How Are Legal Service Providers in the United Kingdom Meeting Demands of 'More-for-Less' in the Legal Services Market?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suneet Sharma
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
The United Kingdom

Big 4 Firms as Legal Service Providers: Implications for Audit Practice and Future Research Directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Herda ◽  
Jonathan H. Grenier ◽  
Billy E. Brewster ◽  
Mary E Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Rule Changes ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The U.S

The Big 4 accounting firms have expanded their legal service arms to historic proportions over the last decade, employing thousands of lawyers around the world. Although most of the Big 4's revenue from legal services is presently generated outside the U.S., they are now making inroads into the U.S. legal market, and rule changes are being considered that would further allow the Big 4 to offer legal services in the U.S. This essay summarizes the current status of Big 4 firms as legal service providers, discusses potential implications of legal offerings for their U.S. audit practices, and suggests directions for future research. Our proposed research questions are informed by several literatures, interviews with former Big 4 partners and practicing attorneys, and a survey of the general public. They center on the fundamental difference between audit and law practices, brand equity considerations, and culture changes within the Big 4.

Lawyers, State Officials and Significant Others: Symbiotic Exchange in the Chinese Legal Services Market

2011 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 276-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sida Liu
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
The State ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Occupational Groups ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Structural Isomorphism ◽  
Basic Level

AbstractIn China's legal services market, lawyers face strong competition from a variety of alternative legal service providers. Based upon 256 interviews with law practitioners and public officials, three years of ethnographic work on a professional internet forum, and extensive archival research, this article develops a theory of symbiotic exchange to analyse the competition between lawyers, basic-level legal workers and other practitioners in ordinary legal work, as well as how the state regulates these competing occupational groups. It argues that the dynamics of professional competition in the Chinese legal services market can be explained by the symbiotic exchange between law practitioners in the market and their regulatory agencies and officials in the state. Chinese lawyers have a weak market position because their exchange with the state is often not as strong and stable as their competitors. The prevalence of symbiotic exchange leads to the structural isomorphism between market and state institutions in China's transitional economy.

scholarly journals Strategies for Meeting Rural Legal Needs: Lessons from Local, Regional and International Experience

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Economides
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
New Technology ◽  
International Experience ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Business Structures

This paper considers policy options for future planning of legal services in rural and remote areas and assesses the relative merits of the public and private sectors in identifying and meeting legal needs in such areas. Drawing on previous research and a range of national and international experience I focus on the future development of proactive services in legal service delivery: first, through examining the idea of ‘rural law (community) centres’ employing salaried lawyers and 'paralegals' working in the public sector; second, through speculating on the implications of emerging alternative business structures and new technology currently evolving in the private sector. The paper evaluates various delivery models (and their likely impact) and considers whether strategic approaches are possible when rural communities are so often dispersed, isolated and politically marginal. It examines the concept and practice of ‘rural proofing’, as developed by policymakers in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, in order to see whether legal services policy can be better attuned to the needs and expectations of rural communities.

scholarly journals Community Legal Centres in the Digital Era: The Use of Digital Technologies in Queensland Community Legal Centres

2019 ◽  
pp. 64-79
Author(s):  
Stebin Sam ◽  
Ashley Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Digital Disruption

Digital technologies are revolutionising the delivery of legal services within Australia. Challenged by innovative technologies, products and processes, the legal profession has been forced to confront their technologically disrupted future and adapt to the new technological age, as both providers and clients become progressively more reliant on increasingly sophisticated digital technology. One sector that stands to reap the benefits of digital disruption is free legal service providers, such as Community Legal Centres (CLCs), whose services benefit from the extended outreach, accessibility and efficiency that digital technologies provide. As institutions that are dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable client groups have access to justice, CLCs must be cautious not to adopt digital technologies without due thought and, consequently, potentially alienate vulnerable clients. In this new technological era, it is now more crucial than ever for CLCs to ensure that clients who may lack access to technology, are digitally illiterate, or prefer face-to-face interactions, are catered for within the CLC sector. This paper addresses the use of technology by Queensland CLCs by drawing on data collected from semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 10 employees from eight different CLCs. The article asserts that Queensland CLCs preferred to adopt digital technologies that assisted with their organisational needs over client-oriented services, attempting to strike the delicate balance between technological convenience and technological inaccessibility.

scholarly journals The Future of Law Firms (and Lawyers) in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony E. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Law Firms ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Ordinary Life ◽  
The Future ◽  
Research Contract

Abstract This article explores the future for lawyers and law firms in the light of the changes that Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is already bringing to the universe of legal services. Part I briefly describes some of the ways AI is already in use in ordinary life - from facial recognition, through medical diagnosis to translation services. Part II describes how AI is transforming what it means to provide legal services in six primary areas: litigation review; expertise automation; legal research; contract analytics; contract and litigation document generation; and predictive analytics. Part III explores who are the providers of these AI driven legal services - often non-lawyer legal service providers - and how these providers are replacing at least some of what clients have traditionally sought from lawyers. Part III also discusses the implications of all these changes both for the future role of lawyers individually, and in particular what services will clients still need lawyers to perform: judgment, empathy, creativity and adaptability. In turn, this Part examines what will these changes mean for the size, shape, composition and economic model of law firms, as well as the implications of these changes for legal education and lawyer training. Part IV identifies the principal legal, ethical, regulatory and risk management issues raised by the use of AI in the provision of legal services. Finally, in Part V the article considers who will be the likely providers of AI based services other than law firms: legal publishers, major accounting firms and venture capital funded businesses.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and fertility services in the United Kingdom; a biphasic qualitative study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babu Karavadra ◽  
Andrea Stockl ◽  
Adam H Balen ◽  
Edward Patrick Morris
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Fertility Treatment ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Cultural Pressures ◽  
The Impact

Recently, fertility services have started the process of resumption since COVID 19 was declared a pandemic, but there remains significant uncertainty in the way this care will be delivered in the United Kingdom (UK). The objective of our study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 on individuals using fertility services in the UK. The study was conducted in two phases between May 2020 to July 2020: an online questionnaire involving 1212 participants and subsequent individual semi-structured telephone interviews with 15 participants. Through thematic analysis, we learned from the questionnaire findings that 74% of individuals identified as White British, 21% as Black And Minority Ethnic (BAME) and 2.6% as male. 96% of individuals from the questionnaire explained that COVID-19 had a ‘negative impact’ on their fertility treatment, namely ‘delay in care’. 82% of participants discussed concerns about the 'uncertainty' they felt about fertility services; these included the ‘unknown impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes’, the ‘unknown impact on general gynaecology services’ and the ‘unknown impact of COVID-19 on fertility success'. Through semi-structured telephone interviews with fifteen participants, we learned about the ‘cultural pressures’ individuals from BAME backgrounds faced in relation to care. Participants were mindful about the ‘pressures on the service’ when re-opening, and therefore ‘advancing maternal age’, ‘socio-economic background’ and ‘previous unsuccessful fertility treatment’ were the main factors individuals considered important when ‘prioritising’ fertility care. Our findings can be used by fertility service providers to appreciate the patient perspective when considering the re-opening of fertility services nationally and internationally.

scholarly journals Legal Tech in Legal Service: Challenging the Traditional Legal Landscape in Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ((S1)) ◽  
pp. 279-301
Author(s):  
Juriah Abdul Jalil ◽  
Shukriah Mohd Sheriff
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Legal Profession ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
Legal Technology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practice Regulation

Digital technologies are now extending its function to the legal profession. But the existence of these technologies otherwise known as legal tech or law tech is challenging the traditional legal profession. The nature of legal practice regulation in Malaysia and the United Kingdom (UK) permits only lawyers and authorised persons as legal service providers. As a result, the legal tech or law tech companies although able to facilitate the service in the legal profession are met with resistance and/or indifference. Should the traditional legal profession fear the invasion of this legal tech? This article aims to analyse the situation in Malaysia and the UK. It examines the impact of technology on legal service and legal profession in Malaysia and in the UK. The article also highlights the implication of this legal technology on the laws governing the legal profession in Malaysia. Through analyses of key Malaysian cases, the study finds that the Bar Council has the power to halt the operation of legal tech companies in providing any legal service in this country.As a result, the Bar has been criticised for being a hindrance to the development of legal tech in Malaysia. In contrast, the UK and the United States of America (US) have been very receptive to legal technology despite the exclusivity in the legal profession.

scholarly journals Breaking down barriers: challenges in providing legal services for immigrant women who have experienced intimate partner violence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mounica Gudivada
Keyword(s):  
Partner Violence ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Immigrant Women ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Constitutional Courts ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
National Boundaries

Violence against immigrant women is a prevalent and serious violation of human rights and gender equality that is often dismissed. This paper seeks to firstly challenge the role of Canada in preventing and addressing violence against immigrant women through its ratification of various legal instruments and secondly, understand the challenges experienced by legal service providers in providing accessible legal services for immigrant women who have experience violence. Through an intersectional feminist analysis of interviews with three legal service providers and four Ontario cases, it is evident that immigrant women and legal service providers experience challenges as a result of language barriers, financial barriers, cultural differences, role of motherhood and precarious legal status. Therefore, this paper recommends constitutional courts and all individuals to aid in the creation of norms and movements that transcend national boundaries to recognize the violations experienced by women all across the world.

scholarly journals Crime Victims and Their Unmet Civil Legal Needs: Pro Bono Service Provision Among Private Attorneys

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah E. Daigle ◽  
Michelle N. Harris ◽  
Sadie J. Mummert
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Crime Victims ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Legal Service ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Service Engagement ◽  
Pro Bono

Crime victims often experience a host of negative consequences. In relation to these consequences, crime victims may also find themselves in need of assistance from the criminal justice system and civil legal service providers. Despite this need, crime victims often lack access to civil legal services. One way to potentially improve the availability and accessibility of civil legal services for crime victims is to increase the provision and availability of pro bono services; however, the way that attorneys perceive pro bono service for crime victims may be an impediment to service provision. Despite this, little is known about how private attorneys view pro bono work with crime victims. We examine how private attorneys view pro bono work with crime victims, the barriers to this service and what may incentivize them to engage in this work by utilizing data from a project assessing the civil legal needs of crime victims in the state of Georgia (USA). We find that a relatively small proportion of private attorneys in Georgia engage in pro bono work with crime victims. Barriers and incentives to pro bono service engagement and implications are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document