July 2016
Law firms struggle to retain senior associates
Law firms are shedding senior associates amid a struggle to retain talent, particularly women.
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Special counsel not a promised road to partnership
Senior associates are taking on special counsel roles as a stepping stone towards partnership, but promotion is not guaranteed.
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Smaller and mid-tier law firms beat the top tier on flexibility
Law firms must bend to increasing demands of partners and senior lawyers for more flexible working conditions or risk losing talent.
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Law firms switch to lower leveraged models
The proportion of partners to the fee earning foot soldiers beneath them is contracting as law firms shift to lower leveraged models.
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Smaller law firms shed partners but see growth where big ones don't
Smaller law firms shed numbers in the past year, but many argue their nimbler structures makes them more competitive.
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Senior partners turn to consultant roles
Firms are turning more and more to consultants as they grapple with managing costs and making way for new blood in their partnerships.
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June 2016
Legal graduate jobs grow 6pc, picky firms cast a wider net
The big law firms are making the most of the oversupply in law graduates and choosing more diverse candidates, like Monica Appleby, 35.
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Law firms shrink partner numbers as clients cut back
Contraction is the theme from this year's Financial Review law partnership survey, as clients cut costs and top law firms shrink partner numbers.
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Competition, subdued economy squeeze mid-tier law firms
Swelling in-house teams and increased competition from new market players is hurting mid-sized law firms.
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Technology the biggest threat to laws firms
Technology is the greatest challenge to law firms but many say they are trying to turn negatives to opportunities.
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Former Commonwealth Bank IT executive pleads guilty to bribery
In a dramatic turnaround, a Commonwealth Bank IT executive Keith Robert Hunter has plead guilty to bribery offences.
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Top law schools revamp entry criteria in face of competition
UNSW is revamping the entry criteria for its undergraduate law as competition for law students heats up.
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Technology will claim the work of senior lawyers, consultants warn
Consultants warn law firms have little more than five years before artificial intelligence starts hitting the work of senior lawyers.
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NSW Bar Association head Philip Selth stepping down
The head of the NSW Bar Association Philip Selth has confirmed he will step down from his position after 19 years in the job.
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Threat to law firms as PwC, KPMG expand legal capabilities
Top law firms will lose business as PwC Australia swells its legal teams and KPMG ramps up its own offerings.
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Companies directors should face jail for serious consumer breaches
Lawyers including King & Wood Mallesons partner Caroline Coops say unconscionable conduct laws do not need to be tightened despite calls by the Consumer Action Law Centre.
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G+T wants to use computers to cut lawyers' work
Gilbert + Tobin is committing the legal-industry equivalent of heresy: use computers to reduce billable hours.
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Women make up half of all lawyers in NSW
The number of lawyers in NSW grew 4.9 per cent last year, raising alarm bells there are too many to fill available jobs in the legal sector.
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More women head into top legal jobs, outside private practice
Recent female appointments to top in-house roles shows law firms need to do more to stop women fleeing to opportunities beyond private practice.
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Bitcoin available over the counter at a newsagency near you
Two start-ups are launching an over-the-counter platform for selling Bitcoin.
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