The new law firm formula

Welcome all to a special anniversary issue of Briefing! Incredibly, our little team has now been covering all the big developments in the market, and providing key strategic management insight for UK law firms’ most senior leadership teams, for 15 years — so this month we’ve sought out a set of interviews and practical perspectives to probe just how much investment in professional management development and differentiation through transformation has changed the game during that time.

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What’s inside?

Briefing leaders from many a magazine edition past — still actively pushing on the boundaries of what’s possible to optimise all the processes that make up progressive law firm management — come together to discuss changes very much for the better, transformation trajectories over time, and the big challenges that remain, not least leveraging new and improved technology for true competitive advantage. Hat tips all round to the cross-functional top team who joined us for our big-picture conversation, coming from DLA Piper, Bird & Bird, Shoosmiths and (our kind hosts) Browne Jacobson.

There are also many thoughtful views on hot topics, persistent challenges and the ever-changing landscape from more leaders at Burges Salmon, Clyde & Co, Ellisons, Gowling WLG, Kingsley Napley, Morton Fraser MacRoberts and Weightmans — and an overview of the expert output, including a panel of GCs, assembled at the first Briefing AI Forum in June 2025.

Industry views

In addition, get the practical perspective on implementing strategic and sustainable change from all our valued partners in this celebratory issue:

• LexisNexis UK managing director, Gerry Duffy, takes stock of exactly what still needs to be addressed in driving a strategic approach to the next chapter of AI-focused change.
• Elite chief technology officer, John Machado, explains why firms must choose true cloud as the foundation of their future growth and innovation.
• Simon Martin, chief technology officer at Slater and Gordon, describes the process of selecting ShareDo as its engine to accelerate improvement in case management.
• Paul Suffield, managing director at Attest Group, explains why it’s vital to invest more in core business management systems today to unlock significant competitive advantage tomorrow.
• James Markham and Darren Mee at The Legal MBA weigh up the key ingredients of commercial-skills training for the next generations of lawyers.

AI IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Briefing editor Andreea Dulgheru reviews all the big ideas and detailed discussion between law firm leaders and general counsel across a day of debate, idea-sharing and collaboration at the first Briefing AI Forum, hosted by Bird & Bird in London.

NOVEL SOLUTIONS TO AGE-OLD PROBLEMS

Kingsley Napley director of innovation and knowledge Sarah Harris outlines how a new application of artificial intelligence is helping her firm to supercharge knowledge-sharing, learning and development.

THE AI BUSINESS CASE: MORE TIME FOR BETTER WORK

LexisNexis UK managing director Gerry Duffy takes stock of whether the next chapter of AI change will be a shock to the law firm system — and how transformation approaches still need a very human touch.