Understand Your Rights. Solve Your Legal Problems
DLA Piper announced its diversity and inclusion goals on Tuesday, targeting a global female partnership of at least 35% by 2025.
The international firm aims to build on its present 21% female partnership. It aims to have reached 30% within four years, and to have doubled to at least 40% by 2030.
In addition, DLA Piper intends for at least half of all its internal partner promotions to come from under-represented groups. The firm’s statement specified that these groups would include “cultural heritage and ethnicity, gender and identity, disability and neurodiversity, background and social mobility, sexual orientation and people working part time.”
“The legal industry has long grappled with diversity and inclusion and good intentions alone will not get us to where we need to be,” said Simon Levine, DLA Piper’s Global Co-CEO. “As well as simply being the right thing to do, ensuring a level playing field for everyone in our business and being representative of the communities we serve is critical in enabling the diversity of thought needed to help our clients solve complex problems and seize opportunities.”
“Publicly stating our commitment means we are accountable. Achieving these goals will be only part of our journey, and we will continue on a path of setting goals for under-represented groups across the firm.”
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DLA Piper joins a growing number of firms committing to gender parity in their senior ranks. Freshfields declared earlier this month that it is targeting a minimum 40% female partnership by 2026, as did Clifford Chance – though by 2030.
Linklaters also announced today that it is aiming for a firm-wide female partnership of 40%, having previously failed to meet its aim of 30% between 2015 and 2020.
On Monday, Pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell moved to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought against her by Dominion Voting Systems.
In her motion to dismiss, Powell argued that her earlier claims that Dominion was involved in widespread voter fraud during the 2020 US presidential election were so outrageous that “reasonable people would not accept such statements as fact.”
Lawyers representing Powell argued that her claims asserting that Dominion had conspired with Democrats to rig its voting machines to switch votes to Joe Biden were obviously her own “opinions and legal theories” rather than statements that the public would immediately believe. Dominion’s own descriptions of Powell’s statements as “outlandish” and “wild accusations” support this, they argued.
“Such characterisations of the allegedly defamatory statements further support Defendants' position that reasonable people would not accept such statements as fact but view them only as claims that await testing by the courts through the adversary process,” Powell’s defence lawyers wrote.
Dominion sued Powell for $1.3 billion in January over her dissemination of conspiracy theories involving the company in the aftermath of the election. The firm said it was forced to spend $565,000 on private security to protect its employees as harassment and death threats mounted, and that it projected a $200 million profit loss in the next five years due to the damaging claims.
Dominion has also filed another $1.3 billion lawsuit against former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani for pushing the same conspiracy theory.
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Over 4,000 lawyers have signed an open letter calling for Bar Associations to condemn and investigate Powell’s behaviour, which they argue was part of a campaign to “subvert constitutional democracy.”
Lawyer Monthly hears from Kiren Azam, whose career trajectory changed dramatically through the Transition to Teach programme.
As an immigration lawyer, I worked as part of a private immigration team on asylum and immigration cases, EU residence and nationality law. In 2020, I decided to make a major career change and train as a secondary school French teacher, supported by the Department for Education-funded Transition to Teach programme.
The reason I went into law in the first place was due to the encouragement of those around me, such as teachers and family. They advised that my skills and personality would be well suited to law, and this advice followed through to me studying for a law degree. After law school, there was the expectation and a certain pressure that I would continue to the next stage and become a lawyer.
Without that encouragement into law, I would have chosen to study French or history. Law wasn’t perhaps the career I had envisaged for myself when I was younger but I could see that my skills fit the law profession. I naturally gravitated into leadership roles and it was something I enjoyed.
After graduating, it was straight to a law firm, with a focus on immigration and particularly in the realm of deportation of foreign nationals. I had my daughter, moved firms and deliberated with the idea of taking final exams. Again, the encouragement was there for me to stay in law, and my colleagues and mentors were supportive in helping me develop my career.
However, in 2020, I decided to train as a teacher, moving from London to Bradford and starting initial teacher training. My route into teaching was a school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) course, which is a practical route into teaching.
Again, the encouragement was there for me to stay in law, and my colleagues and mentors were supportive in helping me develop my career.
I had fantastic teachers at school which contributed to my respect and admiration for the profession. I grew up in Brent, London, and one teacher that really stood out was Andria Zafirakou, who was awarded the Global Teacher's Award in 2018 - the first UK teacher to win this award. Andria was an advocate for equality, championing inclusion and respect for all. Andria would stand by the school gates at the start and end of the day, greeting pupils in their mother tongues. If a pupil needed someone to stand up for them, if they were being mistreated or misheard, Andria would be that advocate. Andria was hugely inspirational to me as a young woman.
Law is a very well respected career, and I’m sure the perceptions of the law profession contributed to the advice from my parents and teachers to carve out a career in law. I feel that perceptions of teaching are also very positive nowadays, particularly during the pandemic, as we have seen how hard teachers have worked. The support that I’ve had since starting my teacher training has been incredibly strong.
Transition to Teach has been invaluable to me during the transition to my new teaching career. One example is the assignments. I was quite used to academic writing, but writing in law is quite different from writing in education. Having a highly qualified guidance and development adviser from Transition to Teach on hand, to answer questions and provide support, has helped so much.
It’s also about having a mentor outside of the school setting, professional guidance, and wellbeing and mental health support which is vital in such a fast-paced, responsible role. In the early stages, we talked about what transferable skills I could bring to my new career as a teacher, which was illuminating and reassuring too, knowing that I already had many of the skills that would ensure success.
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The transferable skills that I can take from law to teaching including being able to work and perform in a high pressure environment, communication and that drive to go above and beyond for my students. My goal is to be a teacher who is as passionate about the rights, freedoms and aspirations of her pupils, as Andria once showed me was possible. Hopefully, once I qualify, I can work with pupils in disadvantaged areas and perhaps be that inspiration to the young people I teach.
The UK’s competition Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House owner Bertelsmann.
The $2.2 billion acquisition of Simon & Schuster was agreed last year after Bertelsmann outbid Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, a move that Penguin hoped would strengthen its US presence. If completed, Simon & Schuster will continue to be managed as a separate publishing unit under Penguin Random House.
The merger is the second major deal by CEO Thomas Rabe since Bertelsmann took control of Penguin Random House from Pearson. Rabe said that the company entity formed by the Simon & Schuster merger would have a share of less than 20% in the US market, making the move “approvable”.
Concerns over the deal were raised by US writers’ groups including the Authors Guild, who called for the Department of Justice to block it. The Guild warned that the companies’ merger would bring "well more than half of key US book markets under the control of a single corporation,” potentially posing a threat to “freedom of speech and democracy in the United States”.
News Corp CEO Robert Thomson has also criticised the deal as operating on “anti-market logic” that would create “a book behemoth”.
Firms will be invited to comment on the CMA’s investigation up to 7 April, after which the body will make a phase one decision on 19 May.
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“We have notified the acquisition of Simon and Schuster to the UK Competition and Markets Authority as is normal in such circumstances and we are working with the CMA in its review,” a Penguin Random House UK spokesperson said in a statement.
Penguin is the world’s biggest trade publishing group, with more than 15,000 new publications and more than 600 million books sold each year.
Altice USA has reached a nearly $72 million settlement with New York over what the state has deemed the telecom provider’s failure to adequately prepare for or respond to Tropical Storm Isaias in August, during which more than 439,000 customers lost service.
"It is beyond unacceptable to leave hundreds of thousands of customers without the ability to access the Internet, especially during a time when so many people rely on broadband for work and school," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
He added that the almost $72 million settlement is the largest ever reached with a company overseen by the state’s Public Service Commission for failing to follow emergency response procedures.
The settlement follows a report in February from the Public Service Commission finding that Altice had “apparently failed” to follow significant parts of its storm readiness and emergency response plans when the tropical storm struck New York on 4 August 2020. The report specified violations including inadequate communication with customers, government officials and electric utilities, and failure to make sufficient readiness and restoration plans.
As a result of its failure to adequately plan, Altice was left unable to restore service quickly or to communicate effectively with customers experiencing service outages, the report said.
Several other phone and TV providers reported similar outages during the storm. The report also criticised Frontier Communications for its response to the crisis.
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Altice will spend $68.5 million to upgrade its infrastructure and technology, including for storm responses, for which customers will not be billed. The company has also provided $3.4 million in customer credits.
Altice serves around 5 million customers and owns the Optimum brand in the New York area. In the south-central United States it uses the Suddenlink brand.
Eleanor Weaver, CEO of Luminance, discusses the role technology is playing in the expansion of major financial services firms and what it means for the legal sector.
For some time now, the Big Four have had their sights set on the legal market. Deloitte’s acquisition of Kemp Little, a 114-person strong law firm, earlier this year doubled the size of its legal division overnight, and a recent study by Thomson Reuters found that the Big Four’s market share in the legal sector is projected to grow by 12.9% this year alone.
These Alternative Legal Service Providers or ‘ALSPs’ such as the Big Four are often characterised by their willingness to rip up the rule book that has been written and embedded by more traditional law firms over the past 100 years. Innovative pricing structures, bold acquisitions and senior hires have put these players in a position to compete with even the world’s largest law firms. 23% of large firms in the UK and US say they lost business to the Big Four in 2019, for example. But above all, it is their tech-driven approach to making legal services more efficient that is raising the stakes in the legal market.
Unconstrained by the typical structure and hierarchy of a traditional law firm, ALSPs have found more latitude to change their business practice, with technology at the heart of their service delivery model. Luminance, which uses artificial intelligence to help lawyers read and analyse vast quantities of documentation, is deployed by all of the Big Four, and we’re even seeing these firms setting up legal tech incubators of their own for younger start-ups in the space. Just recently, EY GSA completed a due diligence review of over 6,000 documents 50 times faster with Luminance than it would have taken them manually, perfectly illustrating how the Big Four are using AI to deliver insightful results to their clients in a much more time and cost-efficient way.
23% of large firms in the UK and US say they lost business to the Big Four in 2019.
This is all the more pertinent against a backdrop of heightened client demands and pressure to do ‘more for less’. For one, the pandemic has caused businesses around the world to assess their costs across the board, including those associated with their legal counsel. But beyond that, clients are also becoming more sophisticated in their knowledge of the transformative power of technology, and AI in particular, causing them to demand legal analysis on the issues they face at increasingly competitive costs.
Until recently, it was something of a given that budding young lawyers would enter the practice of law with big dreams of cracking open cases or closing big deals, only to be met with monotonous, repetitive document review work. But AI is changing that narrative by allowing legal professionals to cut these review times in half, leaving more time to be focused on the creative and analytical work that they entered the profession for.
Yet the question still remains: how worried should Big Law really be about these innovative market players? A 2019 report by Prism Solutions found that two-thirds of UK lawyers surveyed were “concerned” about the threat posed by accounting firms and ALSPs, with 45% saying they would consider them a “major threat”. Specifically, the report suggests that it is the ability of the Big Four to offer legal services in a "more transparent, simplified and fixed-fee manner whilst delivering superior client satisfaction" that is causing concern, with technology and new ways of working allowing these firms to be more flexible in their pricing models. A contrast to traditional law firms that have often struggled to shift their models from billable hours and 6-minute increments.
And yet, Big Law still dominates. In 2019, the total market for ALSPs was worth $10.7 billion, a figure that pales in comparison to the revenues of some of the world’s largest law firms. Last year alone, Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy both recorded revenues of more than £1.6 billion, while elite US firm Latham & Watkins made $3.8 billion. Arguably, the level of expertise and reputation that many of these top law firms employ would be difficult to replace. And with law firms themselves increasingly leveraging ALSPs as a form of subcontracting to help save money and provide additional services, there is arguably room for both players in the market.
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Whichever way you look at it, the increasing diversification of the legal sector and the Big Four’s innovative use of the latest advances in technology has raised the stakes for law firms. Big Law’s ability to innovate with AI may well determine their competitive advantage.
Global law firm Dentons has announced its combination with leading Bolivian law firm Guevara & Gutiérrez, becoming the only global law firm with a presence in the Andean nation.
The merger follows days after Dentons announced another combination with Ecuador’s Paz Horowitz Abogados, accelerating its expansion in Latin America.
Guevara & Gutiérrez is led by Ramiro Guevara and Priimtivo Gutiérrez, who founded the firm in 1989. It has offices in Bolivia’s capital La Paz and in Santa Cruz, the largest city in the country.
The firm, which specialises in banking and finance, dispute resolution, corporate law and energy and natural resources, has a total of 25 lawyers on its staff, nine of whom are partners.
"Guevara & Gutierrez and Dentons share the vision of building the dominant global law firm in Latin America and the Caribbean, one that allows us to follow the clients we currently serve into every corner of the region and world,” Guevara said in a statement. “Dentons’ commitment to excellence and unparalleled service are well matched with our own.”
Dentons’ global CEO, Elliott Portnoy, also hailed the merger. “The combination with Guevara & Gutiérrez will position Dentons as the only global law firm in Bolivia and will continue Dentons’ momentum in Latin America and the Caribbean allowing us to better meet our clients’ needs,” he said.
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Dentons is one of the largest law firms in the world, with a staff of more than 10,000 lawyers across 79 countries. It accounted for 85% of all cross-border law firm mergers in 2020, and has become the fastest-growing law firm in Latin America and the Caribbean since entering the region in 2016.
Dentons now has more than 400 practicing lawyers across Latin America.
Planning your estate is the kind of job most would prefer not to think about. Though, like any task, it is not something that is going to fix itself. Without proper estate planning, a person’s legacy can be hijacked by their inability to plan accordingly, or responsibly.
It is understandable that people are busy, and the issue of mortality can sneak up on people. But if you want those you care about to have as little as possible to worry about after your death, then you need to think ahead. Follow this list of considerations to help you plan your estate, and give your loved ones the relief they deserve during such a difficult time.
A lot of people mistakenly feel that they don’t have an estate. They equate the word “estate” with a grand home on a sprawling property when in fact, your estate consists of anything you own that may have value. This includes jewellery, stocks, cars, cash, homes, record collections, family heirlooms, and anything else that holds some kind of value.
Think about all your possessions that have value and compile them in a list. Try to arrange them from most to least valuable and consider where they would be most useful. A good spreadsheet is perfect for this.
Most people are not experts on estate planning, so it’s a good idea to enlist the help of an experienced estate planning attorney. They can use their expertise to assist you with the safeguarding of your estate and possessions.
When you die, your gross estate is calculated. This is the total sum of all your estate assets. After this, your taxable estate is considered. This includes mortgages, loans, administration fees and anything else that may cost money.
Most people are not experts on estate planning, so it’s a good idea to enlist the help of an experienced estate planning attorney.
For the average person, the financial logistics of a death are a nightmare. Hiring a specialist attorney can save you time and money by keeping your family out of court, and advising the best tax options for your situation.
Many people, even those in the advanced stages of life, lack a coherent will. Perhaps they have a dated one which needs updating, or maybe they don’t have one at all. There are two aspects to a will: the legally binding side that distributes your assets, and the morally binding Statement of Wishes that outlines your intentions for your family.
A will is essential to ensure that your possessions and assets go where and to whom you want them. If you do not have a will, your estate will defer to what’s called intestate succession and the distribution of your assets will be decided either by the government or through a long-winded legal process. It is recommended that you update your will every five years.
A Statement of Wishes is an informal document that supports your will. It is not legally binding and is easily amended; however, it does provide context to the decisions that you have made in the legal part of the will.
Something that should never be overlooked is the wellbeing of children. In cases of bereavement, the emotional stability, financial security, and innocence of a child can all be affected. In this situation, there are two major areas to consider.
First, you’ll need to decide which assets will go to your children. If you have a college fund, savings account, or anything else set up for your children, then this should be considered when distributing your assets. This might mean that speculative investments, such as property and stocks, are a good option to leave to your kids.
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You will also need to think about the intimate detail of guardianship of your children if they are under the age of 18. Consider entrusting this to someone who will be able to house them, fund their lives, and raise them decently. If you fail to make this decision before your passing, it will be left in the hands of the courts.
A death in the family can be difficult for reasons far beyond emotional trauma. Without a formal will in place, family members will be left to assume positions you haven't specifically assigned them. This could lead to the worst financial manager of the family gaining control over the estate, cause disagreements over the distributions of assets, or perhaps no one wants responsibility of your pet.
An estate plan assigns duties to those who will be responsible for your wealth if you become incapacitated or pass away. It allows you to provide individualized plans for each family member. This insures against unfair distribution and makes financial preparations for family members who are either too young or not responsible enough to do so themselves. (3)
The idea of estate planning can make some people uncomfortable, but it is an imperative part of life. Planning your assets, speaking with professionals, making arrangements for your children, and allocating assets and responsibilities is one of the best things you can do for your family’s well-being during such a difficult time.
Before 1 January 2019, the Family Law Act had never received an overhaul since its inception in 1976. Considering things have changed a whole lot since the late 70s it was only a matter of time until some significant changes were made to the practice of family law. Today, we’ll have a look at how family law has changed since reforms were made in 2019 so that you have a better understanding of how it is practiced in today’s modern climate. Read on to find out more!
Anyone who has interacted with the Family Court of Australia in the past will know that an increasing number of complex cases in recent years has resulted in significant waiting times that have reached up to 18 months in some cases. Due to this high demand and the lack of staffing to keep up with the public’s needs, it was decided that the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCA) would be established in January of 2019.
This change saw the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court being consolidated into one court that would prioritise urgent and high-risk cases as efficiently as possible. High-risk cases are now appointed to a judge and division with the most expertise, allowing for parties involved to know what to expect in terms of legal fees and the duration of time that is likely to be taken for their matter to be finalised.
As the family law system has never before been reviewed prior to 2019, it has come under a lot of criticism for being impractical and out of date in today’s climate. Long waiting times such as 18 months for a case to reach trial have meant that families and children are left with significant amounts of uncertainty for months on end. These changes have also been made to address the delays, inconsistencies and confusion that were plaguing the family court and has resulted in a significant reduction of costs for all parties involved.
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With both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia now consolidated as one, the system has seen huge savings in resources by eliminating the crossover between two jurisdictions. It is estimated that this new system will be able to serve up to 8,000 cases annually, with critical cases involving domestic or family violence being fast-tracked for the safety of all involved.
Of course, every change comes with its own band of critics, and the consolidation of the above two courts has received its fair share of opprobrium. Many have expressed their dismay at the passage of this legislation, claiming that victims of family violence run the risk of falling through the cracks in the new system. Critics say that the court merger could see judges with "no real knowledge" of family law presiding over cases, which could lead to even longer wait times for families that are trying to settle their disputes.
Due to forced lockdowns and isolation during COVID-19, more couples than ever have been put under strain by the unique pressures of the pandemic. Many worry that this influx of cases will flood the newly consolidated court and may prove to provide an environment where perpetrators are able to slide through nooks and crannies in the system.
The changes to family law have certainly been met with mixed emotions, and with good reason too. What do you think about the merger?
In 2014, the United States recorded over 32,600 deaths caused by road accidents; 962 of these fatalities occurred in Tennessee.
According to auto accident lawyers, most vehicle accidents are avoidable when certain safety precautions are in place. Below are ten things every driver should know that can help prevent auto accidents and potentially save lives.
You should avoid distractions when driving, whether you are headed from Kentucky to Tennessee or Memphis to Nashville. You should avoid using your mobile phone; do not text when driving. Also, do not fiddle with the GPS or Sat Nav; pull over to sort out what you need then continue with your journey. You also should pull over to deal with the kids if you have them in the back and they are screaming or fighting. In short, avoid things that will take away your attention from the road as you drive. It only takes a second for a road accident to happen.
Never speed off in your vehicle before adjusting your mirrors to make sure you see all the areas surrounding the car. Moreover, avoid relying solely on the mirrors; have a habit of turning around to check your blind spots and ensure there is no oncoming traffic. Semi-trucks have significant blind spots; therefore, never assume they see you.
Understanding your vehicle’s performance is crucial. You should know how well it can stop when you push on the brakes, how it handles around bends, and if the tires will work even under poor weather conditions, among other issues. Being familiar with your car’s performance will play a vital part in helping you avoid situations that could result in an accident.
Understanding your vehicle’s performance is crucial.
Having a maintenance schedule is an essential part of familiarising yourself with your vehicle. You should keep track of the dates you take your car for maintenance checks. It will help you know when you last had the fluids changed, got new brakes, or fitted new tires. The car’s performance is better when it is in tip-top shape. It will be safer to operate, thus lowering the risk of accidents.
Some drivers take bold yet very risky decisions during the day and can be more erratic at night. Many drunk driving cases happen at night. Moreover, it is hard to see things clearly at night. Your vision is not as good as during the day. That is why you must be hyper-alert when driving at night.
Pay attention to the driver or vehicle in front of you, but also scan the surroundings in which you are driving. Drivers can change lanes at a moment’s notice. Therefore, be attentive when driving, especially when approaching an intersection. Always look both ways to ensure the coast is clear before crossing. You might feel confident about your driving skills, but you do not know the competency skills of the driver next to you.
If you are tired and drowsy, you should consider postponing your drive. Driving when tired increases the risk of causing an accident. At times, the drowsiness can be attributed to the lack of enough sleep. As such, you will be less alert and feel fatigued when behind the wheel.
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Not using turn signals when changing lanes, cutting in front of another driver, or changing lanes abruptly are some of the careless or negligent behaviours that lead to accidents and are against the law. It is a behaviour that can cause some drivers to develop road rage and act recklessly. If you are courteous to other road users and follow the rules when changing lanes, you will lower the chances of causing car accidents.
The fast lane has its conveniences, but it is a bad idea when you plan to get off the interstate quickly. You also do not want to be in this lane when there is another vehicle out of control. Stick to the centre or right lanes. They make it easier to take your exit. Leave the left lane to drivers that love high speeds, which are likely to cause accidents.
Anger can impede your judgment, make you less attentive on the road, or act irrationally when dealing with another driver. Avoid jumping into your vehicle if you are angry.
