice in its infancy. Now, hardly a week goes by without news of well-known lawyers joining another law practice - whether a UK or US firm, or the associated law firm of one of the big five accountants. However, it takes more than a number of bought-in heavyweights Mon, 6 Nov 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/78996.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/78996.article With employee benefits expenditure in the UK worth millions, it is incredible that organisations do not make more of a song and dance about their benefits, or even consult employees on which benefits they would most like. Mon, 9 Oct 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/keeping-the-faithful/80053.article http://www.thelawyer.com/keeping-the-faithful/80053.article A lack of promotion opportunities is driving lawyers into the arms of other employers, according to a survey by TMP QD Legal in association with The Lawyer, which studies motivation among private practice and in-house lawyers. Mon, 9 Oct 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/102289.article http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/102289.article Rollercoaster tells the story of the rise and fall of the emerging markets. Starting with a spot of currency trouble in Bangkok in 1997, the panic spread across Asia, Russia and then Latin America. Mon, 11 Sep 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-inside-agents/102288.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-inside-agents/102288.article The decision of several leading law firms to take all or part of their recruitment process in-house has thrown open the debate about the best way to secure the services of the most sought after lawyers. The initiative is not universally supported, but advocates claim it offers a more focused service and can save both money and time. Mon, 11 Sep 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/101877.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/101877.article After a period of sustained economic growth and increasing profitability, the legal sector, in common with many others, finds itself with a dearth of talented people and dramatically rising labour costs. One can barely pick up a legal sector news publication without registering the sense of disillusionment felt within law firms, including that of partners. The response to this has been in some respects predictable and in others, extraordinary. Mon, 11 Sep 2000 01:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/welcoming-the-new-recruits/77926.article http://www.thelawyer.com/welcoming-the-new-recruits/77926.article The sale of legal recruiter QD to TMP Worldwide and an increasingly candidate-led legal market may change the face of legal recruitment forever. Fenella Quinn reports. Mon, 7 Aug 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/79010.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/79010.article The demand for the highest quality individuals and the insatiable drive towards creating bigger and better practices within the legal profession has never been greater. Individuals change jobs far more readily than they did before. But for all the job offers that are made and accepted, how often is an individual persuaded to remain by their current employer? Mon, 7 Aug 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/100075.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-personnelity/100075.article You'd have thought it was pretty obvious that hiring the right people is one of the most important strategic issues for a law firm. Look how obsessively everyone is discussing the salary hikes, for example, as if they couldn't have been predicted. After all, how else were top City firms going to try and square the US circle? (As for the medium to small firms, just make your decision. Increase pay or don't increase pay, but stop banging on about it.) Mon, 10 Jul 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/personnel-services/95496.article http://www.thelawyer.com/personnel-services/95496.article As more and more lawyers move firms, personnel departments are employing the services of independent careers consultants in a last-ditch attempt to retain staff. Alison Clarke reports Mon, 10 Jul 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/94768.article http://www.thelawyer.com/book-review/94768.article The Soul at Work by Roger Lewin and Birute Regine, published by Orion ISBN0752811851 Mon, 10 Jul 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/professional-consultants/94140.article http://www.thelawyer.com/professional-consultants/94140.article BG Careers Mon, 10 Jul 2000 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/application-is-it-all-in-the-mind/77643.article http://www.thelawyer.com/application-is-it-all-in-the-mind/77643.article Peter Weiss asks whether a new psychometric test for job applicants offers a fairer way of assessing candidates. Peter Weiss is a trainee solicitor at Nabarro Nathanson.IN An age that holds up psychology as the darling of social sciences, the use of psychometric testing is probably inevitable. Perhaps as predictable is the controversy that surrounds it.While some firms believe ... Tue, 20 Oct 1998 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/employment-white-paper-means-more-work-for-lawyers/78008.article http://www.thelawyer.com/employment-white-paper-means-more-work-for-lawyers/78008.article EMPLOYMENT lawyers have predicted a big rise in contested employment hearings if proposals contained in the Government's "Fairness at Work" white paper published last week become law.Andrew Leaitherland, an employment lawyer at Davies Arnold Cooper's Manchester office, said that a number of the changes had been expected. However, he added that "few thought it would happen this quickly".The White Paper, expected ... Sun, 6 Sep 1998 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/a-legal-future-of-doom-or-boom/80155.article http://www.thelawyer.com/a-legal-future-of-doom-or-boom/80155.article It is easy to look back and comment on the past 10 years of recruiting in the legal market but it is far more exciting to gaze into the crystal ball and view the future.This is especially so at the moment, because in my 15 years of experience in the legal profession - four in practice as a solicitor, the balance as a recruitment adviser - the market has never been in greater turmoil.It is a turmoil caused largely by the clash of the very different players ... Tue, 16 Jun 1998 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/juggling-with-home-and-career/77998.article http://www.thelawyer.com/juggling-with-home-and-career/77998.article Yet again the legal press is full of stories about partners, teams and senior assistants moving firms. Gone are the days when lawyers joined one firm and had a "job for life".In order to retain key players, the quality of life of those individuals is an increasingly important issue for firms to address.In recent years City practices have had to contend with both accountants and US law firms poaching their key players. In order to compete with ... Tue, 19 May 1998 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/will-all-really-be-fair-in-employment-and-law/80438.article http://www.thelawyer.com/will-all-really-be-fair-in-employment-and-law/80438.article Martin Warren looks at the implications of the new "Fairness at Work' White Paper. Martin Warren is an employment partner at Eversheds.Employment lawyers are having to come to terms with one of the most significant papers to emerge from the Labour government.The "Fairness at Work" White Paper has taken 12 months to propose the implementation of a 22-word sentence ... Fri, 6 Feb 1998 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/head-hunters-take-their-pick/80879.article http://www.thelawyer.com/head-hunters-take-their-pick/80879.article Recruitment firms are reporting a demand for insolvency experts, says Mike Yuille.Demand for insolvency lawyers is picking up, seemingly in preparation for what many expect will be an increase in company collapses next year due to growing global economic difficulties.This renewed demand is taking two forms: demand for experienced big hitters, who can bring much-needed visibility to the handful of large firms which lack a high profile in the business, ... Tue, 16 Dec 1997 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/the-way-to-an-employee039s-heart/78862.article http://www.thelawyer.com/the-way-to-an-employee039s-heart/78862.article Rightly or wrongly, law firms are not renowned for offering lavish employee benefits packages to their staff. Take the case of pensions. "The majority of regional law firms do nothing at all," suggests Andrew Warwick-Thompson, an associate with consultants Bacon & Woodrow. "Staff are left to do their own thing and get ripped off."He concedes, however, that: "In the City, things are better: you tend to get small, ... Mon, 3 Nov 1997 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/typists039-last-bastion/78254.article http://www.thelawyer.com/typists039-last-bastion/78254.article Arabella McIntyre Brown discovers that not all lawyers are willing, or able, to recognise secretaries' value. Arabella McIntyre Brown is a freelance journalist. Talk of speech recognition software that will enable lawyers to dictate straight on to their desktop computers has got equity partners excited about all the typists' salaries that they will be able to claw back. But on sober reflection, most law firms recognise that even the most sophisticated computer ... Tue, 14 Oct 1997 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/recruitment-made-easy/78942.article http://www.thelawyer.com/recruitment-made-easy/78942.article With the legal profession becoming increasingly involved in the provision of investment advice in-house, law firms are faced with the challenge of recruiting technically qualified and culturally compatible financial advisers.Experience has shown that finding the right person can prove more time consuming and traumatic for law firms than any other aspect of the development of an in-house financial services capability.Recruiting financial services professionals ... Tue, 13 Feb 1996 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/risk-free-recruitment/81095.article http://www.thelawyer.com/risk-free-recruitment/81095.article When the president of the Law Society rails against a Conservative government times must be hard. The generation of income, it seems, is squeezed on all sides.In the present climate it is essential to use resources efficiently and one resource vital to any organisation is its staff.The greater the importance of the resource, the greater is the potential risk to the organisation. Selection procedures still depend upon academic qualifications, ... Tue, 24 Oct 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/men-at-work/87753.article http://www.thelawyer.com/men-at-work/87753.article Most UK law firms have no male legal secretaries and the few men who are hired generally work for female partners. According to a legal recruitment executive at a major employment agency, only 2 per cent of the applications for legal secretaries come from men."We only get one or two applications a year from men and both were placed with female partners. For a long time in England it was an old boys' school network. When you come across a male secretary it ... Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/provincial-life/79618.article http://www.thelawyer.com/provincial-life/79618.article 'London legal market crashes as North West takes over'. OK, not really. But do you remember the 1980's TV advert for cross-channel ferries, voice-over by Kenneth Williams, where one family is seen motoring happily along the empty, scenic M62 towards a waiting ferry in Hull, contrasted with a group of bickering South Easterners stuck in an horrendous traffic jam outside Dover? Such is the perceived difference in quality of life by lawyers in the ... Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/in-a-league-of-their-own/86677.article http://www.thelawyer.com/in-a-league-of-their-own/86677.article Duncan Calow, a solicitor at Denton Hall, says: "Working with lawyers requires special skills - like a high boredom threshold and a toner cartridge fixation."Most law firms admit that a knowledge of the law is not essential but because most legal secretaries specialise they will eventually acquire a basic grasp of their particular field. Many law firms agree that this is particularly the case in property departments.In larger firms the ... Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/paralegals-growing-force-in-profession/90039.article http://www.thelawyer.com/paralegals-growing-force-in-profession/90039.article LAWYERS must change their approach to legal practice and compete for work with paralegals if they want to retain the bulk of their business, a new report says.Released by the ABA commission on non-lawyer practice, the report says paralegals have a "greater role to play" in providing legal services and lawyers must find better ways to meet the needs of people on moderate incomes.It suggests lawyers put offices in shopping malls, offer ... Tue, 22 Aug 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/bring-on-the-subs/86734.article http://www.thelawyer.com/bring-on-the-subs/86734.article As many lawyers will be aware, employment trends have changed dramatically in the past couple of years; job security is no longer guaranteed and employers are increasingly recruiting staff on a contract basis. The flexibility which the short-term market offers is highly attractive to employers, enabling them to deal more effectively with unpredictable workloads and fluctuating staff levels. In these circumstances many organisations are unwilling to commit long-term. Tue, 11 Jul 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/moving-onwards-and-upwards/86577.article http://www.thelawyer.com/moving-onwards-and-upwards/86577.article The hard lesson of the recession that no one can rely on a job for life has created a highly competitive and challenging recruitment market within the legal profession.Headlines in The Lawyer over the last few months give an insight into high-profile moves which have sent shock waves through the profession: 'Sinclairs shipping team sails to rival'; 'Couderts pair defect to Hammonds'; 'US firm grabs Dentons tax head'; 'TKB woos Nabarros''. Sun, 8 Jan 1995 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/recruitment/81152.article http://www.thelawyer.com/recruitment/81152.article The Midlands has faired comparatively well during the recession with most of the larger commercial firms continuing to recruit throughout the last three to four years.This buoyancy has been due mainly to the shake-out in the London market. With many high calibre solicitors entering the recruitment arena, Midlands firms have been able to strengthen their profiles in key areas and are now attracting work nationwide - including the City.Recently there has been ... Tue, 20 Sep 1994 00:00 GMT http://www.thelawyer.com/recruitment-in-the-south-east/86449.article http://www.thelawyer.com/recruitment-in-the-south-east/86449.article Recruitment in the South East has tended to focus on specialist areas. Much of the external recruitment in the region in the last three years has been at senior level - attracting highly qualified lawyers with the aim of developing niche markets. This has largely proved successful.Areas in demand include personal injury, medical negligence, childcare and local authority work, financial services and corporate/commercial. The most encouraging sign from all counties ... Sun, 12 Jun 1994 00:00 GMT