Category: Law Practice Management

ALITA Launches Annual Awards Recognising APAC Legal Innovation and Technology to be Presented at Techlaw.Fest on July 20 in Singapore
The Asia Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA) has launched its second annual ALITA Awards, Asia Pacific’s first community-based legal innovation and technology awards. Finalists will be invited to the award ceremony in person at TechLaw.Fest’s Live opening on July 20 at Marina Bay Sands […]

Legal tech company Lawcadia unveils Native Document and Email Management and enriched Outlook Integration, enabling greater productivity
Native Document and Email Management and the Microsoft Outlook integration are the first of several releases slated in 2022 for leading Australian legal technology company Lawcadia. The enriched Outlook integration enables emails and attachments to be saved directly and securely into Lawcadia’s platform, without navigating away […]

Setting Goals for Your Legal Career in 2022
We might overlook it sometimes, but setting and striving for aspirational goals can significantly improve your sense of happiness. The start of the year is a great time to take a fresh look at your career and professional goals: what you love doing, what you want […]

New book: Law firm profitability improved by good inter-generational communication
A new book focused on how law firms can increase profitability by improving inter-generational communication has just been published. Thriving in a Multi-Generational Law Firm: How to Increase Communication and Collaboration Among Lawyers by legal industry consultants Pamela DeNeuve and John Grimley – outlines how inter-generational […]

Legal technology company Lawcadia and legal operations consultancy LEx360 partner to reduce waste, risk, complexity, and uncertainty for corporate counsel
The modern legal department remains a function plagued by inefficient, manual and complex processes, further compounded by relentless demands, heightened regulatory compliance requirements and the pressure to ‘do more with less’. Whilst there is an appetite for change, General Counsels are unsure of where to start […]

Jennifer Parks, White and Case APAC COO, on how the firm is navigating the region
As APAC COO, Jennifer Parks oversees White & Case Asia-Pacific region operations. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Parks explains what inspired her to focus on managing the operations of a global law firm in Asia, how the firm is adapting to the ever-changing competitive […]

5 Reasons to Take Your CPD More Seriously
It’s not a secret that many lawyers believe that mandatory legal CPD often causes more stress than it’s worth. But there are plenty of reasons – besides renewing your practicing certificate – why you should take your CPD more seriously. 1. Reinvigorate your role One of […]

“How to become clairvoyant?”
“We had dreams when the night was young We were believers when the night was young We could change the world stop the war Never seen nothing like this before…’ Robbie Robertson, from the album ‘How to become clairvoyant?’ The two rock concerts that define the […]

Why Lawyers Love to Hate Legal Innovation
Today, an increasing number of lawyers and law firms understand the importance of legal innovation. But why are so many still hesitant to embrace it? This article explores three key reasons for this phenomena. Lawyers conflate innovation with technology What do you think of when you […]

How Australia’s Hall & Wilcox has adapted to the changing legal services landscape. An interview with Managing Partner Tony Macvean
Hall & Wilcox is a leading independent Australian law firm that’s been in business for more than 100 years. In this interview with Asia Law Portal, the firm’s Managing Partner, Tony Macvean, outlines the unique ways the firm has adapted to the changing legal services landscape. […]

Who knows what the future will hold?
Looking at the past to work through the Covid-19 crisis

Black Swan Alert! – Covid-19 and what senior partners should be doing right now to survive
As a senior leader in the industry I hope you will find the article below by Paul Smith, former Chairman of Eversheds Sutherland and co-author, helpful. Its intention is to assist law firm executives at a time of crisis with some tried and tested tips regarding […]

Executing your law firm business development plans during the coronavirus outbreak
Like a hurricane that swept across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our lives. It is fair to say that most of our lives right now are different when compared to the start of 2020. Case in point: Most of you are probably reading […]

A book review of “The Real Deal: Law Firm Leadership That Works” by Paul Smith and Sally Dyson
Lawyers generally have an inbuilt scepticism regarding any form of coaching, which imposes a high bar on authors targeting an audience of busy managing partners. The Real Deal: Law Firm Leadership That Works by Paul Smith and Sally Dyson vaults over that bar with consummate ease […]

Whither private practice?
Smarter Law: Transforming Busy Lawyers into Business Leaders by Trevor Faure Book Review (Part 2) Forgive me for starting on a negative note but the chances are that many of you are unlikely to get beyond the third paragraph of this article, less likely still to pull […]

Hourly billing, the Big4, NewLaw and technology. John Chisholm of Innovim Group analyzes the main competitive threats and opportunities for law firms
Australia-based John Chisholm is a widely recognized strategic advisor to law firms on pricing and strategy – based on his decades of experience as managing partner for both law and accounting firms. A Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and a Distinguished Fellow of the […]

Asia’s changing legal market and the strategies to adapt: An interview with Eric Chin of Alpha Creates
Asia’s legal market is changing and who better to know what strategies firms might deploy to adapt to these changes than Melbourne-based Eric Chin, who helped co-found Alpha Creates in January of 2019. A long-time strategic advisor to the legal services sector, Eric also coined the term […]

Book Review: “SMARTER Law: Transforming busy lawyers into business leaders” – by Trevor Faure
“I cannot say this too strongly: Do not compare yourself to others. Be true to who you are, and continue to learn with all your might.” Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist Philosopher, as quoted by Trevor Faure. Trevor Faure, self-defined as ‘part-translator-part-interlocutor’ between the legal and performance improvement […]

Lawyers are from Mars: Marketing People are from Mercury OR the importance of cognitive diversity in law firms
“We always did feel the same we just saw it from a different point of view. Tangled up in blue.” Bob Dylan In preparation for taking on a new marketing and business development role at an international law firm (this was after I accepted the position […]

Third Regional Law Firm Management Forum set for Singapore, Oct 19, 2018
The Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA) along with the Law Council of Australia’s Law Management Group will hold the third annual Regional Law Firm Management Forum on October 19, 2018 in Singapore at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The Singapore Academy of Law is the event […]

Legal Procurement Conference APAC 2018 set for Sydney on 24 July 2018
Hosted by the Buying Legal Council and Lawcadia, the event is a powerful platform for buyers and sellers of legal services to network and learn, share best practices, launch new initiatives, get motivated, and inspire the legal industry as a whole. The conference encourages dialogue, discussion and formal and […]

4 takeaways from the recent Singapore Law Firm Management Forum
The Regional Law Firm Management Forum took place September 29, 2016 in Singapore. The Australasian Law Practice Management Association (ALPMA) and the Law Council of Australia’s Law Management Group jointly conducted the conference themed: “Change: Technology Enables, People Deliver”. As Andrew Barnes, President of ALPMA, […]

The New Normal Legal & Compliance Leadership Program debuts across Asia in May 2016
The New Normal Legal & Compliance Leadership Program will take place in Hong Kong (May 23 & 24), Shanghai (May 26 & 27), Singapore (May 30 & 31) and Sydney (June 2 & 3). Conducted by Peter Connor, Founder & CEO of AlternativelyLegal, a newly established consulting and […]

Legal Innovation takes center-stage in Asia-Pacific
The months of July and August have seen a flurry of conferences and news coverage dedicated to legal innovation in the Asia-Pacific legal markets. And this trend will continue into September. Here’s a list of what’s happened so far and what’s coming next: On July 30th, […]

For foreign law firms expanding in Asia – Hong Kong or Singapore?
For foreign law firms eyeing the possibility of expansion into the Asia-Pacific region, a fundamental question is often: Should we open in Singapore or Hong? The two cities are key financial centers in the region and often serve as regional headquarters for foreign law firms here. […]

Mayer Brown launches Asia trade consulting arm in Singapore
International law firm Mayer Brown, the world’s 22nd largest law firm, has launched an Asia trade consulting arm in Singapore, according to a media release issued by the firm last week. Richard Smith (RWS_01), Australian business development professional, also noted the event on Twitter. The new […]

It’s Time for Large Firms to Look Over the Horizon
A recent London-based publication carried a range of opinions about the shape and destiny of large law firms in 2018. For partners in these firms articles such as these can’t make comfortable reading. But I think they miss the real point by not looking over the horizon. What […]

Pointers to change and opportunity for law firms in Hong Kong
This post is based on recent research that provides pointers to change and opportunity for law firms in Hong Kong. Much is changing in the Hong Kong legal profession. Our research amongst law firms and their clients reveals several insightful trends. This post is the first […]

U.S. Law Firms Facing Competitive Challenges in China
As Yun Kriegler outlined recently in The Lawyer, after spending ten years in Asia, U.S. law firm Vinson & Elkins decided to close its Shanghai office. In July 2013, the Houston-based firm announced that it will shut down its three-partner office to consolidate its China practice […]

How to find clients for your new law practice
If you are just about to start your first law firm / practice, one of the first questions probably is how to approach potential clients and get them onboard. The principles laid out bellow, proven and borrowed from the start-up world, are also applicable if you […]

Will Hong Kong’s law firms adapt to new competition?
LegalWeek.com reported this week that Australia-based fixed-fee law firm AdventBalance “has brought its unconventional business model to Hong Kong with the opening of an office in the city”. The firm “seconds senior lawyers to clients’ offices for specific projects and transactions; agreeing a fixed payable amount for the […]