Editor's Note
Are you intelligent?
This issue of The Lawyer Management deals with the perennially thorny issue of data, and more precisely business intelligence. As our practice management feature in this week's issue of The Lawyer highlights, access to sophisticated business intelligence has never been more critical in today's fast-changing and ever-more competitive market, but at many firms the technology is not up to the job.
Read what the likes of Osborne Clarke, IT director Nathan Hayes, Berwin Leighton Paisner's director of IT Janet Day, and Allen & Overy's chief information officer Gareth Ash have to say on the subject.
And as it's financial year end time for most firms, there's also a timely reminder from former SJ Berwin partner and Brilliant Law legal head David Mandell on the many issues relating to the market's ongoing love affair with the billable hour.
Top-notch business intelligence is likely to underpin all of the entries for the inaugural The Lawyer Management awards, which will crown a one-day conference on 24 September. The deadline for entries has just been extended to next Friday 3 May, but with dozens of nominations already in the competition is hotting up.
Don't miss out.
Elsewhere, the in-house sector is just as concerned as getting hold of up to the minute business intelligence. Learn all about money-saving targeted collection solutions from Symantec and allow TyMetrix to explain how it has helped four international organisations to get to grips with their spend on external counsel.
Matt Byrne
Features editor
matt.byrne@thelawyer.com
News
Osborne Clarke confirms one redundancy as Integreon deal ends
Osborne Clarke (OC) has confirmed one redundancy following its major move away from outsourcer Integreon, which has resulted in 80 staff members returning to the firm.
Mills & Reeve and George Davies gear up for merger vote
Mills & Reeve and Manchester firm George Davies are to vote on a potential merger within the next few weeks after both firms confirmed that they were in talks .
Simmons technology director jumps ship for Berrymans
Simmons & Simmons’ director of business transformation Abby Ewen, one of the best-known IT professionals in the UK legal market, has left the firm and joined Berrymans Lace Mawer as IT director.
Jones Day looks to extend life of London HQ with refurb
Jones Day is completely refurbishing its London office, which has seen headcount grow dramatically in recent years, in a bid to avoid a costly premises move.
ABS News and Analysis
Irwin Mitchell closes in on £200m turnover
Irwin Mitchell’s legal practice is closing in on the £200m revenue mark, with the firm’s commercial business generating revenues of £40m over the last financial year.
Eversheds real estate team of six heads to Shakespeares
Birmingham-headquartered Shakespeares has added a six-lawyer team from Eversheds, led by real estate partner Brendan Walsh.
Slater & Gordon set to acquire trio of UK personal injury practices
Australian listed firm Slater & Gordon is to bulk up its UK presence with the acquisition of Simpson Millar, Goodmans Law and the personal injury practice of Taylor Vinters.
Insurance giant Parabis on verge of £90m merger with Greenwoods
Defendant insurance firm Plexus Law, a subsidiary of Parabis, is to merge with Greenwoods to create a £90m firm.
Irwin Mitchell promotes comms head in 14-strong partner round
Irwin Mitchell has promoted its communications head Mark Duffell to the partnership in its largest partnership round to date.
Profile
The Lawyer Management: Quadrant Chambers.
Tim Gerrard, chief executiveTim Gerrard joined Quadrant Chambers as chief executive in 2009 from Jersey-based trust manager Hawksford International, where he was chief operating officer. Early on in his career he was in the administrative branch of the Royal Air Force, where he attained the rank of Wing Commander.
The Lawyer Management: K&L Gates
Tina Two is director of HR and development in the London office of K&L Gates. She was previously the regional HR manager of Grant Thornton.
The Lawyer Management: Taylor Wessing
Jean-Michel Beeching is international business development director at Taylor Wessing. He was previously director of marketing at KPMG and has held roles at Linklaters, where he was head of marketing for Asia and head of business development (BD) for Europe.
Vendor News
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Bird & Bird Introduces MobileIron for Mobility Project
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4 Stone Buildings chooses IRIS Legal Hosted Solution
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Anderson Strathern awarded world’s highest accreditation for information protection and security
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Cisco Acquires SolveDirect with the Support of Binder Grösswang
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McDermott Expands its Big-Ticket Discovery Centre Solution
Briefings
Rapid rise on global family disputes: Emily Brand writes article for Wealthbriefing download subscription
Figures released by the Office of the Head of International Family Justice for England and Wales reveal a 40 per cent increase in the number of international family disputes handled in the last year.
Offices to residential conversion: the details emerge download subscription
The government has made it possible to convert Class B1 office buildings to Class C3 residential dwellings without having to apply for planning permission.
Employment Post — Spring 2013 weblink
The Spring 2013 issue of Mills & Reeve’s Employment Post is available now.
China Bulletin — April 2013 weblink subscription
The April 2013 issue of King & Wood Mallesons’ China Bulletin is available now.
Court of Final Appeal gives SFC bigger teeth with third route of enforcement in Tiger Asia download subscription
SFC test cases — such as SFC v Tiger Asia — have sought to use section 213 of the SFO as a third route of market misconduct enforcement.
