This critical report provides the most up-to-date and detailed guide to the practical, regulatory and ethical considerations that must be reflected in your partnership agreement. Extensively revised, the second edition features new case studies and real-life examples, including a sample agreement precedent and comprehensive updates to reflect how new legal and regulatory developments will affect your deed. Key subjects covered include: *The impact of the Legal Services Act on partnership agreements; *Discrimination in partnerships, in particular, age discrimination; *Outcomes-focused regulation; *New business structures; *Distressed partnerships; *Current trends in mergers; *Profit-sharing arrangements and management structures: *The equality system *Profit share by capital contribution *Seniority (lockstep) *Merit or performance systems *Hybrid profit sharing systems *Retirement annuities *Performance measurement, supervision and disciplinary measures; *De-equitisation: provisions for expulsion from the partnership; *Expulsion, retirement and dissolution; *Good faith, arbitration and mediation; *Drafting for the future, avoiding early revisions and much more - Ensure you understand the necessary considerations of an agreement that not only fulfils legislative requirement, but ensures the attraction, retention and motivation of the best talent for your firm.

With rising competition putting pressure on law firms to raise their performance levels, Alan Hodgart's much anticipated report on Performance Measurement for Law Firms could not have come at a better time. Hodgart, an acknowledged industry expert, provides practical step-by-step guidance on how to effectively measure the performance of your fee earners, core support functions and overall firm. Hodgart highlights the key challenges many law firms face when measuring performance and provides critical advice on how to tackle them successfully through the development of an effective performance measurement system. Key topics covered include: * Measuring performance in law firms - what it means and what to measure; * The key financial measures of profitability and how to calculate them - cost, profit, revenue; * The data and financial information required at firm and practice-group level; * The effective use, and abuses of financial data; * Aligning the economic structure of your type of work to maximise profitability; * Implementing an effective performance measurement system; * How to measure the performance of your fee earners and support staff - finance, IT, Marketing, HR, KM and other; * Client profitability, project management and much more - The report focuses particularly on profitability and demonstrates how it can be used to monitor and compare the outcomes of working with different clients to project future revenue and profit levels. It also includes a useful appendix - an 'Economic Template' which demonstrates how to assemble the relevant data to manage the financial performance of your firm. Performance Measurement for Law Firms is essential reading for any firm looking to measure and enhance all areas of their performance.

In a highly competitive fee-focused environment, project management can be your law firm's lifeline. Project Management for Lawyers report provides a structured approach to planning, pricing and managing legal work that will boost profitability and deliver superior value to your clients. It aims to: *Demonstrate the value of applying project management to a legal practice; *Explain basic project management principles and how to apply them within your law firm; *Provide a simple legal project management framework; *Describe key tools and techniques to support the framework; *Discuss legal project management as a pricing and business development strategy; *Show how lawyers can manage matter profitability and demonstrate value to clients; *Guide lawyers in overcoming the challenges in managing a matter profitably (time, scope and cost); and, *Share practical advice on how to develop and implement a legal project management programme within your firm. Real-life in-depth case studies provide valuable insight into the successful legal project management programmes of Dechert LLP, Eversheds LLP, Seyfarth Shaw LLP and McCarthy Tetrault. A case study from the Royal Bank of Canada is also included to provide the a client's perspective on the value of legal project management. Project Management for Lawyers also comes with a complimentary CDRom packed with useful forms, templates, checklists and frameworks that can be used immediately in planning and executing your own project management programme. These include: *A generic work plan; *A sample staffing profile; *A sample agenda for a project kick-off meeting; *A sample roles and responsibilities sheet; *A client satisfaction review questionnaire; *A project risk log; *A sample change request form; *A sample monitoring worksheet; *An example of an agenda for a lessons learned session; *An example of how to calculate leverage on matter profitability; *A completed monitoring worksheet; and *A work plan for an asset purchase.

So you AZre in A C or striving to be in A C The Lawyer AZs top 200. But are you being measured on what your clients actually find attractive? With increased demand for efficiency, value added services and effective governance, a ranking based simply on revenue is not sufficiently compelling. Having an effective governance model and the right measures of success in place are now vital to secure sustainable profitability for your firm. AZs report on Law Firm Governance and Measurements of Success provides a vital examination of: New governance models for law firms of different sizes and complexities; Law firm growth stages and the structural changes necessary to succeed; Overcoming the cultural barriers/issues involved with changing your governance and/or measurement systems; Current measurements of success A C internal and external; New medium and long-term success metrics to better support long-term thinking, and payment and reward structures; Attracting clients and external investors through effective reporting of your firm AZs success; and more Peter Blair, former first chief operating officer of Field Fisher Waterhouse provides cutting-edge analysis on The Lawyer AZs top 200 firms by examining what creates their success. Peter evaluates whether the measures used are effective and demonstrates how by using alternative metrics you can boost your rankings. Featuring real-life case studies this invaluable report provides a vital insight into current law firm governance models, examines where they are going wrong and how they can be improved to secure sustainable growth.

If you were to liken your firm to a restaurant, would it be a Rules? A Nobu? A Fat Duck? A Pizza Express? Or a McDonald AZs? All of the above have a successful business strategy based on the needs of their target market. Could you say the same for your firm? In an increasingly competitive and changing legal market, knowing where and how to compete through the implementation of a clear strategy is crucial to ensure a profitable future for your firm. AZs report A C The Strategic Law Firm A C will help you analyse your firm AZs core strengths and capitalise on them by developing a coherent business strategy for success. Specifically this report will help you: Identify your strengths and priorities; Understand and implement the key elements of a successful strategy - value proposition, client segments, client relationships, provision of services, revenue, key resources, key activities, cost structure, partners; Visualise, understand, review and tailor your business model; Build the right focus for your firm (industry, client or transaction based); Align your teams and leaders to target the right clients and industries; Understand disruptive models; and more The report further sets out the practical details of how a strategy planning day should be organised - before, on, and after the day, including: A series of nine potential exercises ranging across values alignment through to market segmentation and scenario analysis; Specific worked examples of ways to calculate team financial and contribution measures; Capturing the outcomes into one page plans, which can be utilised at firm, team and individual level to drive your ongoing agendas; and Useful examples, checklists and templates for immediate implementation. This uniquely practical report will help you devise an effective strategic vision for your firm, and provides the tools to ensure that vision is achieved.

Want to know how to - Successfully market, brand and sell yourself in this digital era? Generate GBP500,000+ of new client work enquiries in a year? Have more choice, change and control in the direction of your career, business or life? And be entertained whilst being informed? If your answer is YES then the naked lawyer is essential reading for you - Packed with examples, case studies and 'to do's' focusing on 10 key elements (with hundreds of proven successful steps, tips, hints and secrets) this inspirational book will show you how to get more clients, sales, referrals, income, value, growth and success. Within the report, author, lawyer and entrepreneur, Chrissie Lightfoot reveals the ROAR (Reach Out And Relate) model, a successful blueprint detailing how, as a trainee solicitor and newly qualified lawyer (during the 2009 recession), she achieved GBP562,000 of new client legal sales generation enquiries and referrals. From start to finish the naked lawyer will provide you with a complete strategy and skills toolkit for brand, career and business development - covering key areas including: Devising an effective personal brand; Using social media to build brand, win business and enhance relationships with clients; Innovation; Getting referrals and winning business; Creating a strategy and mindset for success; Communication; Client relationship management; and much more...

With the introduction of Alternative Business Structures fast approaching and more and more partnerships converting to LLP status to meet the new requirements and remain competitive - now may be the time to start considering the benefits of conversion for your own firm. The conversion process can be a challenging one with wide-reaching implications. But a successful LLP conversion can provide the ideal opportunity to review your core business operations, allowing you to plan positive change and growth in an increasingly competitive and changing market. Managing Partner's new report on LLP Conversion for Law Firms provides a highly practical, step-by-step guide specifically taking into account the unique considerations that are raised by today's economy and evolving legal marketplace. It highlights the key questions that need to be asked during the preparation and transition stages, as well as how to deal with the complications that may arise after conversion has taken place. Key topics covered include: + Converting from a partnership to an LLP - key considerations and trends; + Advantages and disadvantages of converting from a partnership to an LLP; + Preparatory work and practical issues involved; + The default provisions and their drawbacks; + Tailoring the LLP agreement to reflect the needs of your firm; + Transferring the existing partnership business into the LLP - key issues and contractual obligations; + The general tax treatment of limited liability partnerships - possible complications that may arise after the conversion and how they might be handled; + Management and technical resources involved in the conversion - Is outsourcing an option? + The implications of the Legal Services Act 2007 and the introduction of Alternative Business Structures. LLP Conversion for Law Firms includes valuable behind-the-scenes access to existing LLPs and the common pitfalls and successes they encountered through the conversion process. In addition, you will also find a precedent for an LLP agreement within the Appendix. Whats more ...this publication comes complete with a complimentary CDRom containing all the required forms for an LLP agreement in an easy to access format. About the author Nicholas Wright is chief executive of Wright Son & Pepper. He has specialised in LLPs and professional regulation for over 15 years and has been a member of the Solicitors' Assistance Scheme for most of that time. He has acted for a number of substantial firms in dealing with regulatory issues, as well as dealing with drafting, restructuring issues and disputes.

In academic human rights research, especially legal human rights research, little attention tends to be devoted to questions of methodology. One reason for this may be that human rights scholars often are former human rights activists. Dispensing with methodological niceties enables them to engage in wishful thinking and to come up with the conclusions they were hoping to find in the first place. Furthermore, although much emphasis continues to be put on the need to carry out human rights research from a multidisciplinary perspective, the methods to be applied in such research remain far from clear. Which criteria can be identified to qualify a piece of human rights research as a methodologically sound piece of work? Are there aspects and considerations that are typical for human rights research? What are good practices in human rights research? This book addresses these questions from the perspective of different scholarly fields relevant for human rights research, including international law, criminal law, criminology, political science, comparative politics, international relations, anthropology; philosophy, and history. This book is essential reading for any PhD candidate embarking on a dissertation in the field of human rights and any human rights scholar wishing to critically reflect on the quality of her/his own methods of work.

In an era in which law firm performance is increasingly public - and a determining factor for where the best lawyers decide to practise - it seems clear that firm management would want to adopt tools that are proven to improve performance. An increasing number of firms are now adopting this long established tool and there is growing evidence that firms which employ balanced scorecards to drive strategy implementation have significantly improved shareholder returns. Balanced Scorecards for Law Firms report provides a vital introduction for firms wanting to know more about how the balanced scorecard can improve their own firm's performance. The report and the tools explained within it reach well beyond revenue per lawyer and profit per equity partner to identify meaningful measures and actions related to the development of quality people, highly satisfied clientele, and superior business practices and processes. Specifically, the report will give you a clear understanding of: The balanced scorecard concept and tool, its practical application and the results you can achieve from its adoption; How to apply the concept in a law firm environment - the central opportunities and challenges the tool presents for law firm management; and Each of the major elements of a balanced scorecard - with an emphasis on their meaning in a law firm environment: Financial measures; Client measures; Learning and growth; and Business processes. Balanced Scorecards for Law Firms provides you with pragmatic advice, real world case studies and invaluable expertise to help you begin utilising a tool that can dramatically improve focus, accountability and execution of strategy. Begin outperforming your competitors in an increasingly difficult and aggressive market place.

The main objective of this book is to provide a basic introduction to key aspects of trial advocacy for all courts and tribunals.

Trial advocacy is explained in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step way and a number of examples and supporting annexures from actual court cases are used to illustrate relevant principles, strategies and tactics. Apart from serving as a basic guide for newly-qualified lawyers, the book also benefits non-lawyers intimately involved in procedural justice, like police officials, social workers, NGO advice offices, student legal aid clinics, court reporters and paralegals.

Risk management within law firms is a rapidly developing area. In the last year economic changes alone (the term 'credit crunch' was as yet unheard of when the second edition was written) have served to highlight the need for your risk management strategy to be under constant review. The credit crunch raises the game for all firms substantially, bringing to the fore issues involving: People; Clients; Regulatory risk; and Insurance. This report, substantially increased in size to deal with the emerging issues, aims to give you a clear understanding of how they will affect your law firm and how you need to respond, in order to manage them effectively. The third edition covers: Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) monitoring and enforcement of the Solicitor's Code of Conduct 2007; The Legal Services Act 2007 and the risks it presents; and A review of compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 - a year after their implementation on 15 December 2007. The report guides you through the distinct requirements of a risk management system including: Responsibility at senior management level; A framework for managing risk across all parts of the business; Integration of risk management processes into firm culture; Accountability in each practice area and support function; A risk evaluation process; External assessment; and Business continuity planning. Subjects covered include: Credit crunch risks; People and culture issues; Client engagement; Finance; Protecting partner assets; Compliance; File auditing; Managing your insurance; Office systems; Location and premises issues; Professional indemnity insurance; And more - Risk Management for Law Firms, 3rd Edition provides an in-depth analysis of key risk areas within the firm and aims to help firms meet new and emerging challenges with clear, practical examples.

This vital report is the only textbook of its kind for practitioners in this complex area of law. Since 2002 this essential resource has continued to fulfil its promise of: Enabling compensated persons to understand and obtain the best deal from the means-tested benefits system through the use of personal injury trusts; Enabling solicitors to unravel the mystique surrounding the foundation and administration of personal injury trusts and to equip them to fulfil their role better for it; Enabling solicitors to develop compensation protection services to help protect their firms from negligence claims and to improve the bottom line; and enabling solicitors to do these things in as efficient and as practical a way as possible with the greatest amount of professional peace of mind. The fourth edition has been fully updated to include: The significant changes by the mental capacity act 2005 which came into force fully on 1st October 2007; A revised and expanded property section with specific focus on purchasing property where there is a P I Trust in place or where the Court of Protection are involved; 2008 changes to the care rules and Employment and Support Allowance, which has replaced Incapacity Benefit for new claimants; Plus, new and up-to-date precedents. It is vital that every lawyer doing personal injury compensation work should have a copy of this book on their shelves to enable them to give truly comprehensive advice as to the final process in achieving compensation.

From a master teacher and writer, a fully revised and updated edition of the results-oriented approach to legal writing that is clear, that persuades--and that WINS.
More than almost any profession, the law has a deserved reputation for opaque, jargon-clogged writing. Yet forceful writing is one of the most potent weapons of legal advocacy. In this new edition of "Writing to Win," Steven D. Stark, a former lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, who has inspired thousands of aspiring and practicing lawyers, applies the universal principles of powerful, vigorous prose to the job of making a legal case--and winning it.
"Writing to Win" focuses on the writing of lawyers, not judges, and includes dozens of examples of effective (and ineffective) real-life legal writing--as well as compelling models drawn from advertising, journalism, and fiction. It deals with the challenges lawyers face in writing, from organization to strengthening and editing prose; offers incisive ways of improving arguments; addresses litigation and technical writing in all its forms; and covers the writing attorneys must perform in their daily practice, from email memos to briefs and contracts. Each chapter opens with a succinct set of rules for easy reference.
With new sections on client communication and drafting affidavits, as well as updated material throughout, "Writing to Win" is the most practical and efficacious legal-writing manual available.

This text deals with the basic concepts of the law and explains the operation of the law and the administration of justice. It features practical exercises at the end of each chapter to help the student develop the ability to analyse information and apply knowledge. Another feature is the appendixes in which step-by-step explanations are given of how to research and apply primary sources of the law such as statutes and decisions in court.

Objections In Civil Litigation deals in concise terms with the categories of objection and the leading and most useful authorities for each objection. A synopsis of the nature and content of each objection is included.

The book equips the busy practitioner confronted with an unruly witness with the tools to formulate a cogent and legally sound argument, at short notice, as to why a particular piece of testimony should be excluded.

The opponent will similarly be assisted in dealing with the objection in a helpful and lucid manner.

White-collar crime is defined both in terms of the offence and in terms of the offender. The offence is often financial by nature, taking the form of fraud, tax evasion, corruption, and insider trading. The offender is typically a person of respectability and high social status, who commits crime in the course of his occupation. When prosecuted in court, white-collar criminals are defended by lawyers, a knowledge worker specializing in the development and application of legal knowledge to solve client problems. Research into the roles of lawyers in white-collar crime is important since it provides new information into a specific area of legal advice linked to corporate and occupational economic crime.
Financial Crime and Knowledge Workers examines the role of lawyers in court cases involving white-collar crimes, revealing fresh insights into the relationship between a lawyer's stature and a case's potential verdict. Gottschalk peels back the theoretical layers surrounding the term 'knowledge worker' and showcases empirical data to support his claims. This work also discusses the three distinct strategies white-collar attorneys use to defend their clients.

This book illuminates methodology in legal research by bringing together interdisciplinary scholars, who employ a diverse set of methodologies, to address a specific shared research challenge: 'the body'. The contributors were asked a question: if you were invited to contribute to an edited book on 'the body', where would you start and then where would you go? The result is a self-reflective discussion of how and where researchers engage with methodological practices. The contributors draw on their own interdisciplinary research experiences to explore how 'the body' might be addressed in their work, and the resources they would deploy in order to carry out the task. This 'book within a book' is innovative in both content and format. It provides a rare insight into how top interdisciplinary legal scholars go about making decisions about their research. The shared device of 'the body' allows the volume to trace a number of rich approaches into the process of research as practiced by these diverse scholars. In presenting thinking and research in action, the volume offers a new, self-reflective view on the much-addressed theme of the body, as well as taking a fresh approach to the historically vexed problem of research methodology in legal studies.

Blackstone's Police Investigators' Q&A 2018 is the essential revision tool for all candidates sitting the National Investigators' Examination (NIE) examinations. Written in partnership with the best-selling Blackstone's Investigators' Manual, the only study guide endorsed by the College of Policing, the Q&A consists of over 200 multiple-choice questions arranged in the same order as the chapters in the Manual, providing the most authoritative means of self-testing outside of the NIE. With four parts, General Principles, Police Powers and Procedures; Serious Crime and Other Offences; Property Offences; and Sexual Offences, reflecting the Manual, Blackstone's Police Investigators' Q&A presents you with the only format of questions you will see in an NIE examination: Type A. Each question has a detailed and comprehensive answer that highlights not only the correct response, but also the reasoning behind the incorrect responses, allowing you to highlight any gaps or weaknesses in your knowledge. Full cross-references to the relevant Manual paragraphs and Keynotes encourage more effective studying, while a question checklist helps you track your progress. The introductory chapters also contain a useful section on how to study for the NIE, including advice on how to approach multiple-choice questions, practical exam techniques, and a 14-week revision plan. Fully updated for the 2018 syllabus, including coverage of relevant new legislation, the Policing and Crime Act 2017, including changes to pre-charge bail and key revisions to the PACE Codes, new legislation under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, and significant case law decisions. This product is not endorsed by the College of Policing.

Career Management for Lawyers is a practical resource for any lawyer, from the newly qualified through to those facing a career transition later in life. Packed with step-by-step guidance, action plans and self-assessment tools, this resource acts as a personal career coach, challenging and encouraging you to work through key career questions. This practical book covers: * the importance of career adaptability * how to take stock of your skills and qualities * the different types of career crossroads that lawyers face * case studies of lawyers who have made a successful career transition * how to change career direction * the importance of developing SMART career goals * how to relaunch yourself when changing career direction * how to overcome potential blocks to career success. Whether you have recently qualified, are facing a key career crossroads or want to take stock of your career, this book gives you all the essential tools to develop a plan you can put into action.

During any period of change, the winners are those that are able to adapt in a changing environment and it is becoming clear that the firms that are doing well, have a small number of characteristics in common. They have: * a clear strategic focus that differentiates them from their competitors; * effective leadership; * a clear grasp and understanding of the numbers. They are also responsive to change. Profitability and Law Firm Management book is intended to help those who aspire to lead a law firm to develop the skills they will need to run a successful business. One that will be better able to adapt and succeed. For most firms simply having good lawyers is no longer sufficient. Having well motivated people with business acumen, able to lead and build teams is more important. Effective business skills, an ability to spot and take advantage of opportunities and an ability to plan, manage and lead a team of people are key skills to nurture and develop. Successful firms identify people with these skills at an early stage and provide training and support to develop them. This book tries not simply to indicate what to do, but to provide some ideas on how to do it.It is not intended to be the definitive or only way of doing things, but is designed to help partners and others involved in law firm management think about their firms differently and identify ways of making them more successful. Its purpose is to help you move forward.