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Big Four v Big Law

05 June 2019
Issue: 7843 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Legal services
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Law firms are under ‘sustained attack’ from accountancy firms, a report claims

It cites research showing the Big Four accountancy firms―Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and EY―could draw annual revenue of £23.5bn from legal services, and that PwC currently has 3,600 lawyers.

Prism, a managed IT service provider, which published the report, ‘Enhanced productivity for the legal sector’, this week, found that two-thirds of law firms are ‘concerned’ about the threat posed by accounting firms and others, and 45% consider them to be a ‘major threat’. It notes that commoditisation of legal work and pressure from clients for better deals has ramped up cost pressures on law firms.

Millennial clients, in particular, it says, ‘put a high value on customer experience and are only willing to hire for a fixed fee’, and they want seamless remote contact.

Prism also cites research showing 2.3 hours per week are lost searching for but not finding past emails and documents. This may cost some law firms more than £50,000 per lawyer per year.

Issue: 7843 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Legal services
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
The ex-wife of a Russian billionaire has won her bid to bring her financial relief claim in London, in a unanimous Court of Appeal decision
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