Modern Law Magazine Issue 66

Issue 66
ISSN 2050-5744
THE BUSINESS OF LAW
THE TABLES ARE
TURNING
P06 Shanika
Varga-Haynes
A Leader Of Today And Tomorrow
P32
Lola
Yunus
Learning To Be My
Own Cheerleader
P35
AML
A Modern Law
AML Special

The Tables Are Turning
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Jane Goodall
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The next generation of legal
professionals are upon us, and their
influence is starting to take hold. The
tables have started to turn as Millennials
now make up the majority of the work
force, and they are starting to take
on leadership roles, making positive
changes and transforming the culture of
the legal world.
There is a natural progression taking
place, as young people take their place
in society, their culture, knowledge,
skills, and perspectives create a wave of
change. This isn’t a new phenomenon,
and every generation has made an
impact on the way we work. Now is the
time to embrace change, and create an
environment that will ensure the success
and happiness of the next generation of
legal professionals.
In this edition we delve into what the
future holds for the next generation of
legal professionals, what work will look
like for them, and what they are looking
for when it comes to finding a company
to call home.
We start off with an interview with the
incredible Shanika Varga-Haynes, the
President of the Leeds Law Society.
We learn of her journey to where she
is now, and all the work she is doing as
President. Our second interview is with
recruitment expert Joel Lalgee, where
he discusses how to attract and retain
young professionals.
Our first two insights are from legal
professionals just starting in their career,
Fabian Murray and Rhian Evans, telling
us about what inspired them to enter the
world of law, and what they look for in
a law firm when searching for the right
job for them. Our second two insights
are from law firm owners, Rachael
Pearson and Shaheen Mamun, who tell
us what they look for when hiring young
professionals, and what their firms are
doing to support their careers.
Our Editorial Board discuss the
importance of taking interest in the
next generation, what the older
generations can do to uplift young
people, how technology will shape the
future of working, and how flexible
working is here to stay.
We have teamed up with Pancentric
to get the word out about their new
industry survey, in a quest to find out
all about your work life and your work
environments. Check out more about
the survey on page 29, and find out all
the information you need to take the
survey. #ThePowerOfTogether
Paul Ippolito has written an in-depth
piece for us all about the future of the
legal industry. He predicts and discusses
the highs and lows that are to come for
the legal sector.
Our feature comes from Lola Yunus, an
inspiring woman who took her career
into her own hands and left her native
Nigeria to pursue a legal career in the
U.K. Lola Shares her story and her
hopes for the future.
Inside you will find a Modern Law Anti-
Money Laundering special that discusses
the highly relevant and important
issue facing the industry, along with
great advice on how to identify money
laundering and how to deal with it.
Bradley Collins shares his interviews
in the LegalTechTalks section. Take a
gander at what the experts have to say
about the latest in legal technology.
Closing this issue of Modern Law
Magazine is the Wills and Probate
Roundtable, and the Conveyancing
Expert Panel. Our experts share their
knowledge on the current topics of
their sectors, and where the future is
taking them.
Emily Wade is Editor
at Modern Law Magazine
01765 600909 | emily@charltongrant.co.uk
modernlawmagazine.com
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Adrian Jaggard, Taylor Rose MW
Martin Cheek, SmartSearch
Jack Such, Legl
Emma O’Day, Cashroom
Mark Holt, Frenkel Topping Group
Neville Dinshaw, Law Mergers & Aquisition’s
Ryan Braddock, Speech Processing Solutions
Dave Seager, Matrix Capital
Bronwyn Townsend, InfoTrack
Perpertual Know Your Customer
Stay ahead of financial crime with the latest
technologies in compliance
ISSUE 66
ISSN 2050-5744
Editor
Emily Wade
Project Manager & Events Sales
Kate McKittrick
Modern Law Magazine is published by Charlton Grant Ltd ©2023
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3

CONTENTS
CONTENTS
INTERVIEW
06 A Leader Of Today And Tomorrow
An interview with the incredible Shanika Varga-Haynes, the President of the
Leeds Law Society. We learn of her journey to where she is now, and all the
work she is doing as President.
10 The Art Of Recruitment And Retainment
Recruitment expert Joel Lalgee, discusses how to attract and retain young
professionals, i.n the new era of employment
SURVEY
INDPETH
29 #ThePowerOfTogether
Simon Fenn, Director, Pancentric
30 Navigating The Next Generation Of Lawyering
Paul Ippilito predicts the future of Lawyering and what young people
can expect
INSIGHT
EDITORIAL
BOARD
14 Championing An Alternative Route Into Law
Fabian Murray, Solicitor Apprentice, DLA Piper
15 Growing My Career
Rhian Evans, Paralegal, Symes Bains Broomer
17 The Changing World Of Work
Rachael Roche, Owner, Roche Legal
19 Black Antelope Law’s Guiding Principles
Shaheen Mumun, Director, Black Antelope Law
21 Adapting to Tomorrow’s Legal Landscape: The Next Generation of
Legal Professionals
Adrian Jaggard, CEO, Taylor Rose MW
21 Embrace technology, but not at the cost of the human touch
Martin Cheek, COO, SmartSearch
23 What’s Love Got To Do With I.T?
Jack Such, People Operations & Talent Lead, Legl
23 Leadership For The Younger Generation
Emma O’Day, Chief Marketing Officer, Cashroom
25 The Up-And-Coming Leaders Of Litigation#
Mark Holt, COO, Frenkel Topping Group
25 The Importance Of Continuous Learning And Professional Growth
Neville Dinshaw, Managing Director, Law Mergers & Aquisition’s
27 Securing Hybrid Working
Ryan Braddock, Vice President and Sale Director, Speech Processing
Solutions
27 Relevant continued competence training is a phone call away
Dave Seager, Consulting Adviser, Matrix Capital
29 Why AI has potential in legal
Bronwyn Townsend, Senior Marketing Manager, InfoTrack
FEATURE
AML
LEGAL TECH
ROUNDTABLE
FORUM
10 MINS WITH
32 Learning To Be My Own Cheerleader
Lola Yunus shares with us her story of coming to the U.K., and finding her
feat in the legal world.
36 Making AML Easier For You
Richard Simms, Creator and Director, AMLCC
36 The Future Of AML
Zowie Lees-Howell, VP of Enterprise Sales, SmartSearch
40 Challenging Complacency
Colette Best, Head of Anti-Money Laundering, Solicitors Regulation Authority
45 LegalTechTalk
Bradley Collins, CEO LegalTechTalk
49 Wills and Probate Roundtable
Emily Wade, Modern Law
54 Conveyancing Forum
Emily Wade, Modern Law
74 Gordon Chung, Corporate M&A Associate at Baker McKenzie
Disclaimer: Our publications contain advertising material submitted by third parties. Each individual advertiser is solely responsible for the content of its advertising material. We accept
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EDITORIAL BOARD CONTRIBUTORS
SpeechLive
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4
5

INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
A Leader
Of Today
And
Tomorrow
President of the Leeds Law Society, Shanika Varga-Haynes,
shares her story of her path to becoming one the youngest,
and the very first person of colour, to hold the positions of President.
She shares the ups and downs of her journey, her critical work to
provide a safe and supportive space for lawyers, and the lasting
legacy she would like to leave after her presidential term.
Could you share some pivotal
moments or experiences from your
early career that shaped your path
to becoming the President of the
Leeds Law Society?
I can pinpoint it to a few moments.
I was a fairly junior solicitor, and I
took on a case that had very serious
allegations of domestic abuse. The man
accused of domestic abuse decided
to send me death threats, harass me,
and he was quite aggressive and was
generally unpleasant. This went on for
a period of about 18 to 20 months and
then just as that case ended, one of
my favourite clients died by suicide.
From that moment, I decided I did not
want to practice law anymore. I then
went through a difficult period where
I really did not want to be in the legal
profession if it was going to be that bad
that quickly. Following these events,
I got some counselling through my
firm, and decided not to make any rash
decisions about leaving law. So, when
I came back with a fresh perspective
after my counselling, I realised I wasn’t
the only person who had gone through
something like that, especially in family
law. It occurred to me that there wasn’t
enough support or preparation in family
law and criminal law, which have to deal
with very high conflict and stressful
situations. As a profession, we need
to do better and do more to prepare
lawyers for these, unfortunately,
inevitable circumstances.
I looked at different ways I could make
a difference in supporting lawyers that
had gone through what I had, but it
was difficult as I felt like I have never
had a voice for a cause. The Law Society
was a place I could see myself having
“It started off as a
mission to improve
wellbeing and
then it developed
into wanting to
improve diversity
and inclusion in the
profession.”
“Trusting and listening to my burning
desire to make things different, rather than
talking myself out of it like I would have
done before.”
a platform. I was put in touch with a
member of the board and met up with
them, and the rest is history. I did a
couple of years as director, and now I
am in my Presidential year. If it wasn’t
for those two defining moments in my
early career, I don’t think I would have
had the realisation that there was so
much change that was needed, and I
believe I wouldn’t be in the position I
am now.
It started off as a mission to improve
wellbeing and then it developed into
wanting to improve diversity and
inclusion in the profession. There are so
many gaps, and so many areas where
we could be doing better, and that is
what has led me to where I am today.
What made you decide to put
yourself forward for president,
and how did you prepare yourself
for the responsibilities of being
president?
In terms of leadership, I never really
saw anyone who looked like me, and
I felt like I had no one to look up to.
If you look at the legal profession you
can see there are noticeably more
men than women however, in family
law there is a larger female presence
than other sectors of law. This isn’t
because family law is doing anything
specifically to attract more women,
it just so happens that more women
chose this area. Law isn’t racially
diverse either. I am the first person in
the 150 years of The Leeds Law Society
to hold the position of President who
is not white, which is crazy to think
about in a multicultural city like Leeds.
Whilst I don’t feel like the lack of
diversity was something that deterred
me from a career in law, I have met
people where it has. I was at a school
recently talking with young students
about being a lawyer, and one student
said to me “I didn’t realise I could be
a lawyer,” and I asked why, and they
said, “Because lawyers don’t look like
me on T.V.”. It got me thinking that if I
thought about the lack of diversity and
representation in the legal industry
when I was younger it might have put
me off and I might have ended up
doing something completely different.
In terms of preparation, I sat on the
board for a couple of years which gave
me a good insight into how everything
worked and how it runs. Over COVID,
there were conversations about getting
some different perspectives in, and
some “younger blood” to come and do
the role. So, we changed the structure
to where there would be two Vice
Presidents at once to make it easier
for us who were less established in our
careers to be able to juggle a leadership
role and grow our careers. My two years
as vice president really helped as well.
It created a soft landing into the role
of President, as by the time I took the
position as President I had learned the
ropes, knew what I needed to do, and
was able to essentially hit the ground
running.
How has your experience as
a dark-skinned Asian woman
shaped your time as president?
It has given me a different focus. When
I started talking about how I felt, and
other people shared the same feelings
as me, I realised there must be so many
of us holding onto these feelings.
There is a universal sense of not being
understood.
So, my focus really did change from
solely being about wellbeing to include
raising the visibility of diverse leaders
and improve the general diversity of
our profession. I recognise that I am in
a very privileged position, and I don’t
want to waste that, and because of
that I say “Yes” to as many things that I
possibly can. By saying yes, I get to be
involved with projects, go to places, and
be in rooms where you don’t tend to
see people who look like me.
I was adopted from Sri Lanka at 10
days old by my parents, who are both
White British, and my up bring has been
6 7

INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
“We all have a responsibility to improve
the environment of the profession by doing
small things, and big things.”
different to most other British Asians. I
didn’t feel culturally different from my
white friends, I just looked different. I
never considered that I would have to
work harder simply because of how I
looked so, it was a bit of a shock when
I entered the profession. It did mean
though that initially I had a different
sense of confidence in my presence
in the legal industry, but as time went
on, I became more conscious of how I
approached my work.
Because of my experience, I am trying
to create more spaces for minority
people in the legal industry in Leeds
by holding more diverse networking
events, and alcohol-free events.
Balancing work, personal life, and
leadership commitments can be
demanding. What strategies have
you found effective in maintaining
this balance?
This is something I’m still working on.
I haven’t got it right yet. For my year
as President, I accepted that I wasn’t
going to have a work-life balance. I am
in this position for only twelve months,
and I want to make the most of it. I
don’t believe that I will look back and
think to myself, “I should have said no
to that, or I should have missed that
event and gone to bed earlier.” That
was never going to happen.
In terms of leadership management, it’s
about learning to say ‘No’, and learning
“In terms of
leadership
management, it’s
about learning
to say ‘No’, and
learning what your
limits are.”
what your limits are. I like to think about
what the most important thing to me
is, and it is giving my team at work
what they need, taking on this role, and
doing it all to the best of my ability. As
President, these are my priorities, and
I’ve accepted that this year I won’t be
getting a bonus, as my billing hours have
been reduced due to my commitments
to non-fee earning roles. It’s all about
learning to be okay with that and
learning to measure my success in a
different way that isn’t monetary.
The other thing that helps me balance
work would be my lists. I love a list.
Even my lists have sub-lists. I have a
big calendar on my wall everything
gets written on. It’s all about being
over-organised.
Reflecting on your journey, are
there decisions or risks you took
that you believe played a key role
in your current success?
It probably comes back to the first
question about getting myself on the
board. Trusting and listening to my
burning desire to make things different,
rather than talking myself out of it like
I would have done before. My previous
goal was to just be a competent lawyer,
that sounded like she knew what she
was doing. It wasn’t necessarily to be
the best, have a platform or a public
platform, and don’t be terrible at your
job. Over the years that has changed,
and it’s changed in a good way. So, now
my focus is on having that platform and
making the most of it. The risk took
putting myself forward for the board and
doing something I had never done.
The legal profession is often
seen as traditionally hierarchical.
How do you envision breaking
down barriers and encouraging
young professionals to assume
leadership roles?
The next generation seem to be
doing that for themselves. When I was
looking for a training contract, the
mindset was to get in wherever you
could, do what you have to do, and
put up with whatever comes your way,
and then deal with it after you are
qualified. Now, and I see it more often,
the next generation see this process
as a two way processes, which it is.
Young people understand that whilst
firms are interviewing them, they are
also interviewing the firms. The next
generation is asking the questions,
and finding out if it is a good fit for
them, if the culture is right, and do the
company’s values align with their own.
What I want to do is encourage this
behaviour and way of doing things.
Having a generation of people who are
willing to ask questions such as “What
did your firm do when George Floyd
was killed, and how did you support
your workers?” or “What are your DNI
Initiatives?” will create a more inclusive
profession, and a healthier profession.
The profession isn’t going to change
and grow if people continue to put
up with negative aspects of the
industry. Submitting yourself to a
work environment that doesn’t align
with what you want or believe can
have a massive impact on your career
progression. Working in an environment
that you feel a part of and supported in
can make all the difference in achieving
your goals and having the confidence
to put yourself forward for leadership
roles.
Representation is another major point
that is essential to encouraging young
people to assume leadership roles,
and one that I advocate for. If the next
generation can see themselves reflected
in a firm’s partners, and other leaders
in the industry, that will let them know
that there is a space for them. I really
encourage the industry to make sure
that their leaders look like the people
they help and are a reflection of the
diversity of the population.
It’s one thing to ask the next generation
what they want, but as leaders, we have
a responsibility to educate ourselves,
and improve things for the next
generation.
A few days ago, I was having a bad day,
and I caught myself. Someone more
junior than me had made a mistake and
I started typing the email. I stopped
and thought how this type of email
would have made me feel when I was
“I truly believe that society will not trust our legal systems if they
don’t see themselves represented in it.”
a junior if I received an email like this from some with the title
‘Partner’. I know I would have stewed over that all weekend.
I decided to wait and write the email until I wasn’t in as much
of a strop. It’s about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
We all have a responsibility to improve the environment of the
profession by doing small things, and big things.
Mentoring and guidance can be transformative
for young lawyers. How do you plan to facilitate
meaningful mentorship connections within the Leeds
Law Society?
A few of the things we are doing this year include each month
spotlighting a new and diverse lawyer. We get them to answer
the same questions as each other, and then we share them
on all our social media platforms. This doesn’t automatically
create new connections, but it gives people sight of people
who look like them, it gives people names. We will have an
awards show at the end of the year, where all our spotlighted
lawyers will be there, and hopefully that will give them more
opportunities to network.
We are also putting on more fun events, that aren’t focussed
on drinking. Some of these events involve universities and we
are carefully selecting who we send so that young people can
see themselves in our representatives.
“For my legacy in ten years’
time, I hope that I have created
more safe spaces and a more
diverse industry.”
Looking ahead, what legacy do you hope to leave for
young legal professionals who are inspired by your
journey and leadership within the Leeds Law Society?
I would like to have opened more people’s minds to a career
in law. I would like to show them that it is possible to do it
when you don’t look like the stereotypical lawyer. In terms of
the events we are hosting, I hope that the range of diverse
and inclusive events are a success and create a change to how
we network in this profession.
As for my legacy in ten years’ time, I hope that I have created
more safe spaces and a more diverse industry. I truly believe
that society will not trust our legal systems if they don’t see
themselves represented in it.
Shanika Varga-Haynes,
Team Leader Partner at Stowe Family Law LLP, and
President of the Leeds Law Society.
8 9

INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
“Effective attraction and retention involve transparent communication,
flexible work arrangements, investment in growth, interactive recruitment,
recognition, and an inclusive culture.”
The Art Of
Recruitment and Retainment
Joel is a recruitment expert who partners with recruitment
teams across the globe to help them find their voice in a
crowded marketplace by imparting a creative strategy and
equipping them with the knowledge and tools to tell their story.
How has the recruitment
process for the next generation
of employees evolved compared
to previous generations?
The recruitment process for the
next generation of employees has
undergone a profound evolution in
contrast to previous generations. The
advent of technology and the rise of
digital platforms have catalysed this
transformation. Unlike the past, where
print media and physical applications
were predominant, today’s recruitment
heavily relies on online job boards, social
media, and professional networking
sites. This shift has expanded the reach
of job listings exponentially, enabling
companies to tap into a global talent
pool. Additionally, employer branding
has gained immense importance, with
organisations strategically showcasing
their company culture, values, and
growth prospects to attract younger
candidates who seek a sense of purpose
in their work.
Furthermore, interactivity and
personalisation have become
pivotal aspects of the recruitment
process. Virtual interviews, gamified
assessments, and virtual reality office
tours have emerged as tools to create
immersive experiences for candidates.
These changes reflect the desire for
engagement and authenticity, traits
highly valued by the next generation.
The recruitment journey has transitioned
from a one-sided selection process to a
dynamic interaction where candidates
assess employers just as rigorously.
In essence, the recruitment process
has evolved into a technologically
driven, interactive, and candidatecentric
experience. It aligns with the
preferences and expectations of the
next generation, catering to their digital
fluency, quest for purpose, and desire
for meaningful engagement.
“Fostering an inclusive
work environment is
paramount, particularly
for the younger
generations who place
high value on diversity
and equity.”
What are the key characteristics and skills that
the next generation of job seekers bring to the
workforce?
The next generation of job seekers, primarily consisting
of Millennials and Generation Z, bring a distinct set of
characteristics and skills to the workforce. Technologically adept,
they possess exceptional digital literacy and communication
skills, seamlessly navigating digital platforms and adopting new
technologies. Their adaptability is a hallmark trait, enabling
them to quickly learn and integrate evolving tools and software
in the ever-changing workplace.
A central characteristic is their strong emphasis on purpose-driven
work. These job seekers seek roles that align with their values and
contribute to societal betterment, valuing meaningful impact over
job titles. Collaboration and teamwork come naturally to them, as
they thrive in diverse and inclusive work environments. Effective
collaborators, they excel in cross-functional projects, drawing on their
open-mindedness and adeptness in harnessing collective strengths.
Furthermore, critical thinking and creativity characterise their
problem-solving approach. They possess the capacity to analyse
complex situations, offering innovative solutions that reflect their
ability to think beyond convention. Multitasking is another forte;
they’re accustomed to managing various responsibilities concurrently.
The next generation brings digital prowess, adaptability, purposedriven
perspectives, collaborative skills, critical thinking, and
multitasking abilities to the workforce. These attributes align
with the demands of modern workplaces, fostering innovation,
inclusive collaboration, and a forward-thinking approach.
How can employers effectively attract and retain
the next generation of talent in a competitive
job market?
Effectively attracting and retaining the next generation of talent
in a competitive job market requires a multifaceted approach
that aligns with their values and aspirations. Employers must
prioritise transparent communication of company culture, growth
opportunities, and work-life balance. Clear articulation of the
organization’s mission and impact resonates with their desire for
purposeful work.
Flexible work arrangements, including remote options and
adaptable schedules, acknowledge their pursuit of work-life
integration. Investment in professional development programs
and mentorship opportunities demonstrates commitment to their
growth. Offering personalised career paths showcases long-term
prospects within the organisation.
Interactive recruitment processes, such as virtual office tours
and gamified assessments, engage their tech-savvy nature.
Consistent feedback loops and open channels of communication
demonstrate their voices are heard.
To retain this talent, fostering an inclusive and collaborative
workplace culture is vital. Recognising their contributions and
creating platforms for their ideas to flourish fosters a sense of
belonging. Regular feedback sessions align with their desire for
growth and learning.
Effective attraction and retention involve transparent
communication, flexible work arrangements, investment in
growth, interactive recruitment, recognition, and an inclusive
culture. Employers who align with these values will stand out in
the competitive job market and cultivate a loyal and motivated
next-generation workforce.
Are there any specific generational preferences
or expectations that employers should be aware
of when designing their recruitment strategies?
Employers should be acutely aware of generational preferences
and expectations when designing recruitment strategies, as
tailoring approaches to resonate with each generation is crucial.
For instance, Millennials and Generation Z prioritise authenticity
and transparency. They seek organisations that align with their
values and are more likely to engage when companies showcase
their ethical practices and societal contributions.
Work-life balance is a recurring theme, especially for Millennials
and Gen Z, who prioritize flexibility and remote work options.
Highlighting these arrangements can greatly influence their
decision to join an organization.
Moreover, fostering an inclusive
work environment is
paramount, particularly for
the younger generations
who place high value
on diversity and equity.
Employers should
showcase their commitment
to these principles in their
recruitment materials.
Employers should craft
recruitment strategies that
emphasise authenticity,
interactive experiences,
flexible work options,
inclusivity, and avenues
for growth, reflecting the
preferences and expectations of
each generation.
10
11

INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
As the next generation values
work-life balance, how can
employers accommodate these
expectations while ensuring
productivity and performance?
Accommodating the next generation’s
emphasis on work-life balance while
maintaining productivity and performance
requires a balanced and flexible approach.
Employers can adopt several strategies to
meet these expectations effectively.
Firstly, offering flexible work arrangements,
such as remote work options and flexible
hours, empowers employees to manage
their time according to their personal
needs, contributing to a healthier
work-life equilibrium. Establishing clear
communication channels and expectations
becomes vital to ensure seamless
collaboration and accountability in
remote settings.
Secondly, setting realistic goals and
performance metrics allows employees
to focus on outcomes rather than
mere presence. Task-based evaluations
shift the focus to results, motivating
individuals to manage their time
efficiently and prioritise tasks effectively.
Thirdly, promoting well-being initiatives
and mental health support within the
workplace demonstrates a commitment
to employees’ holistic health. Providing
resources for stress management,
mindfulness, and health-related activities
fosters a positive work environment.
Fourthly, encouraging breaks and time off
is essential. Unlimited vacation policies or
mandatory time off help prevent burnout,
allowing employees to recharge and
return to work with renewed energy.
The key to work-life balance is providing
flexibility. We all have lives outside of work
and other responsibilities, so let us treat
employees that are performing like adults.
Make it easy for people to go to doctor
appointments or a child sports event. If
your employees are not performing then
you can address it, but leading with trust
is key. Other ideas are encouraging PTO or
providing flexible schedules.
How does technology play a
role in the recruitment process
for the next generation, and
what tools should employers
utilise to engage with
potential candidates?
Technology plays a pivotal role in
modern recruitment processes for the
next generation of job seekers. The
digitally native nature of this generation
demands innovative and tech-driven
approaches. Social media platforms,
online job boards, and professional
networking sites have become essential
channels for reaching and engaging
potential candidates. These platforms
facilitate targeted outreach and create a
wider reach than traditional methods.
Interactive tools like video interviews,
virtual reality office tours, and gamified
assessments cater to the tech-savvy
preferences of the next generation. Video
interviews provide a dynamic way to
assess candidates remotely, while virtual
reality tours offer immersive insights into
the company culture and workspace.
Gamified assessments inject an element
of engagement and interactivity, making
the application process more enjoyable.
Furthermore, AI-driven tools streamline
candidate sourcing and initial screenings.
Chatbots provide instant responses to
candidates’ queries, enhancing their
experience and quickening the process.
Employers should utilise applicant tracking
systems (ATS) to manage applications
efficiently and maintain candidate
databases. AI-powered algorithms can help
match job requirements with candidates’
profiles effectively.
Social media engagement is crucial.
Employers should maintain active and
authentic social media presence to
showcase company culture, values, and
accomplishments. This strategy allows for
direct engagement with candidates and
creates a sense of transparency.
“The next generation of job seekers,
primarily consisting of Millennials and
Generation Z, bring a distinct set of
characteristics and skills to the workforce.”
In essence, technology-driven recruitment
tools enhance engagement, streamline
processes, and align with the preferences
of the next generation. Employers must
leverage these tools to create an appealing
and interactive recruitment experience that
resonates with tech-savvy candidates.
With diversity and inclusion
being critical to the younger
workforce, how can employers
create a culture that embraces
and celebrates differences?
Creating a culture that genuinely embraces
and celebrates diversity and inclusion is
imperative for attracting and retaining
the younger workforce. To achieve this,
employers must take proactive steps that
go beyond superficial gestures.
Firstly, leadership commitment is pivotal.
Leaders should champion diversity and
inclusion through their actions, decisions,
and communication, setting an example
for the entire organisation.
Transparent and unbiased recruitment
practices are essential. Implementing
blind resume reviews, diverse interview
panels, and inclusive job descriptions can
mitigate unconscious biases and foster a
more diverse candidate pool.
Training and education are powerful tools.
Regular diversity training for employees,
including leadership, can raise awareness
about unconscious biases and promote
respectful interactions.
Employee resource groups (ERGs)
offer safe spaces for underrepresented
employees to connect and voice concerns.
Employers should support and empower
ERGs, allowing them to influence
company policies and practices.
Flexibility in work arrangements and
policies accommodates diverse needs,
such as childcare, religious observances,
or disabilities. This inclusivity signals a
commitment to employee well-being.
Open dialogue is crucial. Employers
should encourage open conversations
about diversity and inclusion, addressing
concerns and promoting understanding
across the organisation.
Recognising and celebrating diverse
cultural events and heritage months
demonstrates a commitment to
embracing differences and acknowledges
the contributions of all employees.
Creating a culture that embraces and
celebrates diversity requires leadership
commitment, transparent recruitment,
training, ERGs, flexible policies, open
dialogue, and cultural celebrations.
Employers must embed these principles
“Leaders should champion diversity and
inclusion through their actions, decisions,
and communication.”
into the organisation’s DNA to foster
an inclusive environment where all
employees feel valued and empowered.
What role does company
reputation and social
responsibility play in attracting
the next generation of
employees, and how can
employers effectively showcase
these aspects?
Company reputation and social
responsibility play a significant role
in attracting the next generation of
employees, as these factors align with
their values and desire for purposeful
work. Younger job seekers prioritise
employers with strong ethical standings
and a commitment to making a positive
impact on society.
Employers can effectively showcase
these aspects through transparent
communication. Highlighting company
values, mission statements, and social
initiatives on various platforms, including
the company website and social media,
demonstrates a genuine commitment to
social responsibility.
Engagement in philanthropic activities
and community involvement can
be showcased through employee
testimonials, success stories, and
partnerships with nonprofit organisations.
Sharing the outcomes and positive
changes resulting from these efforts
underscores the organisation’s impact.
Employers should also integrate social
responsibility into their business
practices. From sustainable operations
to ethical supply chains, these actions
demonstrate a holistic approach to
responsibility and sustainability.
Involving employees in social
responsibility initiatives fosters a sense
of ownership and pride. Encouraging
volunteerism, offering paid time off for
community service, or organising charity
events allows employees to actively
participate in the company’s mission.
Company reputation and social
responsibility resonate deeply with the next
generation of employees. Employers must
showcase these aspects through transparent
communication, tangible actions, employee
involvement, and integration of responsible
practices to attract talent that values
purpose and positive impact.
Are there any significant
generational differences
in terms of career growth
expectations, and how can
employers support the
professional development of
their younger employees?
Generational differences indeed
influence career growth expectations.
Younger generations, like Millennials
and Generation Z, often have higher
expectations for rapid advancement
and learning opportunities compared to
previous generations. They seek roles
that provide continuous learning, skill
development, and opportunities for
advancement within a relatively short span.
To support the professional development
of younger employees, employers can
implement several strategies. First,
offering mentorship programs connects
them with experienced professionals
who can provide guidance and insights.
Regular feedback and performance
reviews help map out clear paths for
growth and improvement.
Encouraging cross-functional experiences
enables exposure to diverse roles,
enhancing skill sets and fostering
adaptability. Employers should also
prioritise providing access to training
programs, workshops, and online courses
to keep skills up-to-date and relevant.
Setting up clear promotion and
advancement criteria, along with transparent
communication about expectations, ensures
employees understand the path to higher
positions. Flexibility to explore new roles
within the company keeps them engaged
and motivated.
Understanding generational differences
in career growth expectations is crucial.
Employers can support the professional
development of younger employees by
offering mentorship, regular feedback,
cross-functional experiences, continuous
learning opportunities, and a clear path
for advancement. By aligning with their
aspirations, organisations can nurture and
retain a motivated and skilled workforce.
In an ever-changing world,
what steps can employers
take to future-proof their
organisations and prepare for
the expectations of the next
generation of workers?
In the face of an ever-changing world,
employers must take strategic steps to
future-proof their organisations and meet
the expectations of the next generation
of workers. Firstly, fostering a culture of
continuous learning is crucial. Establishing
upskilling and reskilling programs ensures
employees stay adaptable in rapidly
evolving industries.
Secondly, embracing technological
innovation is essential. Integrating
automation and artificial intelligence in
processes can streamline operations and
enhance efficiency, aligning with the
tech-savvy nature of the next generation.
Thirdly, promoting diversity and inclusion is
paramount. Creating a workforce that values
varied perspectives and experiences fosters
innovation and mirrors the expectations of a
diverse younger workforce.
Moreover, flexibility in work
arrangements, including remote work
options, acknowledges the changing
dynamics of work-life integration and
the desire for a healthy balance.
Building strong employer branding
around social responsibility, ethical
practices, and sustainability appeals to
the values of the younger generation and
establishes a positive reputation.
Lastly, engaging in open communication
with employees about their aspirations
and expectations fosters a sense of
involvement and empowerment, aligning
organizational strategies with their desires.
Listen to your younger workers. Research
and engage in their communities. One of
the biggest ways you can do this is to pay
attention to podcasts and social media. I’ve
learned more from spending 2 hours on
Tiktok content than I would from reading
another theoretical article from a Guru.
In conclusion, to future-proof
organisations and cater to the next
generation’s expectations, employers
should prioritise continuous learning,
technological integration, diversity and
inclusion, flexible work arrangements,
ethical practices, and transparent
communication. These steps not only
align with the evolving workforce but
also create resilient and adaptable
organisations ready to thrive in the everchanging
landscape.
Joel Lalgee, Head Instructor, The Realest Recruiter.
12
13

INSIGHT
INSIGHT
Championing An Alternative Route Into Law
I hope for a future where we have a profession that is as diverse as the communities it serves.
Growing My Career
What attracted you to enter the
legal profession?
Academically speaking, I saw law as
a combination of my A level subjects:
History, Geography and Politics. From
a career perspective, the legal sector
offers such a wide variety of practice
areas meaning that there are so many
options in terms of what area I can
choose to specialise in. A career in law is
challenging and fast paced, and I wanted
to pick an occupation where I constantly
have to grow and evolve, both personally
and professionally.
How has your experience been so
far? What have been your greatest
moments, and biggest challenges?
As an apprentice, I feel proud to be
championing an alternative route into the
legal profession and acting as a role model
for those who previously would not have
considered a career in law. There are often
misconceptions surrounding apprentices,
and I have enjoyed dismissing these
and educating a range of people on the
benefits of apprentices for business.
Some highlights so far include:
• Facilitated and led on an interview with
I. Stephanie Boyce, a past president of
the Law Society of England and Wales.
• As part of the firm’s pro bono work
with the Domestic Abuse Response
Alliance (DARA), I achieved a 2 year
non molestation order for our client
and completed the first case that
DLA Piper has assisted with.
• Primary contributor of the framework
and structure of the University
of Law’s “Belong and Succeed
Conference”. The conference was
designed to showcase diversity in the
professional world and help students
overcome some of the challenges and
barriers they might face entering the
professional services industry.
• Primary contributor and speaker
for pro Manchester event
‘Apprenticeships – a golden ticket for
social mobility?’
• Received Highly Commended
accolade for Young Apprentice
of the Year at North West Young
Professionals Awards 2023.
• Won The University of Law Students’
Union “Leading Inclusivity” award in
recognition of my work in Diversity and
Inclusion and as a BAME advocate.
Biggest challenges:
• Moving from college, straight into an
office environment was a big culture
shock, this meant I had to adapt to
my new environment. The lessons I
learnt, I now pass on to prospective
legal professionals.
• Manging work and study as an
apprentice, however as I have
progressed on my apprenticeship,
I have been able to establish good
time management through a routine
that means I have adequate time for
work, study, and socialising.
• Public speaking was a challenge for
me, I remember when I first started
work, I would be nervous prior to even
a phone call. However, as time has
elapsed, I have built up my confidence
and routinely speak and contribute in
a range of group settings.
What are/were the most important
aspects you look/ed for when
searching for a job? (i.e., positive
company culture, company ethos,
career growth potential
A firm’s values aligning with my own,
underpin what I look for in a workplace.
One of DLA Piper’s values is ‘Be
Supportive’ and is demonstrated
through our ranking as one of the best
UK pro bono firms. I believe everyone,
regardless of background, deserves
access to justice, therefore it is important
to me that my workplace supports
underrepresented groups.
Another one of our values is ‘Be
Exceptional’ and DLA Piper’s client base,
strengthened by our international presence
with 90 offices in 40 countries, means that
I am constantly exposed to complex and
ground breaking legal work, which ensures
I am constantly intellectually stimulated
and exposed to new and exciting projects.
“I hope for a future
where we have
a profession that
is as diverse as
the communities
it serves ”
What can the older generation of the
legal profession do to support and
uplift the next generation?
I am a big believer in the value of
constructive feedback, and I believe
that the older generation should foster
a culture whereby the next generation
feel comfortable sharing their thoughts
on what can be done better. It is
empowering when change is sought
after by all members of organisations.
Equally, I believe where possible senior
members should invest in young talent
by maximising client exposure to junior
members of the team. This will help
juniors build relationships that will
encourage sustainable and long-lasting
client relationships.
What are your hopes for the future of
the legal profession and its culture?
I often cite, that I do not fit the mould
of a “stereotypical lawyer” due to my
Mancunian accent, afro hair, and multiple
tattoos. I hope for a future where we
have a profession that is as diverse as the
communities it serves, and the stereotype
of what someone who works in law looks
like becomes a thing of the past.
I also hope that law firms continue to
build on giving back to the communities
they serve through their ESG, pro bono
and charity work. The pool of talent,
resources and connections law firms
have made them a perfect organisation
to help make positive societal changes.
Fabian
Murray,
Solicitor
Apprentice,
DLA Piper.
I hardly had any experience in the legal sector and the mentorship that I have had, has
allowed me to grow into a Paralegal and hopefully one day a solicitor.
What attracted you to enter into the
legal profession?
My family inspired me, my sister is a
nurse, my sister-in-law is a solicitor, and
my mum has always worked so hard.
I knew that I wanted to follow them
and work in an area where I could help
people and I fell into family law and
loved it. I also liked the idea that with
the legal profession, every day would be
different and challenging.
How has your experience been so far?
My experience has been amazing, I have
been so lucky to have two great mentors
in Jo and Tracy. They have taken the time
out of their busy schedules to teach me
so much, they have allowed me to make
mistakes and learn from them which has
made my training so much easier. I could
never thank them both enough!
Greatest moments?
Winning the Best Paralegal Award has
been one of my greatest moments I
was so shocked, but also getting to
attend Court for the first time and
watching the solicitors and barristers
work was so inspiring.
Biggest challenges?
I think my biggest challenges have
probably mirrored so many others who
have stepped into the legal profession,
learning a new role is always difficult but
in the legal sector it can be quite intense
especially when it is busy, you have to
learn how to prioritise your workload.
I also think in family law emotions are
naturally running high, learning how to
navigate that was challenging at first.
What are/were the most important
aspects you look/ed for when
searching for a job?
When I looked for the role that I am in
now, I knew that I wanted to work for
a company that would encourage me
and allow me to progress in my career
and somewhere that felt positive, where
people were happy to go to work to
in the morning. When I interviewed
at Symes Bains Broomer, I remember
walking in, and everyone behind the
reception desk was smiling and people
seemed genuinely happy to be at work,
it instantly put me at ease. When I was
asked in my interview where I wanted
to be in 5 years’ time and I said I
wanted to be a solicitor, they were very
encouraging and open minded.
What can the older generation of the
legal profession do to support and
uplift the next generation?
I think the older generation just
need to take the time to mentor and
encourage the next generation. I know
that I would not have done so well if
it was not for the help and guidance
that I received from the people around
me. I also think that providing those
opportunities to the next generation
“I think the older generation just need to
take the time to mentor and encourage the
next generation. I know that I would not have
done so well if it was not for the help and
guidance that I received from the people
around me.”
“Winning the Best Paralegal Award has been
one of my greatest moments I was
so shocked,”
is important, by allowing me to attend
Court hearings with barristers and work
with different people, it allowed me to
learn from other legal professionals and
grow my confidence.
What are your hopes for the future of
the legal profession and its culture?
I hope the legal profession continues
to become more accessible to people
who are just starting their careers
coming out of university. It can be
quite scary starting your career due to
the competitive nature of the industry.
When I started at Symes Bains
Broomer, I hardly had any experience
in the legal sector and the mentorship
that I have had, has allowed me to
grow into a Paralegal and hopefully
one day a solicitor.
Rhian Evans, Paralegal,
Symes Bains Broomer.
14 15

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What qualities and attributes do
you prioritise when hiring the next
generation of legal professionals to
ensure they align with your law firm’s
values and goals?
The qualities and attributes of the
individuals coming into our growing team
really depends on the position. Over the
years, we have shaped our hiring process
to better ensure that we have the right
people in the right seats. We do this
by leveraging data from behavioural,
cognitive, and technical assessments, to
map people back to the requirements set
for a given role. I work alongside a coach
(who also coaches my team on a 1:1 basis),
to continually improve this. This involves
coaching me to become a better leader
and working together with the team to
determine our values.
As technology continues to shape the
legal industry, what specific skills or
proficiencies do you expect from the
next generation of legal professionals
to effectively navigate and utilise
these advancements?
Our team members must be proficient in
technology, but that doesn’t mean that
they need prior experience in any of the
programs we use. What is important is that
they are open to new ways of working,
do not freeze when they encounter new
software or solutions, and are enthusiastic
about moving towards a new way of
working and collaborating with team
members to get the job done. We test IT
proficiency as part of our hiring process,
but it’s an individual’s behavioural profile
that really tells us if a person has the key
behavioural drives required of the position.
What trends do you anticipate
in terms of work ethic, work-life
balance, and collaboration preferences
among the next generation of legal
professionals, and how does your firm
plan to adapt to these shifts?
Certainly, in terms of work life balance,
I have seen a continuing shift in the
expectations of staff insofar as being able
to work from home and design their own
days. This takes trial and error with a small
team because you’ve got to consider cover
at the office when clients are still coming
in, as well as cover for that person’s specific
function when they are not there either
physically, or at all due to absence.
As our team grows, we are able to
provide more flexibility, but I have found
that clear boundaries are essential so
that the needs of the business are met,
and the demands placed on colleagues
who may have to step up to cover
absences, are not unreasonable.
Regarding collaboration, my main
observation relates to the exchange of
information by email and how to reduce
this noise. With staff members working
from home, it means that learning,
and staying in the loop, by osmosis
is lost. Emails remain a great way to
communicate important information,
but as between the team, I implemented
some time ago, a firm knowledgebase
to streamline information sharing. This
centralises essential information and is
powered by AI, so it gets smarter the
more you use it. I would say that this
is the single best thing I implemented
internally in the last couple of years.
In your experience, what are
some of the most common areas
of skill gaps you’ve observed in
the skill sets of emerging legal
professionals, and how does your
firm approach addressing and
bridging these gaps?
The ability to deal with distractions and
remain focused on the outcome of a task.
The world of work continues to change
at a pace. No one has been schooled
in how to work, especially how to work
in today’s workplace where there are
constant interruptions. At Roche Legal,
I am working on in-house training for
email and diary management, and
effective delegation right now.
“The world
of work
continues
to change at
a pace.”
Everything can get done, but the
methods have evolved, and we’ve got
to keep up. This also means managing
the expectations of our clients and of
ourselves, and I continue to learn and
develop myself and my team alongside
these changes.
As diversity, equity, and inclusion
become increasingly important in
all industries, including law, how
does your firm assess the cultural
competence and ability of young
legal professionals to work with
a diverse range of clients and
colleagues? What steps do you take
to foster an inclusive environment
within your firm?
We have clear standards of behaviour
at the firm for inclusion, treating all
colleagues with dignity and respect, and
empowering employees to challenge
exclusionary behaviour. We are a small,
closeknit team; we invest time and
resources getting to know each other’s
individual work styles, and our team
type based on our collective behavioural
identity. Through our work getting
to know each other’s communication
preferences, we increased awareness
of communication styles, strengths,
cautions and blockers, so that we can
form better, more effective working
relationships as a team. Collectively, this
also helps us to understand how our
team identity manifests as strengths and
blind spots, and how we can use each to
the team’s advantage.
Rachel Roche,
Owner,
Roche Legal
17

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Black Antelope Law’s Guiding Principles
We highly value diversity, wholeheartedly committing to a range of backgrounds and
distinctive perspectives that shape our fair and impartial approach.
What qualities and attributes do
you prioritise when hiring the next
generation of legal professionals to
ensure they align with your law firm’s
values and goals?
At Black Antelope Law, our approach
to selecting the next generation of
legal professionals goes beyond mere
technical expertise. We prioritise qualities
that align with our core values and
forward-thinking philosophy. Our ideal
candidates are innovative individuals
who challenge traditional legal norms,
exhibit adaptability, and showcase an
entrepreneurial spirit. Collaborative
synergy between solicitors and barristers
is of utmost importance, necessitating
interdisciplinary teamwork, effective
communication, and an open-minded
attitude. We highly value diversity,
wholeheartedly committing to a
range of backgrounds and distinctive
perspectives that shape our fair and
impartial approach. Ethical integrity and
a strong sense of social responsibility are
paramount, as we are seeking candidates
dedicated to fostering positive change.
Our meticulous selection process centres
around character, values, and vision,
placing innovation, collaboration,
diversity, and purpose at the forefront.
This ensures our team not only excels in
legal practice but also drives an era of
transformative legal progress.
As technology continues to shape the
legal industry, what specific skills or
proficiencies do you expect from the
next generation of legal professionals
to effectively navigate and utilise
these advancements?
In the swiftly evolving technological
landscape of the legal realm, the
future generation of legal professionals
must seamlessly integrate traditional
legal proficiency with cutting-edge
technological skills. A solid grasp of legal
technology is imperative, enabling efficient
data analysis, streamlined research, and
well-informed decision-making facilitated
by AI-powered research platforms.
Flexibility is pivotal, with a grasp of cloudbased
collaboration and virtual meeting
tools fostering effective communication
and global teamwork. A strong proficiency
in data analytics empowers strategic
decision-making, while cybersecurity
awareness guarantees the safeguarding
of sensitive information. Amid these
technological advancements, effective
communication and client empathy
remain indispensable. Ultimately, the
contemporary legal professional must be
tech-savvy, adaptable, data-literate, and
security-conscious, harnessing technology
as an enabler while upholding the
foundational principles of legal practice.
What trends do you anticipate
in terms of work ethic, work-life
balance, and collaboration preferences
among the next generation of legal
professionals, and how does your
firm plan to adapt to these shifts?
The forthcoming generation of legal
professionals is anticipated to bring
a fresh outlook on work dynamics,
placing emphasis on a harmonious blend
of work ethic, work-life equilibrium,
and collaborative inclinations. As
the lines between professional and
personal spheres continue to blur,
we foresee a growing emphasis on
flexibility and remote work alternatives.
We acknowledge the significance
of adjusting to these shifts by
implementing agile work arrangements
that empower our legal professionals to
sustain their productivity while nurturing
a wholesome work-life balance. Open
communication and transparent
expectations are high priorities, ensuring
our team members adeptly manage their
commitments while contributing to our
collective undertakings.
In your experience, what are some of
the most common areas of skill gaps
you’ve observed in the skill sets of
emerging legal professionals, and how
does your firm approach addressing
and bridging these gaps?
Drawing from our experience, budding
legal professionals might encounter
skill gaps in areas such as practical case
management, client interaction, and realworld
application of legal theories. To
bridge these gaps, we have meticulously
devised a robust mentorship program
that pairs junior members with seasoned
practitioners, including non-legal
professionals we frequently collaborate
with. This mentorship facilitates the
transfer of knowledge, refines practical
skills, and fosters a culture of continuous
learning. Moreover, we heavily invest
in ongoing professional development,
offering an array of workshops, seminars,
and access to online resources that
empower our team to stay at the
vanguard of legal practice.
As diversity, equity, and inclusion
become increasingly important in
all industries, including law, how
does your firm assess the cultural
competence and ability of young
legal professionals to work with
a diverse range of clients and
colleagues? What steps do you take
to foster an inclusive environment
within your firm?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion lie
at the core of Black Antelope Law’s
guiding principles. We evaluate the
cultural competence of emerging
legal professionals through structured
interview processes designed to gauge
their effectiveness in collaborating with
clients and colleagues from diverse
backgrounds. We actively cultivate an
inclusive environment by organising
diversity training, workshops on
cultural awareness, and open dialogues
concerning pressing issues. We cherish
the distinctive viewpoints each team
member brings to the table, recognising
that diverse perspectives enrich our
legal strategies and augment our ability
to cater to a wide spectrum of clients.
By nurturing an inclusive culture, we
ensure that our team is well-prepared to
navigate the intricacies of an increasingly
diverse legal landscape.
Shaheen
Mamun,
Director,
Black
Antelope
Law
19

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The role of the next generation
of legal professionals will have
to undergo a significant shift in
response to the rapidly changing
legal industry. The evolving role
of these professionals will be
shaped by various factors including
technological advancements,
changing client expectations, and the
globalised nature of issues.
Firstly, the integration of the next
generation of legal professionals will
play a pivotal role in reshaping the legal
landscape, which in some ways we are
already seeing with the implementation of
automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
The next generation will need to have a
solid understanding of the various types
of AI to harness their potential, enabling
them to focus on higher-level cognitive
tasks that require critical thinking,
creativity, and nuanced decision-making.
Moreover, the next generation will need
to possess a broader skill set. Beyond
traditional knowledge, they will need to
“The art of progress is to preserve
order amid change and to preserve
change amid order.” - Alfred North
Whitehead
As a qualified lawyer and the managing
director of SmartSearch, the digital
compliance partner for 1 in 3 of the UK’s
top 200 law firms, it is difficult not to get
excited about the transformative power
of technology and artificial intelligence
(AI). Embracing these advancements
undoubtedly brings a host of benefits, but
it is essential to be mindful of the pitfalls
they present. We must navigate the digital
landscape with caution, never losing
sight of the irreplaceable value of human
interaction and relationship building.
There is no denying that technology, and
more recently generative AI, are already
revolutionising the legal landscape. From
automating routine tasks to providing
data-driven insights, these tools enhance
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Adapting to Tomorrow’s
Legal Landscape: The Next
Generation of Legal Professionals
be tech-savvy, data-driven, and adaptable
to a rapidly changing environment.
Proficiency in data analytics and
understanding of emerging technologies
will become increasingly important to
navigate complexities of modern cases.
They will also be expected to enhance their
client centric approach. Clients now seek not
only legal expertise but also holistic solutions
that align with their business goals and
value. This means that legal professionals will
need to act as strategic partners, offering
a blend of advice, business acumen, and
ethical guidance. Effective communication
skills and the ability to build strong
relationships will be crucial in meeting their
evolving expectations.
Globalisation is another key driver of
change. Legal issues often transcend
borders, requiring lawyers to understand
international laws, regulations, and cultural
nuances. The next generation of legal
professionals will need to possess a global
mindset in and collaborate seamlessly with
counterparts from diverse legal systems.
Embrace technology, but not at
the cost of the human touch
efficiency and accuracy, freeing up
valuable time to focus on more strategic
aspects of our businesses.
However, as the famous saying goes,
“with greater power comes greater
responsibility”. As we embrace technology,
we must remain vigilant about the pitfalls.
Artificial intelligence, while powerful,
can often be biased or make errors. It is
imperative to maintain a critical eye on AI
outputs and ensure they align with ethical
and legal standards.
Despite the allure of automation, younger
legal professionals must remember that
law is fundamentally a human endeavour.
Clients seek legal counsel not just for
the expertise but for the empathy and
understanding that comes from human
interaction. The bond forged between a
lawyer and client is based on trust and
personalised attention cannot be replicated
by innovations in technology.
Furthermore, the ethical and social
dimensions of the legal profession will gain
prominence. With increasing awareness
of social justice, environmental concerns,
and human rights, legal professionals will
be called upon to advocate for societal
change. This could involve taking on pro
bono cases, engaging in public interest
litigation and participating in initiatives
that promote equality and justice.
In conclusion, the role of the next
generation is set to evolve significantly.
Technology will reshape their tasks,
requiring proficiency in both law and
emerging tools. Clients’ expectations will
demand a more holistic and strategic
approach, while globalisation and social
consciousness will broaden the scope of
their responsibilities. By embracing these
changes and adapting to the evolving
landscape, the next generation of legal
professionals can contribute to a more
efficient, inclusive, and just legal industry.
Adrian Jaggard,
CEO, Taylor Rose MW
At SmartSearch we leverage cuttingedge
anti-money laundering technology
to help regulated firms make informed
human decisions against sanctions and
politically exposed persons (PEP) lists in
mere seconds. Technology can automate
processes, but the power lies within that
informed human decision.
In the quote I opened this article with,
Whitehead encourages a balanced approach
to progress. One that appreciates the value
of maintaining order and stability while being
open to change and adaptation. This balance
is crucial to fostering growth and innovation
in law firms. The quote highlights the
corelation of order and change, recognising
that they are not opposing forces but rather
complementary aspects of progress.
For more information please visit:
www.smartsearch.com.
Martin Cheek,
COO, SmartSearch
21

EDITORIAL
BOARD
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What’s Love Got
To Do With I.T?
How technology can help firms retain and attract top
legal talent
Amid the cutthroat competition for legal talent, retention
isn’t just a priority—it’s a necessity. MHA’s 2022 Legal
Benchmarking Report reveals that replacing a fee-earner costs
a staggering £85k to £105k. But the true toll? The irreplaceable
expertise, client trust, and institutional knowledge that exits
when talent walks out the door. So, what differentiates the ‘stay
firms’ as termed by Thomson Reuters Institute? Their unyielding
commitment to innovation and technology.
Boost productivity through automation
Automation, especially in KYC and AML checks, curtails IDrelated
interruptions, paving the way for unparalleled legal
service. Clare Barclay, CEO at Microsoft UK, emphasises the
need for organisations to continue to evolve in The Blueprint for
UK Competitiveness. This evolution isn’t just about maintaining
an edge—it’s about magnetising talent.
Opt for integrated systems
Fluid integration of tools into existing systems isn’t a luxury—
it’s an imperative. Smooth integrations eliminate day-to-day
frustrations, by fostering process efficiency and effectiveness.
Turn compliance into peace of mind
Minimise the admin burden on legal professionals by
automating tasks like payment reminders and KYC checks,
attention can firmly remain on client service and billable work—
key drivers of job satisfaction and talent loyalty.
Elevate the client experience
Through our analysis of client payments, we found that about
55% of payments are finalised outside typical office hours.
As one client articulated, “Clients adopted payment links
instantly, saving us 60-70 hours across 600+ payments.” Clients
were effusive, marvelling at the sheer convenience of online
payments. Axiom’s 2023 New Life in the Law Survey Report
reinforces that when clients enjoy smooth interactions, lawyers
find greater joy in their roles.
Conclusion
In today’s legal sector, it’s not just about “what’s love got to do
with I.T?”, but about how deeply technology can resonate. By
harnessing tech that resonates with both legal professionals and
their clients, firms not only promise future-ready, exceptional
services but also stand out as havens for top-tier talent.
www.legl.com
Jack Such,
People Operations &
Talent Lead, Legl
Emma O’Day,
Chief Marketing Officer,
Cashroom
Leadership For The
Younger Generation
At Cashroom, a large part of the organisation is our
young, vibrant and talented team. So, how do the
leaders at Cashroom create a work environment that
resonates with the younger generation?
It’s a continuous challenge, but here are my top tips:
1. Purpose and Values: Younger generations seek work that
aligns with their values. We must clearly define our company’s
mission and values. When our workforce believes in the purpose
of our organization, their engagement and motivation soar.
2. Transparent Communication: Building trust requires open and
transparent communication. We encourage two-way dialogues,
actively listening to our employees’ ideas, concerns, and
feedback. Keeping everyone informed about company progress,
goals, and changes fosters a sense of trust and inclusivity.
3. Empowerment and Autonomy: Effective leaders delegate
responsibilities and provide employees with the freedom to
make decisions within their roles. This sense of ownership and
empowerment leads to increased job satisfaction.
4. Skill Development and Learning Opportunities: Continuous
learning and skill development are paramount to the younger
generation. We invest in training programs, mentorship, and
growth opportunities, demonstrating our commitment to
employee development and retaining top talent.
5. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Striking a healthy work-life
balance is highly valued by younger generations. Leaders who
promote flexible work arrangements, remote options, and
policies that support personal well-being create an environment
that respects and values their employees’ lives outside of work.
6. Recognition and Feedback: Regular recognition and constructive
feedback are crucial for motivating and retaining younger
employees. Our managers provide timely feedback, acknowledging
their contributions and boosting morale and job satisfaction.
7. Collaboration and Teamwork: The younger generation thrives
in collaborative work environments. We foster teamwork by
promoting cross-functional collaboration, creating inclusive
spaces for idea sharing.
8. Diversity and Inclusion: Prioritizing diversity and inclusion is a
key focus for the younger generation.
9. Technology Integration: Leveraging technology aligns with the
tech-savvy nature of the younger generation. We invest in tools and
platforms that streamline communication, project management,
and collaboration, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
10. Adaptability and Innovation: Younger employees appreciate
leaders who are adaptable and open to innovation.
11. Social and Environmental Responsibility: Younger
employees are drawn to companies that prioritize social and
environmental responsibility.
In essence, effective leadership for the younger generation
involves creating a workplace that emphasizes purpose,
communication, empowerment, growth, and inclusivity. By
understanding and adapting, we can create an environment
where both our organization and its workforce thrive
23

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EDITORIAL
BOARD
The Up-And-Coming
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This is surely the most important
topic in our profession, in every
profession, and in life generally, is it
not? Yet we’re so busy dealing with
the operational stuff day to day that
it’s often overlooked.
The up-and-coming leaders in litigation
– and in professional services generally
– are not just astute in the theory and
application of their discipline; they’re
also tech-savvy. They’re comfortable with
leveraging technological platforms to
conduct research, manage cases, and even
present in court. These digital tools are
increasingly integrated into the delivery
of professional services, enabling a more
effective and efficient process, especially in
complex personal injury cases.
When it comes to recruitment, the focus
has shifted. Firms are now looking for a
well-rounded skill set. A stellar academic
background is still desirable, of course,
but there’s an increasing emphasis on
‘soft skills’ like communication and
problem-solving. These skills are critical
in the field of personal injury law, where
understanding and empathising with
clients is just as important as legal or
financial acumen.
There’s also a move towards teamwork
and interdisciplinary collaboration. Young
professionals are keen on working together
to find solutions, often blending legal or
financial knowledge with insights from
other fields like psychology and data
science. This collaborative approach can
offer a more comprehensive understanding
of a client’s needs, improving the quality of
representation and ultimately the outcome
for the client.
But what excites me most is the growing
diversity in this next wave of legal talent
and the richness that comes with a mosaic
of experiences and perspectives. This
diversity is not just beneficial; it’s essential,
especially in personal injury law, which
serves a diverse clientele with equally
diverse needs.
The next generation of professionals in our
field brings a lot to the table: technological
adeptness, a broad range of skills, a
collaborative spirit, and a rich diversity. It’s
up to us, the current leaders in this space,
to mentor these promising individuals
and adapt our practices to ensure they
reach their full potential, for their benefit
and for the future of the personal injury
community.
Mark Holt,
COO, Frenkel Topping Group
The Importance Of Continuous
Learning And Professional Growth
Continuous learning and professional
growth are crucial aspects of
any legal professionals’ career,
particularly for younger practitioners
who are at the early stages of their
journey. Encouraging and supporting
the development of these skills
is essential to ensure that young
lawyers stay motivated, engaged, and
invested in their careers for the long
term. But how can this be achieved?
Legal firms could think about establishing
structured training programs that cover a
variety of legal disciplines and practice areas.
These programs can include workshops,
seminars, webinars, and mentoring
opportunities, allowing young lawyers
to gain a comprehensive understanding
of different legal aspects and enhance
their skill sets. This ties in with Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) initiatives,
which allow staff to stay abreast of the latest
legal developments and industry trends,
enhancing their professional competency.
Implementing mentorship programs
is also an effective way to provide
guidance and support to younger legal
professionals. Seasoned lawyers can offer
valuable insights, share experiences, and
offer career advice, creating a nurturing
environment that encourages growth.
Creating a culture of knowledge sharing
within the firm promotes collaboration
and helps those entering the profession
learn from their experienced colleagues.
Providing challenging assignments and
opportunities to work on high-profile
cases, push younger colleagues to step
out of their comfort zones and fosters a
sense of accomplishment and personal
development.
Many firms take on pro bono cases,
and these can be a valuable learning
experience. Encouraging pro bono work
not only benefits the wider community,
but also exposes young professionals to
diverse legal challenges, expanding their
expertise, and increasing confidence.
By recognising the achievements
and contributions of younger legal
professionals through rewards, promotions,
or career advancement opportunities, firms
can create a sense of appreciation, which
motivates them to strive for excellence.
Regular feedback and performance
reviews are essential for identifying
areas of improvement and recognising
achievements. Constructive feedback also
helps young lawyers understand their
strengths and weaknesses, enabling them
to focus on self-improvement.
But it shouldn’t be all work, work, work.
A healthy work-life balance is essential for
long-term motivation and shows investment
in their career. Promoting wellness
programs, flexible work arrangements, and
mental health support can significantly
contribute to the overall satisfaction for
younger legal professionals.
Neville Dinshaw,
Managing Director, Law Mergers
& Aquisition’s
25

EDITORIAL
BOARD
Ryan Braddock,
Vice President and
Sales Director, Speech
Processing Solutions
Securing Hybrid
Working
The appetite amongst staff within the legal sector for
flexible and hybrid working has grown significantly,
this is clear from a survey we conducted in conjunction
with Legal IT Technology; we found that 63% of legal
professionals want to work flexible hours, compared to
just 22% pre-pandemic. Employees should be able to
work seamlessly between the workplace and home, and
there needs to be ease of connectivity between people
in the office and those working remotely.
We found that a big concern for law firms wanting to move
towards a hybrid working model, is how to ensure sensitive
documents can be sent and received securely, if employees
are working remotely? The answer is of course, cloud-based
applications and platforms. It’s simply not possible for onpremises
solutions to be as secure as the cloud; with security
tech requiring significant scaling and investment, this clearly
cannot be achieved with on-premises. Encouragingly law
firms are starting to see where a cloud-first strategy fits in;
60% of respondents to our previously mentioned survey,
confirmed that over half of their software is now made up of
cloud-based SaaS products. This figure reinforces the growing
popularity of SaaS and an increasing reliance on this type of
software delivery model.
For law firms looking to use a cloud service provider for software,
platforms or infrastructure, there are real tangible benefits; for
example, a firm can access the required services at a regular,
guaranteed (often low) cost, with the added advantage that the
provider manages support of the systems. In addition to managing
support, a cloud service provider will also handle maintenance and
will provide extremely high levels of security, not least because
their businesses and reputations depend on it. The use of firewalls,
encryption and multi-factor authentication are now commonplace,
as is adherence to security certifications, this helps to ensure that
industry-leading levels of security are available.
In addition to security concerns, we found that a key challenge for
law firms is how to produce a range of high-quality documents
including briefs, contracts, case materials, and records of client
communication in a timely and efficient manner. The solution
is another easily available SaaS product speech recognition
software, which when integrated with workflow software, can
help to streamline the entire document creation and management
processes, all in one place and all securely in the cloud. We all know
cloud is the future, and now, so is hybrid working.
Dave Seager,
Consulting Adviser,
Matrix Capital
Relevant continued
competence training
is a phone call away
August saw the much-anticipated SRA Assessment of
continued competence, which is to be an annual report.
In some areas the findings were quite damning of the
profession and the concerns expressed by the LSB last
summer seem to have been reinforced. So much so that
the SRA has indicated a thematic review and promised
new guidance for solicitors, individuals and firms in 2024.
“We will assess whether and, if so, how solicitors are meeting
their obligations to keep their knowledge and skills up to date,
including ethics, professionalism and judgment and technical
legal practice. We will also review supervision arrangements
within these firms.”
There seems little doubt that the new regime will both usher in a
greater insistence on individuals identifying knowledge gaps and
learning needs and evidencing that they have recorded these and
addressed them, but also offer stricter instruction on the firm’s
management, (the COLP,) overseeing and supervising the process.
As the Gazette’s John Hyde so aptly predicted at the start of
the process in 2022 - “In short, the days of ticking boxes are
long gone. The SRA wants to see evidence that FIRMS are
taking competence seriously (and documenting the evidence).
Those that do not can expect a knock on the door, or even a
dishonourable mention in the annual incompetence hit parade!”
Accessing learning events or webinars is obviously not an alien
concept for the legal profession, nor is it difficult. However,
will that easily attainable CPD be the right subject matter or
relevant for an evolving profession, working in new ways and
increasingly collaborating with other professionals?
Today’s clients have more complex issues, needs and naturally
greater expectations, which means they expect a joined-up
approach to problem solving and forward planning. In our
experience the newer generation of forward-thinking lawyers
are recognising and embracing the need to work closely with
accountants and certainly financial planners.
Consequently, it would be logical for law firms to look to their
financial planning associates to ensure their knowledge is kept up
to date in all the areas where legal and financial overlap. In areas
such as IHT mitigation options, the complexity of pensions on
divorce, cashflow modelling, or even how to work properly with
clients in vulnerable circumstances are good examples.
Certainly, at Matrix Capital we have given this serious thought
and developed a library of relevant training resources for our
legal colleagues. We hope if you have done your due diligence
and chosen your financial planning partners well, similar
support should be a phone call away.
27

EDITORIAL
BOARD
Why AI has potential in legal
Everywhere we turn these days,
the mention of AI is looming. From
the hype of ChatGPT to using facial
recognition to unlock our phones, the
use of AI in everyday life is on the
rise. So how does this play into the
legal landscape?
The use of AI in legal has been a contentious
point, with everything from concerns around
accuracy to suggestion the technology will
render roles obsolete circulating headlines
in recent years. But the outlook on the use
of AI in legal, and particularly conveyancing,
should be a positive one.
The thing is, when AI is used effectively, it
takes on repetitive or arduous tasks to free
up the human workforce to manage the
work they’re better equipped for. Tasks that
involve expertise, experience, or creativity.
AI doesn’t exist to replace us, but instead
to support our workflows; to speed them
up and get us back to doing the things
only humans can.
The impact of effectively using AI and
technology in the legal profession has wide
reaching benefits to help firms increase
efficiency, minimise risk, and opens up the
potential for additional development for
junior staff.
Take AP1s for example; a large portion of
requisitions are caused by discrepancies
between the name on the title and the
application. By using AI to read the transfer
document, the data can be populated into
the application and the technology can
flag any inconsistencies so they can be
reviewed and corrected before submission.
AI can solve defined problems much faster
than people and in a more consistent
manner. Understanding how and where AI
adds value to your workflow will be crucial for
conveyancers working in the digital space.
AI empowers us to collect, process, and
analyse large amounts of data faster
than ever before. Firms that embrace this
technology in their workflow will access
improved workloads and find a plethora of
opportunity for their staff.
Preparing to work in a legal landscape
where technology and AI provide an
abundance of support to empower you to
apply your expertise instead of spending
hours on admin tasks is essential for the
future of digital conveyancing.
Identifying which solutions to have in your
toolkit and using them effectively will give
you a competitive advantage. So, consider
where your processes could benefit from AI
to let you and you team focus on the work
best suited to people and their expertise.
Bronwyn Townsend,
Senior Marketing Manager, InfoTrack
Power of Together Survey
New survey seeks to assess post COVID cultural and employee
communication challenges in UK legal firms
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A new survey is launched this week by digital
consultants Pancentric Digital and HUB, their
leading intranet solution. It seeks to understand the
cultural and employee communication challenges
faced by UK Law Firms post COVID. The survey is
supported by Modern Law Magazine.
As the dust settles on hybrid working policies, global
evidence is emerging of cultural and job motivation
challenges across all types of businesses.
According to research firm Qualtrics, job motivation
jumped 10% during COVID but has since fallen to below
pre-COVID levels.
This new survey - called the Power of Together survey
- seeks to understand the state of play in the UK legal
sector specifically. It asks UK Legal Firms about their
current policies on work from home, what impact post-
COVID working policies are having on culture, team
connection and individuals; and what impact is being
felt on productivity and operations. Are there concerns?
Are firms adopting new approaches to their internal
comms? What are the priorities going forward?
Modern Law Magazine encourages leaders and
managers across the legal sector to participate in the
survey. The widest possible set of views is welcomed.
The survey can be completed online by following this
link: www.pancentric.com/the-power-of-togethersurvey
and only takes a few minutes. Modern Law
Magazine will publish the results later this year. A
free copy of the full findings is available to all those
that participate
Pancentric Digital is committed to climate action and
sustainable workplaces, so has partnered with the
reforestation charity One Tree Planted to plant a tree for
every survey response received.
Plus, one lucky recipient will receive a yearly Flourishy
subscription worth £160, to help transform their garden
into a diverse haven for bees and wildlife.
For more information visit:
The Power of Together Survey | Pancentric Digital
Simon Fenn, Director, Pancentric Digital
29

INDEPTH
INDEPTH
“I encourage all lawyers to seize the opportunities put before
them with both hands to create the future they want.”
We are living through a values revolution with societal issues such as
climate change & sustainable energy, diversity, equity and inclusion
and environmental, social responsibility and governance at the fore.
I spend a fair bit of time convincing people
that there is indeed a future for lawyers.
This includes the next generation of them.
I do this through a few different lens – as
a practising lawyer, law firm principal,
lecturer in law, business coach, speaker
and as a futurist.
I want to share with you my views
regarding what future may hold for the
next generation for lawyers, the culture
that lawyers will need to create, thrive in
and embrace, the skills they will need to
have and what their career expectations
might be expected to be.
Starting straight off the bat, I believe the
future of lawyering for the next generation
is a bright one.
This is of course a qualified view, one
being contingent upon lawyers continuing
to be as resilient, smart, and pivoting
when they need to be, as the successful
ones have done for decades now.
The “do nothing,” “everything will be
right” and “the world is ending” view
of the future of lawyering is no longer a
viable one.
In essence what I am saying here, is that
you are responsible for your own future
of law.
The Culture of the Future
Generation of Lawyering.
Let’s start off with legal services culture.
There is little doubt that lawyers will
need to continue to successfully navigate
what I call the cultural battle between
legacy and future, old versus new, push
versus pull in respect to the vast societal
changes that have and are occurring as
we speak post pandemic.
Nothing will return to the same as 2019,
everything else is up for grabs and capable
of transformation – legal practice included.
Look at the way that hybrid work and service
delivery is being redefined as we speak.
We are clearly different post pandemic and
have undergone and continue to undergo
a values revolution with respect to all
aspects of our lives. Lawyers are left and
centre of this – themselves personally and
through the impact on their clients and
the firms they operate within. Diversity,
equity and inclusion and environmental,
social responsibility and governance are no
longer trendy buzz words of the moment.
These are no simple issues but ones that
will play out over the next 3-5-10 years,
then determining how legal services are
delivered into the future.
“I believe the future of lawyering for
the next generation is a bright one.”
The Next Generation
Legal Market
Everything post pandemic takes longer,
is more complicated, more contentious,
difficult, and a lot of times has no simple
answers attached to its solutions. These may
be challenges but they are also opportunities
for lawyers to be front and centre.
The lawyer is the “go to person”, the trusted
advisor and the ethical legal influencer of
the modern post pandemic client – again
providing more opportunities for lawyers
who know how to market, brand and sell
their services as well as provide these better,
quicker and for more bang for dollar.
The Myth of Technology
Supplanting Lawyers
It has annoyed me over many years now
when I hear hype such as “the robots
are coming...and they will replace all
the lawyers!”. There is no chance that
lawyers will ever be completely replaced
by technology – be it Generative AI or
otherwise.
The key word here, is of course
“completely”.
Will there be substantial changes along
the way? The answer is invariably yes.
These changes will invariably continue to
affect all lawyers and parts of all lawyers’
jobs, whether they like it or not.
I ask you to look at the second order
effects that are occurring in society for
guidance regarding change and growth.
Take digitalisation as an example, as
more aspects of life move online, new
challenges have arisen out of things
such as data privacy to cybersecurity
to cybercrime. This has led to a surge
in demand for lawyers in these areas,
creating whole new niches. It has also
changed fundamentally the way we
practise law digitally and online each day.
There is a myriad of megatrends that
will enact second order effects that
lawyers will be the “go to” person for.
Watch this space.
AI’s Role in Future Generation
Legal Practice
The elephant in the room is AI.
My view is that yes, Generative AI is
and will continue to take “some” parts
of lawyers’ jobs, parts that lawyer will
quite possibly welcome them taking –
being some of the routine, repetitive,
mundane and the unfulfilling. It assists
with the better, faster and cheaper client
expectation of lawyers.
Apart from that, Generative AI currently
is at best augmented side by side
technology, which will get better and
better as it is “stuffed” into everything
lawyers do.
The Evolution of the Future
Generation Lawyer’s Role
The action for lawyers and where the future
of lawyering ultimately lies, is with clients.
Both existing and new ones, known and
emerging. Servicing them in new innovative
ways, branding to them, and marketing to
their needs, and ultimately selling value in
real and dollar terms for things they did not
even know they wanted or needed or that
lawyers could deliver.
The lawyer of tomorrow will need to be
able to make it “rain” more than ever as
Generative AI will redefine the law firm
food chain.
Lawyers need the confidence to
leverage both their legal knowledge and
experience into their client’s business
and those who can add value beyond
their existing legal set of skills will be
indispensable to their clients.
The trusted advisor, ethic legal influencer
and “go to” person roles that lawyers
have become post pandemic should be
capitalised upon.
Emerging Areas in Next
Generation Legal Practice
New areas of legal practice will continue
to open at scale along with an increasingly
complex society.
Blockchain, cryptocurrencies and AI are
“established” emerging areas of legal
practice that were almost non-existent five
or six years ago.
Watch autonomous vehicles, the
metaverse, green technology and
neurotechnology to name a few.
Looking at technology compliance and
accountability, we can already see the
scale of legal advice (and litigation)
increasing with the ever-increasing
regulatory and societal scrutiny.
This also does not deviate from the
enormous amount of technology that is
also already implicit within each area of
existing legal practice (and that the lawyer
needs to be au fait with).
All of these are creating more legal work
and scope for lawyers.
Essential Skills for Next
Generation Lawyers
We are living through a values revolution
with societal issues such as climate change
& sustainable energy, diversity, equity
and inclusion and environmental, social
responsibility and governance at the fore.
All these are firstly complex issues, that
society will require legal advice and
secondly require different skills and
mindsets to navigate in legal practice.
The lawyer of the next generation
therefore needs more:
• emotional intelligence
• social awareness
• commercial awareness
• of an agile mindset
• curiosity
• future thinking focus.
• to be more collaborative.
• network better than ever.
Conclusion
I encourage all lawyers to seize the
opportunities put before them with both
hands to create the future they want.
The alternative of throwing your hands
up in despair, is not a viable, healthy, or
quite frankly realistic alternative.
Paul Ippolito can be contacted
through the website
www.paulippolito.com.au.
Paul Ippolito,
Futurist and Lawyer, Ippolito Lawyers.
30

FEATURE
FEATURE
Learning To Be My
Own Cheerleader
“As a personal future aspiration, I would like to see
more organisations encourage formal mentoring
programs to develop talent in the profession.”
“When I moved to the UK eleven years ago as a young lawyer from
Nigeria, I wished I had a role model. I wish I had met someone from a
similar background who had the kind of successful career I aspired to
have, someone who represented an example of what was possible for
me in my career that could help me navigate the job market as a young
lawyer new to the UK.”
When I moved to the UK eleven years ago as a young
lawyer from Nigeria, I wished I had a role model.
I wish I had met someone from a similar background who had the kind
of successful career I aspired to have, someone who represented an
example of what was possible for me in my career that could help me
navigate the job market as a young lawyer new to the UK.
Later, I will learn that sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader.
To help me get my first legal role in the UK, I began an intensive job
search that started with reaching out to many recruiters in the legal
profession. Even though they were willing to assist, they all wanted
to see relevant UK experience on my CV which I didn’t have, and
many employers were not willing to hire someone without relevant
UK experience. I kept asking, how then do I get the UK experience?
After several failed job applications, I decided to reach out to my
network back home in Nigeria, hoping to find someone
who could mentor me and guide me to get that first
opportunity in a legal or corporate governance role.
I went through all my contacts and wrote down
names of anyone who may have a contact in
the UK. I identified a few names, and I reached
out to them asking for help on how to get UK
work experience.
Eventually, one of my friends introduced me
to her friend who was working as a Company
Secretary in London. This lady became my
first mentor, reviewed my CV, gave me
job search tips, and eventually hired me
as an intern in her Company for my first
company secretarial role.
“Later, I will learn
that sometimes you
have to be your own
cheerleader.”
At the time I was offered the intern role, I
had a one-year-old daughter, worked parttime
in retail, and I had to travel to Central
London at least three times a week. It was
very challenging juggling childcare, family
commitments, and my part-time job but
I did this happily with focus on the goal I
wanted to achieve.
My goal at the time was to work in the
legal profession and working in a company
secretarial role was the first step in the
right direction.
Looking back on 10 years of working in
the company secretarial profession in the
UK and taking up senior roles in some
organisations, I’m grateful for that first
opportunity that has paved the way for
many other incredible opportunities.
Although, I have had to tailor my career
to suit who I am as a Multipotentialite
(“A Multipotentialite is someone with
many interests and creative pursuits.”)
by working both as an independent
contractor and a permanent employee in
the past few years.
As a Multipotentialiate, I thrive when I
am intellectually challenged and learning
new things. Working as a contractor gave
me the freedom to work for some months
in the year and take a prolonged break
working on the several passion projects
I usually have going on. It also allowed
me to gain experience in different sectors
by constantly learning new things and
adapting to new ways of working which
I love.
Now that I am working as a permanent
employee, I love getting embedded into
the culture of the organisation, truly being
part of a team, which is not always the
case as a contracted staff member and
being involved in talent development as a
line manager which I love doing.
The company secretarial career can be
interesting, especially when you work in
regulated companies and you manage
some of the company’s corporate
governance obligations under legislations
like the Corporate Governance Code,
Listing Rules, Companies Act etc.
For those considering a career in the legal
and corporate governance path, a career
as a Company Secretary can be rewarding
and adapted to suit who you are just like I
have done.
One of the things I find fascinating about
the career is the variety of the role. In a
publicly listed company, for example, your
work will be very different from that of
those working in private multinationals. In
the latter, your work may focus more on
global subsidiary governance, whereas in
a listed company, your responsibilities may
include managing the company’s Long
Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs), drafting and
releasing Regulatory News to the London
Stock Exchange, among other tasks.
Whichever industry you choose to
work in, I think there is something for
everyone in the company secretarial
profession. Like every job, some aspects
of the role can become a bit of a routine,
like writing minutes of meetings, but
even that can be interesting because
you may get to attend some of the most
strategic meetings in the organisation
and learn firsthand from senior members
in the organisation including the Board
and Executive Directors.
As a personal future aspiration, I would like
to see more organisations encourage formal
mentoring programs to develop talent
in the profession, and for the industry
to encourage and embrace the use of
technology more. There are some routine
tasks that artificial intelligence can do well,
which will reduce the human resources that
would have been allocated to such tasks.
I also believe it’s important for lawyers
to have exposure to the role of the
Company Secretary, as it is still a legal
requirement for public companies to
have a named Company Secretary under
“use the resources
available to you and
create a career that is
impactful and deeply
fulfilling for you.”
the Companies Act. While the role is
sometimes combined with that of the
General Counsel, I believe it is useful for
lawyers to have a good understanding
of what a Company Secretary does,
especially for lawyers with aspirations to
become a General Counsel.
Knowing what I know now, if I were
starting my legal career today, there
are a few things I would do differently,
such as getting clear on what I love
doing and tailoring my career to align
with my passions.
Even though what you love to do may
not always be clear, or you may not
understand how to turn it into a career,
there are resources that can help you.
Books like “Pivot” by Jenny Blake and
companies like Escape The City can steer
you in the right direction.
Another thing I would do differently is to
identify a mentor early in my career. You
should identify and reach out to someone
doing something you find interesting
and working in an area of law in which
you may want to build a career. With the
versatility of the legal profession, I’m
sure there is a role you’ll love and find
fulfilling in the field of law.
Whether you are trying to secure your
Training Contract, Pupillage Training
Programme, or your first job in a legal
role, well-meaning friends may nudge
you toward other paths if it’s not
happening soon enough. Don’t be
discouraged. This is when you have to
lean into your faith and not your fear
and become your own cheerleader while
putting in 100 percent effort. Thankfully,
with platforms like LinkedIn, you will
have more access to resources than
ever before that can help you achieve
your career goals. So, use the resources
available to you and create a career that
is impactful and deeply fulfilling for you.
Lola Yunus,
Senior Assistant Company Secretary |
Corporate Governance Manager |
Career Coach
32
33

AML
Your AML obligations are real.
Now you can meet them in a single platform.
Anti-Money
Laundering
“I struggled to find one AML
solution that could make all
my firm’s compliance, risk
management and
education obligations
quick and easy to fulfil.
So I created my own.”
Richard Simms,
Owner and Director of AMLCC
AMLCC has kept 15,000+ UK accountants,
bookkeepers , TCSPs and tax professionals
compliant since 2008 and has now launched
in the legal sector.
Visit AMLCC.com to discover how AMLCC could work
for you, or get in touch with our AML team.
+44 (0)1455 555468
enquiries@amlcc.com
@amlcc
@amlcc_global
amlcc.com
We’re endorsed by and partner with
AML supervisors and professional bodies
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Company Limited
Registered Address: Alma Park, Woodway Lane, Claybrooke Parva,
Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 5FB
Registered Number: 04525430
© 2023 Copyright AMLCC. All rights reserved.
This section of the magazine is
dedicated to exploring the world of
Anti-Money Laundering with industryleading
experts. In this special edition
we discuss the threat law firms are
facing from money laundering, and
how we can combat this issue.
Welcome to Modern Law’s AML special
35

AML
AML
Making AML
Easier For You
Richard Simms, Creator and Director of the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
Company (AMLCC), is a regulated professional and authority on anti-money
laundering (AML) compliance, risk management and education.
For over 20 years, in his role as a chartered accountant
and as the MD and lead insolvency practitioner of a
regulated insolvency practice, Richard has seen firsthand
the challenges that regulated businesses face when
implementing effective AML.
Working with regulators and their practicing members,
Richard used his unique professional insights to create
AMLCC in 2008.
Tell us about your background and
experience in the field of AML compliance.
My knowledge of AML and compliance comes from working
day-to-day with the Regulations. When professionals were first
required to have appropriate AML systems and controls in place,
back in 2007, I saw the necessity of the work but found myself
at a loss on how to meet my firm’s responsibilities in an effective
and efficient way. Even today, many of the AML solutions
available either solve just one part of the issue or use paperbased
processes or expensive consultants. That’s where I saw the
need for AMLCC, and why the need continues.
As the MD of AMLCC, what’s your vision and
strategy for the company in addressing the
evolving challenges of AML and compliance?
The evolving challenges of AML and compliance combine global
and national issues, as well as issues specific to the legal sector.
The UK was at the forefront of tackling money laundering and
terrorist financing globally in 2018, when the country achieved the
best rating of any assessed so far in Financial Action Task Force’s
evaluations. However, in 2022 we were only ranked 18th in the
Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, which
was a real blow. The government has shown that it’s committed
to regaining our place as a global leader.
Narrowing it down to the legal sector, in their 2021/22 annual
report the SRA found the top five AML breaches were failure
to: carry out or complete initial CDD, carry out a money
laundering risk assessment, carry out a source of funds check,
identify client, and to have proper AML procedures. Failure to
have sufficient regard for issued warning notices and red flag
indicators was also a frequent issue.
AMLCC exists to make it easier for firms to prevent AML
breaches and stay compliant, even with the frequent changes
in supervisory guidance, legislation and the AML landscape as a
whole. Our strategy is, and always has been, to offer every tool a
firm needs to stay AML compliant in one, cloud-based platform.
What sets AMLCC apart from its
competitors in terms of its approach to
AML and compliance solutions?
No other technology provides an interactive set of tools to fulfil
each of a firm’s legally obligated AML steps. We’ve made it
simple for businesses to make the platform and all the documents
included bespoke, which is a requirement of the Regulations.
The interactive dashboard means they can see their up-to-date
risk status, and effectively direct resources where they’re most
needed, which is at the heart of the SRA’s recommended ‘riskbased
approach’ method to AML.
AMLCC’s audit trail also allows firms to prove compliance to
their supervisor at any time. They can even securely email the
necessary documents, which is important as many supervisory
visits are now performed remotely: 109 of the 273 inspections or
reviews carried out by the SRA in 2021/22 were desk based.
“That’s where I saw the need for
AMLCC, and why the need continues.”
AML technology and tools have advanced
significantly in recent years. How does
AMLCC leverage technology to enhance
its AML and compliance services?
We’ve always been a cloud-based solution. One of the main
reasons is security. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) networks
monitor for suspicious or malicious activity. We can also monitor
suspicious activity in Cloudflare and add rules on traffic or restrict
traffic here as well. All the data on AMLCC is encrypted so unless
someone logs on as a user, the data cannot be exposed to them.
Being a fully online SaaS system there’s no user specification
requirement other than internet connection and up-to-date
browser software, which makes it accessible to all firms. To
monitor AMLCC’s performance and make sure it’s always
operating optimally, we use Cloudwatch, an AWS monitoring
service, and Sentry, which monitors 24-hours to detect any
current or upcoming issues.
We’re incredibly proud to be the first AML software solution to
receive Technology Accreditation from the ICAEW. To achieve it,
the AMLCC platform was rigorously tested and analysed. It was
found to be a “solid and capable solution, which continues to be
actively developed and enhanced.”
What are the main challenges faced by
companies in detecting and preventing
money laundering?
The principal challenge is recognising that AML is not going away
and taking steps to put the required measures in place. The longer
firms take to make those first steps, the bigger the challenge is.
Once set up, keeping appropriate systems up to date and relevant
is a far simpler task than creating them from scratch. AMLCC gives
structure and a well proven approach to achieving each step.
We speak to firms that have been using standardised template
policies, controls and procedures (PCPs) as their own. PCPs
must reflect what a firm actually does and tailoring AMLCC
allows this. Likewise, the firm-wide and relevant service-line
risk assessments, as well as all client risk assessments, must be
completed to show the unique risk profile.
Training employees on their PCPs and the AML landscape as a
whole is another challenge for firms. If employees aren’t using
AML in their everyday work, firms are exposing themselves to
unnecessary risk. To detect red flags, and know how to act when
they do, everyone must have strong AML knowledge.
What do you believe are the biggest
upcoming challenges or trends in the AML
landscape, and how is AMLCC preparing to
address them?
Many commentators have accused the Economic Crime
(Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 (ECA) of not going far
enough in addressing the broader issues of economic crime. The
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) noted that it should be
seen as a starting point, not an end. If it was intended as this, the
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill is the next step.
What should be a huge wake-up call for the legal sector is that
the Bill will seek to criminalise lawyers who ‘fail to prevent’ crimes
such as fraud, false accounting and money laundering. This is
“The principal
challenge is
recognising that AML
is not going away.”
a strong stance. Overcoming this means changing the sector’s
view of AML. There are still far too many firms either paying ‘lip
service’ to the process or doing nothing at all, even 15 years after
the Regulations were introduced.
Another aspect of the Bill I see impacting the legal sector is the
provision for the SRA to impose an unlimited fine on firms found
not to have complied with an imposed requirement. There are
precedents in other non-financial regulated sectors to show that,
with no cap on penalties, supervisors are very willing to make
examples of non-Compliant firms.
In March 2022, William Hill was fined £19.2 million by the Gambling
Commission for social responsibility and AML failures. These
included having inadequate PCPs and for having staff training that
“provided insufficient information on risks and how to manage
them.” These are two of the legal sector’s key AML breaches.
Ealing-based agency Helliwell & Co Properties was fined £92,267
for failing to apply for AML registration at the required time.
There will be many smaller legal firms that would find it hard to
absorb this kind of hit. Not to mention the damage to reputation.
Ultimately, firms that don’t pay heed to the severity of AML
non-compliance will, I believe, suffer more extreme consequences
than the industry has previously seen.
Since 2008, AMLCC has enabled thousands of UK accountants,
bookkeepers, auditors, TCSPs and tax professionals to pass their
supervisory visits. AMLCC is now launching a legal sector version
of the platform after two years of development work, taking into
account LSAG and FATF guidance.
For more information about how AMLCC could benefit your firm,
visit AMLCC.com
Richard Simms,
Creator and Director, AMLCC
36
37

AML
AML
The Future Of AML
SmartSearch is a market-leading, award-winning cloud-based platform built on the
latest technology. It offers an unmatched single-source digital compliance solution
that not only ensures our clients meet their AML and compliance requirements, but
also that they are utilising their data and resources in the most efficient way.
How can legal firms use
technology to crack down
on money laundering?
There is no doubt that over the past
few years, the UK has strengthened
measures to crack down on financial
crime. However, a number of high-profile
anti-money laundering (AML) failures
- resulting in eye-watering fines from
the regulators - have demonstrated that
some firms are still struggling to roll out
an effective digital compliance strategy
against money laundering.
Historically, fines for law firms that breach
AML rules have never been anywhere
close to the sums HMRC, the FCA and the
Gambling Commission have fined banks,
estate agents and betting firms; and not
because law firms are better at meeting
their AML requirements – rather, a lack
of fining power by the regulator, the
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
Most common AML
breaches amongst law firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s
latest AML report claims that most law
firms comply with AML regulations, but
in fact, of the 70% the report defined
as ‘taking their obligations seriously’,
less than one in five (18%) were ‘fully
compliant’ – the rest were found to be
“partially compliant”.
The SRA’s investigation found that the
most common compliance failures amongst
law firms were around initial customer
due diligence, money laundering risk
assessments, source of funds checks.
It also identified £149m of potentially
criminal funds being laundered through
UK law firms, related to a wide range of
activities, including conveyancing, tax
evasion, fraud, complex offshore company
structures used to hide beneficial owners
and the sale of property assets over or
under their true market value.
What can law firms do
to improve their AML
procedures?
The issues with non-compliance in the
industry are serious, as the consequences of
not meeting requirements are that financial
criminals are able to get away with illicit
activities, however, the vast majority of
these activities can be stopped by putting
proper compliance procedures in place.
According to SmartSearch’s report –
Electronic Verification Uncovered, almost
half of regulated firms have seen a rise in
criminals attempting to launder money
or commit financial crime through their
businesses in the last year, while more
than one in ten have been the victim of
money laundering or financial crime in the
past six months.
Despite the increased threats – and the
fact that documents are easy to forge
- nearly half of all firms questioned still
use hard documents like passports, IDs
and utility bills as part of their verification
process for new business customers.
Technology is the
future of AML
It has long been agreed that the most
reliable and robust way to run an AML
programme is via a digital platform. But,
like any solution that relies on technology,
it is important firms know they can trust
that the solutions they choose not only
ensure they are meeting their obligations
now, but in the future too.
As a result, many firms have not made that
switch, preferring to stick to the manual
methods they have always used. In fact,
according to SmartSearch’s report, 45%
of legal firms still verify new customers
manually, 37% run manual checks because
it is the way they have always done it,
and 35% mistakenly believe that manual
checks are the only way to truly guarantee
a person’s ID.
But the fact is, even old technology is
more reliable than a manual check, and
the level of technology available now
for compliance purposes is exceptional,
and if firms choose a provider that is
able to update their services both in line
with technological developments and
changing requirements, they will always
be safe in the knowledge that their
business is meeting its obligations.
As a pioneer in AML and compliance,
SmartSearch is continually improving
and enhancing its platform to ensure it
is always offering the most advanced
solution on the market.
Next generation platform
Driven by the latest technology and
customer feedback, SmartSearch has just
launched its enhanced, next generation
platform, offering a number of key
innovations which sets it apart from its
competitors to offer clients the ‘gold
standard’ in AML,KYC and compliance.
As well as a brand-new interface, the
solution also offers the following key
enhancements:
1. Improved configurability and
automation through RESTful APIs
While SmartSearch has been able to
integrate its platform with clients’ existing
systems for many years now, via the next
generation platform, all SmartSearch
services are now available through
RESTful APIs, meaning clients can be
integrated quickly and efficiently.
And, by having all compliance checks on
one platform, users can manage everything
from one place, taking all the pressure off
customer onboarding.The latest platform
update also enables Clients to be able
to screen custom risk profiles, clearly
identifying where further investigation
is needed, while configurable watchlist
screening streamlines the AML process,
offering a seamless onboarding experience
for genuine customers.
As well as offering the most configurable
solution ever, the enhanced platform
also offers the ability to create bespoke,
fully automated workflows that are able
to assign, notify and create applications
based on rules.
2. Triple bureau data
One of the key sources for any verification
platform is credit reference agency data
and there are three main credit refence
agencies in the world – Equifax, Experian
and TransUnion. Information reported
to each of the three credit bureaus can
be different, as can the creditors that
are reporting that data, which means
any compliance solution using only one
bureau – as most do - could be missing
out on important information that may
only appear on one of the three. As a
result of the launch of its next generation
platform, SmartSearch has become one
of the only UK provider’s to offer triplebureau
reliability.
The enhanced platform now takes
additional data from TransUnion,
creating a market-leading triple-bureau
compliance solution, and bringing the
platform’s match and pass rate up to 98%.
3. Source of Funds
Following the launch of the enhanced
platform, the next upgrade will be the
introduction of Source of Funds (SoF)
checks, a brand-new functionality
that uses open banking to access an
individual’s or company’s bank account
to ascertain vital financial information,
with minimal input required from the
client. As well providing SoF evidence,
this innovative new functionality is able
to provide clients with proof of funds,
source of wealth and source of income
information for all customers - individual
and corporate.
And, to make the process as seamless
as possible, the SoF capability has
been integrated into the enhanced
SmartSearch platform, meaning clients
can run these financial checks in
tandem with other AML and KYC/KYB
checks, or as a standalone.
We know that, for regulated businesses,
ensuring all compliance requirements
are met can be expensive and time
consuming, not to mention highpressured
due to the fact that regulations
are constantly changing to try and stay
one step ahead of the criminals.
All these improvements not only make life
easier for our clients through improved
efficiencies, but they also combine to
offer the most reliable and robust solution
we have ever produced.
Manual checks are not only cumbersome,
but relying on them is hugely risky for
firms, because hard documents can be
forged so easily.
SmartSearch’s market-leading, awardwinning
cloud-based platform is built
on the latest technology. It offers
an unmatched single-source digital
compliance solution that not only
ensures our clients meet their AML and
compliance requirements, but also that
they are utilising their data and resources
in the most efficient way.
Zowie Lees-Howell,
VP of Enterprise Sales, SmartSearch
“Even old technology is more reliable than a manual check.”
38

AML
AML
Challenging
Complacency
Thinking back to, say, 2017 when the current regulations came into force, I think the
legal profession began to think more rigorously about preventing money laundering.
The 2017 regulations imposed more requirements on firms, but for the most part
solicitors took their responsibilities very seriously and upped their game in this area.
As the director of anti-money
laundering for the Solicitors
Regulators Authority, can you
give us an overview of the current
state of money laundering in
the legal sector and how it has
evolved over the years?
Thinking back to, say, 2017 when the current
regulations came into force, I think the legal
profession began to think more rigorously
about preventing money laundering. The 2017
regulations imposed more requirements on
firms, but for the most part solicitors took
their responsibilities very seriously and upped
their game in this area. That said, there are
still firms that we inspect where for example
there is no firm-wide risk assessment in place
more than six years after the requirement to
have one came into force.
We have upped our game as a supervisor too.
Since 2017, we have put in place a dedicated
AML function and increased our proactive AML
supervision year on year. We have also tried to
publish helpful guidance focusing on areas of the
regulations that we see firms struggle with. More
recently, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
we have become a lot more intrusive in
understanding how firms are making sure
they don’t breach financial sanctions. We
did some spot checks and a thematic
review in this area last year and have
published guidance setting out what
a good control framework looks like.
This year we have gathered more data to
better understand firms’ risk exposure to
financial sanctions and we’ll be undertaking
a new programme of proactive sanctions
supervision in the autumn.
“The most
significant
challenge is
complacency.”
What are the most
significant challenges you
face in combating money
laundering within the legal
profession, and how does
the Solicitors Regulation
Authority address these
challenges?
The most significant challenge is
complacency. Generally, firms that engage
with us have good policies and controls
and take an inquisitive approach to
customer due diligence. However, we
still see firms that believe that money
laundering won’t happen to them, or that
their clients are all above suspicion. This
can lead to a culture where compliance
with the money laundering regulations
isn’t taken seriously, training isn’t
completed, or clients aren’t questioned
about where they got their source of
funds. Maintaining a questioning mind
about whether the transaction makes
sense and if the client is acting in a way
that raises red flags is really important
and not something that can be solely
done by a compliance team, it takes
teamwork from fee earners to have a
proper understanding of the risk.
The legal sector is often
perceived as being
vulnerable to money
laundering due to client
confidentiality. How
do you strike a balance
between maintaining client
privacy and fulfilling AML
obligations?
Client confidentiality and legal
professional privilege are important parts
of the rule of law and access to justice.
There are a number of ways in which
solicitors can balance these duties to
clients with that of preventing crime.
For example, making sure to complete
customer due diligence ahead of any
advice being provided to clients means
that the firm is unlikely to have received
any privileged information should they
need to submit a suspicious activity
report. While preventing crime takes
precedence over client confidentiality, the
technicalities around privilege are more
complex and the interaction between the
reporting requirements and privilege are
challenging. We have published guidance
on the Proceeds of Crime Act and as part
of the legal sector affinity group which
covers these points.
With the rise of
digitalisation and financial
technology, how has the
Solicitors Regulation
Authority adapted its
AML efforts to address
emerging risks in the
digital space?
There is no doubt that the use of
technology to deliver legal services is
going to increase rapidly over the coming
years. The advantages brought by some
developments are hard to ignore and
while their uses at the moment might
be just for the few, they will become
widespread sooner rather than later.
This will help firms and clients alike,
speeding up processes and bringing
down costs, potentially making services
more affordable for those that currently
can’t access them because of cost.
It’s for this reason that we have our
own programme for innovation, SRA
Innovate, to help firms that want to
explore new ways of working.
Supporting innovation and new
technology was a proposed strand of our
next Corporate Strategy, which still needs
to be approved by our Board, and which
builds on the work of our previous strategy.
This objective says that we will keep up to
date with innovation and technology to
make sure we are an effective regulator.
However, the question of how we are
adapting is focused on firms’ use of
technology, because ultimately the
onus for being compliant with both our
Standards and Regulations and the Money
Laundering Regulations remains with firms
and individuals.
Firms can use any technology they think
is appropriate for their business, but
it’s up to them to undertake the due
diligence to ensure that these platforms
have been designed so that they are
not in breach of their obligations. Board
oversight both of purchasing and ongoing
use are critical in managing the risks of
technology failure.
The profession should also bear in mind that
our survey of the use of new technology,
half of those responding cited a lack of
staff expertise to assess and implement
technology as a barrier to lawtech adoption.
If staff don’t truly understand how new
systems work, there’s a clear risk that they
could be used improperly.
Specifically, we do consider digitisation
and technology to pose some risks of
being used to facilitate money laundering.
In particular we highlight some of the
risks of cryptocurrencies and assets in
our sectoral risk assessment. The key
risk is that they can facilitate anonymity,
however they can often be volatile,
and they are easily portable across
jurisdictions some of which may have a
weaker regulatory regime than the UK.
On the other hand, technology is playing
a massive part in mitigating economic
crime risk. There are great technology
solutions which can help manage firms’
AML risk and they are getting more
sophisticated all the time. There are
several caveats to this. It is essential to
understand how a system works, for
example what information it draws from
and how frequently that is refreshed. It is
really important that firms don’t delegate
decision making to electronic systems.
You still need to understand what the
system is telling you about the risk posed
by a client or transaction and make a
decision about whether it is within your
risk tolerance and how you will mitigate
that risk. You should monitor how systems
are performing and whether the results
are as expected and make sense.
Can you share any recent
successful cases where
the Solicitors Regulators
Authority detected
and prevented money
laundering activities,
showcasing the
effectiveness of your
AML measures?
Last autumn, we
undertook a proactive
AML inspection of a
firm. This was a riskbased
visit, rather than
as a result of specific
intelligence. The firm was
generally doing a good job at
preventing money laundering
and had put a lot of thought
into its policies, procedures and
controls. However when we reviewed
a sample of files and interviewed feeearners
we found some issues. A few
points of concern were that fee-earners
didn’t review matter risk assessment
forms, relying on the centralised
compliance team to do this, staff
members weren’t sure who the firm’s
money laundering reporting officer
was and there was a lack of training
on the matter risk assessment process.
We agreed a compliance plan with the
firm, which set out a number of steps to
address the issues we found. All terms
of the plan have subsequently been
met, and the firm is in a good place to
prevent money laundering.
As criminals constantly
find new ways to launder
money, how do you
stay ahead in terms of
implementing cuttingedge
AML technologies and
techniques?
Some money laundering risks change
very frequently, although there are a
number that remain the same in legal
services. We regularly update our sectoral
risk assessment, which sets out the
current risks of money laundering in the
legal sector. What we have seen is that
although emerging risks come and go
(eg covid, legal cannabis) the top risk is
consistently conveyancing, and I don’t
see this changing in the future. Misuse of
the client account and trust or company
services also remain at a high risk of being
targeted by money launders.
40 41

AML
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Visit AMLCC.com to discover how AMLCC could work
for you, or get in touch with our AML team.
We’re endorsed by and partner with
AML supervisors and professional bodies
“We will keep up to date with
innovation and technology to make
sure we are an effective regulator.”
In terms of our own approach to supervision, we use technology
in a number of ways. We have a data-led approach to AML
and sanctions supervision, which is why when we send out
questionnaires to firms as part of data gathering exercises it’s
really important that they respond promptly. We then use an
AI tool to help us risk assess which firms are most likely to
be targeted for money laundering and direct our proactive
supervision accordingly.
Collaboration is crucial in the fight against
money laundering. How does the Solicitors
Regulators Authority work with other
regulatory bodies and law enforcement
agencies to strengthen AML efforts?
Information sharing is really important for us both to target
specific investigations if we have intelligence that a firm isn’t
meeting its obligations; but also, to understand changing risks
and methodologies. Collaboration is essential, and we’re lucky
to have a number of partner organisations that are engaged in
information sharing. We work closely with the other UK legal
sector supervisors to share information on risks and intelligence
on cases. We also work with law enforcement and the NCA to
share and receive information. We are also working to receive
information on financial sanctions risk from OFSI.
What steps do you take to ensure that all
solicitors and legal firms fully understand
their AML responsibilities and are equipped
to comply with AML regulations effectively?
AML regulations can be complex and subject
to changes. How do you ensure that the legal
professionals under your purview stay up to
date with the latest AML requirements?
We publish a broad suite of guidance, but we’re always seeking
to improve this. Our website has lots of resources on it, including
the comprehensive Legal Sector Affinity Group guidance,
information on the scope of the regulations, guidance for money
laundering reporting/compliance officers and thematic guidance
into particular areas. There are also the videos of our regular AML
webinars and our annual compliance conference. I would be keen
to hear if there are any areas of guidance which are missing.
We keep this guidance updated when the regulations change,
but we also send out information and links in our newsletters,
SRA Update and Compliance News, so make sure you’re signed
up to receive these.
Looking into the future, what trends do
you anticipate in the realm of money
laundering, and how do you plan to
proactively address these evolving
challenges within the legal sector?
This remains a really fast-moving area and it’s showing no sign
of slowing down. We have the Economic Crime and Corporate
Transparency Bill on the way. It will likely gain Royal Assent in the
autumn and bring a number of changes for us and for firms. It will
give us a new regulatory objective to promote the prevention and
detection of economic crime and will also provide us with new
information gathering and fining powers. It will bring in very welcome
changes to improve the robustness of data held by Companies House
and will also bringing in a de minimis for suspicious activity reports.
Also of note is the current Treasury consultation on the future
of AML supervision. The consultation runs until 30 September
and will likely bring significant changes in how lawyers and
accountants are supervised. The consultation proposes four
possible future models of supervision:
1. OPBAS + whereby the system would remain the same, but
the oversight supervisor of legal and accountancy supervisors
would have additional powers, for example to issue fines.
2. Consolidation of professional body supervision, which would
lead to a reduction in the number of legal and accountancy
bodies with AML responsibilities. In the legal sector, this could
mean either a single AML supervisor for the UK, or three AML
supervisors – one for each England & Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland.
3. A single professional body supervisor. In this model, a new
supervisor would be created, perhaps as part of a government
department, which would be responsible for the AML
supervision of lawyers and accountants.
4. A single AML supervisor, which like in option three would be
a new body with responsibility for supervising lawyers and
accountants, but also the rest of the AML regulated sector, for
example banks, casinos and estate agents.
The consultation could mean big changes for solicitors, so
it’s important they respond to the consultation and get their
views heard.
In terms of our work, we will be publishing our annual report on AML
in the autumn, which will set out trends in compliance. We will also
be publishing the results of our latest thematic review into client
and matter risk assessments. We will continue to increase proactive
supervision to prevent money laundering and sanctions breaches and
will take robust action where we find systematic or serious issues.
Colette Best,
Head of Anti-Money Laundering, Solicitors Regulation Authority
+44 (0)1455 555468
enquiries@amlcc.com
@amlcc
@amlcc_global
amlcc.com
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Company Limited
Registered Address: Alma Park, Woodway Lane, Claybrooke Parva,
Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 5FB
Registered Number: 04525430
© 2023 Copyright AMLCC. All rights reserved.

LEGAL
TECH TALK
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Welcome to LegalTechTalk - we are honoured and excited
to be collaborating with with Modern Law Magazine going
forward to continuously bring you the latest views and insights
on legal sector transformation.
For our first edition, we interview some industry experts to share their
views on how attracting and retaining top young talent is changing,
how young legal professionals’ values are changing, and what young
talent now looks for when choosing the right firm to work for.
We also discuss what the the future of work look like for junior lawyers,
considering AI advancements seems to promise to be able to take on a
lot of the work currently undertaken by junior professionals today.
I’d like to express my thanks again to those involved with the
issue, and also to Modern Law Magazine for providing such
a great platform.
Looking forward to bringing more great content
like this in the next issue :)
Bradley Collins
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45

LEGAL
TECH TALK
LEGAL
TECH TALK
​Charlotte Smith
CEO of Level7 Legal
Hi Charlotte, what are the
biggest challenges for
law firms recruiting and
retaining young talent?
Challenges in recruiting
and retaining young talent
in law firms stem from
various factors. Many young
professionals are lured by
other sectors which often
promise innovation and
dynamic growth.
For those entering the profession, Millennials and Gen Z
have a propensity to prioritise their well-being and seek
careers with purpose and a positive culture. In a time
when the traditional legal profession has been criticized
for its high attrition rates, especially among mid-career
and female lawyers due to issues like gender inequity,
burdensome childcare costs, and demanding billable hours.
The culture coupled with billable hours models can lead to
burnout, making young professionals question their impact
in the profession.
Historically many law firms offer limited growth and
professional development opportunities, this is changing
rapidly, and will continue to do so. A lack of diverse
roles, evolution pathways, and an unsupportive or noninclusive
culture can discourage the next generation from
committing to a long-term legal career.
What are the most important factors that young rising
stars are starting to consider when choosing a law firm?
When young rising stars in the legal field are selecting a
law firm, several critical factors come into play. Foremost,
flexibility and remote work options are pivotal; Millennials
and Gen Z, known for valuing freedom and autonomy,
are gravitating towards firms that embrace diverse and
flexible work arrangements.
Additionally, they are increasingly looking beyond
traditional billable hours, favoring alternative
performance metrics that emphasise client experience
and technological integration.
A clear mission and vision are essential; these young
professionals want to understand the broader purpose
and impact of their work. Growth is not seen only
through the lens of traditional roles; they’re seeking
alternative legal career pathways and opportunities for
internal role diversification.
Professional development, including advancement
opportunities, coaching, and training workshops,
is a priority. Lastly, a tech-forward environment is a
draw. Rising stars are eager to engage with the latest
innovations, including AI-powered tools, Contract
Lifecycle Management systems, and advanced project
management tools.
How do these values differ from the values of previous
generations of lawyers and how can law firms create a
culture that aligns with these values?
The evolving preferences of younger legal professionals
signify a shift from the priorities of their predecessors.
Historically, lawyers from older generations may have
placed higher importance on firm loyalty, job stability,
and traditional work dynamics. In contrast, Millennials
and Gen Z lawyers emphasise work-life integration,
technology, and purposeful employment.
To resonate with these changing values, law firms must:
Promote a Nurturing Work Environment: A culture that
supports, includes, and nurtures growth is indispensable.
Champion Technological Advancement: Modern law
professionals expect their workplace to harness the latest
technologies, enhancing efficiency and innovation.
Consider Revising the Billable Hours Model: Shifting
from solely focusing on billable hours to alternative
performance metrics can reduce work pressure.
Articulate Mission and Vision: It’s crucial for firms
to define and communicate their overarching goals,
ensuring tasks align with broader objectives.
Foster Professional Growth: Firms should actively
promote career progression, emphasizing various
internal roles and advancements.
In essence, for law firms to remain attractive to emerging
talents, they need to exhibit adaptability, technological
integration, and a commitment to work-life equilibrium
and purpose-driven tasks.
Emma Bower
Head of Community - Heriot Brown
From your experience, what
are the values that are most
important to young people
in the legal profession?
Younger lawyers are looking
for fulfilment in their career
and are more likely to pass
on an opportunity if it
doesn’t meet all, or at least
most, of the values that will
provide that.
Work-life balance, traditionally a challenge in the
demanding realm of law, is now non-negotiable for many
young lawyers. Those who began their careers in the
pandemic era, have grown accustomed to flexible working
arrangements. It should be no surprise that they may
resist the idea of returning to a predominantly officebased
culture, which doesn’t align with their preferences
for flexibility. I urge them to be cautious that they do not
miss out on the natural mentorship that occurs when in
the office, surrounded by experienced lawyers and peers.
They are looking for “meaningful employment” where
their personal values align with the company’s. When
evaluating potential employers, young lawyers scrutinize
various factors, enquiring about their commitment to
ESG strategies, DEI metrics, the flexibility of hybrid or
remote working policies. They also want to ensure that
the company demonstrates a dedication to investing in
their ongoing training and career development.
How do these values differ from the values of previous
generations of lawyers?
I don’t believe that the values held by young lawyers
entering the legal profession today significantly
differ from those of seasoned lawyers in previous
generations. They also care about DEI, the
environment, pro bono, making the world a better
place and having a work-life balance.
Perhaps the perceived difference in values within the
generations doesn’t stem from a difference in values, but
from a difference in circumstance?
Historically, there was often little room for negotiation
when it came to working hours and certainly no option
to work from home as a junior. Young lawyers were
expected to meet demanding work schedules with little,
to no flexibility. The prevailing ethos was akin to a “do
it or die” situation, where the pressure to deliver was
exceptionally high.
Previous generations do acknowledge a shift though and
managing GenZ has come up in several GC Community
Chats recently with some wanting advice on how to be
sensitive to their values and way of working.
Finally, what do young people think the future of work
will look like for lawyers?
I’ve seen more GCs incorporating the ESG strategy into
the legal one and can be a great opportunity to enhance
the knowledge, abilities and exposure of the lawyers.
With the in-house career often fighting against fairly
flat structures, the diversity of ESG matters can offer a
scope for everyone to own one or more issues and offer
a development opportunity that can be inspiring to the
team dynamic.
The rise of legal operations and AI should be embraced
to take over mundane tasks and free up lawyers for more
interesting tasks. It’s exciting to hear from GCs about
their use of AI, chat bots and other really cool tools that
mean they aren’t bogged down with the day to day.
Initiatives like “Being Human” and “O Shaped Lawyer”
are important allies as they support the teaching and
prioritising of human skills alongside legal expertise.
As the legal profession evolves, interpersonal skills,
empathy, and adaptability become increasingly valuable.
For young individuals aspiring to enter the legal
profession or those already on their legal journey, my
advice is simple: don’t wait until you need a network
to start building one. Networking is a powerful tool for
personal and professional growth, and it can provide
valuable insights into the diverse opportunities available
within the legal field. And I can attest that the in-house
community is here to help where they can!
Robert Hanna Founder and Managing Director - KC Partners
Hi Robert, from your experience, what are the top
three most important things young talent and rising
stars look when deciding which firms to work for?
In today’s legal landscape, young talent prioritises three
main factors when selecting firms:
1) Culture and Values: particularly focusing on diversity
and inclusion. According to a Deloitte Global Millennial
Survey, nearly 50% of younger generations consider DEI
policies when job hunting.
2) Technology and Innovation: expecting firms to
employ cutting-edge tech tools. A Wolters Kluwer
report found 81% of firms consider technology crucial
for client services. Clifford Chance’s ‘Tech Academy’;
serves as a prime example of how to attract tech-savvy
young lawyers.
3) Career Progression and Community: desiring nonlinear
career paths and mentorship opportunities. Baker
McKenzie’s Global Talent Hub is a strong model offering
international assignments and cross-practice experiences.
What kind of culture do you believe is required at
law firms to retain their top talent, and how has this
evolved in recent years?
To retain top talent, firms need a culture shift toward
an H2H approach, as exhibited by Jessica Hampson,
Owner and current Managing Director of CEL Solicitors.
Hampson is a trailblazer, winning the Legal Personality of
the Year 2023 at the Women in Business Awards.
Modern law firms should offer flexibility in work
arrangements, as proven effective during the COVID-19
pandemic. A focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(DEI) is also critical; 76% of professionals say a
workplace’s DEI policy influences their job choice,
according to a Glassdoor survey. The need for continuous
learning and community involvement is also pressing,
especially for young professionals who want their work
to have a broader societal impact.
What roles, for young grads, will be changing in the era
of AI and tech evolution - what impact will this have on
both employers and aspiring talent?
With advancements in AI and technology, the role of
young grads is evolving. Thomson Reuters and Clio reports
indicate a trend of increasing tech adoption in legal
practices. This makes multidimensional, tech-savvy talents
like Ved Nathwani, Future Trainee Solicitor at Stephenson
Harwood, and Vera Mayzel, Future Trainee Solicitor at
Hogan Lovells, more valuable.
Ved, co-founder of The
Future Proof Project, focuses
on integrating AI into legal
careers and is changing
employer expectations from
traditional to tech-savvy
skill sets. Vera, emphasising
holistic legal education,
makes the case for a blended
workplace that values both
traditional expertise and digital skills. The next generation,
exemplified by these pioneers, demands a blend of
traditional legal skills with digital competency, thus
redefining what it means to be a legal professional in a
digital age.
46
47

ROUNDTABLE
We all agree it’s
time to call time on
long transactions
Wills & Probate
A Roundtable Discussion
It now takes an average of
133 days to buy a home,
77% more than in 2007*
Welcome to Modern Law’s Probate Roundtable!
This section of the magazine is dedicated to exploring the world of
probate with industry-leading experts. In this edition we discuss the
new and old skills the next generation will need to bring to the table,
how technology will play a role in their careers, and how diverse
family set-ups will impact the future of Wills and Probate.
This issue’s opinions are from:
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relevant data, we’re bringing clarity, simplicity, and certainty back
to the entire value chain to help every property journey meet its
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Dominic Hendry
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Estate Research
Marie Harrison-Stradling
Workflow Team Manager &
Solicitor (Non-Practicing)
Ochresoft
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As our traditional services connect, we bring opportunities to access new and greater value for your business.
*Reference: Landmark Information Group Transaction Milestone Data, December 2022.
49

ROUNDTABLE
ROUNDTABLE
How are technology advancements
shaping how the next generation of
legal professionals approach wills and
probate law?
Marie: In the last few years, there has been
significant technological advancement in private
client practice, and there is no sign of it slowing
down. These developments give the next generation
of legal professionals new, accessible tools and
services, enhancing their available resources and
efficiencies. As a result, the next generation of
legal professionals will be able to offer their clients
increased expertise, flexibility and accessibility.
Technology tools and platforms, now more easily
accessible to the client, on mobiles and desktop,
have led to an increase in online social and financial
asset profiles.
Legal professionals are now more commonly
considering and dealing with assets and investments
in the digital domain, as part of estate planning and
administration for their clients. It is therefore vital
that next-gen practitioners understand the ongoing
advances in technology and digital asset handling,
keeping their knowledge current, as regulation and
legislation catch up with consumer demand.
There is also, a slightly darker side to be considered
in conjunction with these technological advances,
including identify theft, undue influence and fraud,
which pose a constant if not rising challenge. The
balance of positive and negative exploitation of
technology means the next generation of legal
professionals will need a greater awareness of its
risks and the necessary protections.
Dominic: Since the pandemic, the use of online
learning platforms has increased exponentially,
including in the professional learning space.
Pre-covid, a Wills and Probate solicitor would
secure their CPD via a mixture of in-person events
and learning modules provided by their firm.
However, the pandemic forced the wider adoption
of virtual training technologies a lot quicker than
were ever planned or predicted. Technology
companies and training providers were able to
quickly adapt and develop their platforms to
synergise with the new landscape of working from
home and communicating with colleagues and
clients in lockdown. Subsequently, webinars, Teams
calls, online seminars and Zoom forums all quickly
became the day-to-day norm.
“Exploitation of technology means
the next generation of legal
professionals will need a greater
awareness of its risks and the
necessary protections.”
The advancement and increased uptake in virtual
communications for training have provided a
new level of flexibility for users as they are able
to watch recorded content at any time and it
has removed the difficulty and potential loss
of fees on hours of travelling to venues. Thus,
post pandemic, instead of reverting back to
the sole use of conferences for CPD, legal firms
are complementing the traditional in-person
conferences for their staff alongside online learning
options – offering the increased networking and
engagement that comes with an in-person event
with the flexibility and adaptability from webinars.
And what about the next generation of wills and
probate professionals? Chances are that, thanks
to the pandemic and advancements in virtual
learning, any newcomers joining the industry will
have acquired most of their education via online
tuition and remote learning resources. For them,
virtual learning will be the norm from the start and
the next generation of professionals will therefore
find it easier to adopt this as their main platform
for CPD as they progress through their careers.
As a business with a training platform specifically
for Private Client practitioners, we have seen how
the adoption of virtual learning is not slowing
down. Feedback suggests that being able to watch
recorded courses in their own time and get ahead
of their peers is a huge bonus to online learning as it
means they can do as much or as little as they wish
without relying on their firm to organise and pay.
When it comes to professional development, there
is undoubtedly a place for in-person conferences
in the Wills & Probate sector due to the interaction
between trainer and trainee as well as the wider
networking it provides. However, the training via
virtual means within Private Client law is clearly not
diminishing and trends suggest it will become the
‘go-to’ as the next generation of solicitors advance
in the industry.
As the legal landscape evolves, what
skills beyond traditional legal knowledge
are becoming essential for success in the
modern wills and probate sector?
Dominic: Lawyers know the law. At Estate
Research we are genealogists and know
genealogical research. We are regularly asked by
members of the public to offer legal advice or
comment on how a law applies to their situation.
Our answer is always the same; speak to an
expert, speak to a lawyer.
In the course of administering an estate solicitors
will need to deal with many things that are outside
of their expertise and may be outside of their
indemnity. This can be anything from having to
sell or transfer a property overseas, to clearing
an empty property, to correctly identifying all
beneficiaries entitled under a Will or under the
rules of intestacy. Regardless of the challenge,
solicitors would always be best knowing where to
turn to consult an expert in that field.
We have seen numerous cases where solicitors
have tried to deal with matters themselves leading
to problems. We have seen cases where empty
properties were not properly insured and so the
estate was devalued after vandals caused damage
to the property ,we have seen solicitors have to
write off fees as they did not check adequately if
there was a Will and we have seen far too many
cases where solicitors have not correctly located
beneficiaries to estates prior to distribution.
Practitioners should always ask themselves:
· Am I the expert in this?
· Am I insured to undertake this task?
If the answer to either is no, or they have any
doubts, speak to an expert in that field.
“It has never been more of a
challenge to work out who
should be entitled to an estate.”
“Constructively sharing positive
and negative practice experiences
with the next generation of legal
professionals is extremely valuable.”
Marie: Many private client practitioners may agree
that providing excellent client service has always
required an extensive and varied skill set – not just
traditional legal skills. As clients negotiate significant
financial, technological and socio-economic
changes, practitioners may wish to enhance their
skills and grow their technical knowledge, taking
advantage of the new and emerging efficiencies
available to them and their clients.
Collaborative skills have always been necessary, but
as continuing process delays affect the profession,
centralised and increasingly connected software
brings new value. It can increase an organisation’s
visibility and accessibility, so enabling it to
maximise progress by working collaboratively
across internal teams and external stakeholders.
Mentorship and knowledge transfer
are crucial for preserving the wisdom
of experienced practitioners. How can
seasoned professionals’ best mentor and
guide the next generation of lawyers
entering the wills and probate field?
Marie: Constructively sharing positive and
negative practice experiences with the next
generation of legal professionals is extremely
valuable. Creating and developing honest and
open environments, in which experienced and
new legal professionals can share experiences and
discussions, will encourage and spark progress
across the profession. These environments inspire
innovative ideas and build confidence.
New perspectives are constructive, and knowledge
transfer can run in both directions, no matter the
level of experience.
50 51

ROUNDTABLE
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As societal structures change, family
dynamics are evolving as well. How
should the new generation of legal
professionals adapt their approaches to
accommodate diverse family setups in
wills and probate matters?
Dominic: The model of genealogical research for
checking the issue of a Deceased was – and still is
to some extent - always based on the traditional
nuclear family. Find the name of the Deceased and
their birth record. Fast forward 18 years, search
marriage records for the Deceased for the next
30 to 40 years. If you find a marriage, search for
any children born with the father’s surname and
mother’s maiden and bingo, there are your children
of the Deceased.
The reality of the family structure in 2023 is so
different. We now need to consider blended families,
adoptions, stepchildren, non-traditional family
setups and relationships, fractured families and
estrangements. All of these mean that it has never
been more of a challenge to work out who should
be entitled to an estate, whether that is under the
rules of intestacy or under class gifts in Wills.
Practitioners can take some basic steps, with
testators, to assist with the latter. Firstly, spend
the time with the client. How many times did they
marry, how many children from each marriage,
any stepchildren, any adopted children? Is there a
chance they had children out of wedlock? Getting
this information has never been more important
due to the risks of post-distribution claims.
Secondly, once you have the correct information,
make sure you think about the wording of the
class gift. Would it be better to name the children
individually? If not, then clear language, for
example, “any of my biological or adopted children
or biological or adopted children of my wife…”
Spending the time during the Will preparation
obtaining the correct information, making the
language in the Will clear and, vitally, avoiding
assumptions about traditional family setups will all
assist solicitors in providing the best service and in
mitigating the risks of post-distribution claims.
“New perspectives are constructive,
and knowledge transfer can run in
both directions, no matter the level
of experience.”
The concept of digital legacies is
emerging as a relevant issue. How should
young legal professionals approach the
inheritance of digital assets and online
accounts in their practice?
Marie: Giving the client a clear understanding of
their digital legacy and assets is the first step. A
client may have not given thought to what will
happen to their online profiles, how they would be
administered or accessed, after their death.
In addition, drafting a Schedule of Digital Assets
will help the practitioner accurately advise the
client and may highlight to the client any digital
legacy planning steps. Some online platforms
offer members the option to nominate individuals
to have access to their profiles and accounts
after death. There are limitations to this, and the
client should consult each provider’s terms and
conditions.
Practitioners may also suggest nominating
separate digital executors in their will, who deal
with digital assets.
It is also important for practitioners to advise
their clients to regularly review their digital assets
and profiles, so estate planning and preferences
remain effective.
The Digital Devices (Access for Next of Kin) Bill
is currently making its way through the House of
Commons. This bill seeks to grant a next-of-kin,
right of access to a deceased or incapacitated
person’s digital device and may, should it pass, be
another consideration for the legal landscape.
Get in touch to find out how we can support your business.
03300 366 700 | enquiries@ochresoft.com | ochresoft.com
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Conveyancing in 2023
This issue’s opinions are from:
A Roundtable Discussion
Welcome to Modern Law’s Conveyancing Forum
This section of the magazine is dedicated to exploring the world of
conveyancing with industry-leading experts. In this edition we discuss the new
and old skills the next generation will need to bring to the table, how technology
will play a role in their careers, what the future of conveyancing looks like for
young legal professionals, and why flexible working is here to stay.
David Kempster
Marketing Director,
Groundsure
Mike Leeman
Managing Partner,
Bell Lamb & Joynson
Madhu Pal
Solicitor and Customer
Success Lead, Pexa
Elizabeth Jarvis
Managing Director,
Landmark Search
Rob Hosier
Director,
Lavatech/Incase
David Jabbari
Founder and CEO,
MUVE
Jo Hodges
Director,
Redbrick
Paul Saunders
Director Lender
Services, Smoove
Robert Kelly
Commercial Business
Development Manager,
Stewart Title
Thomas Maerz
CEO,
TMGroup
Paul Sams
Partner,
Dutton Gregory
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How do you envision the role of technology in shaping the next
generation of conveyancers, and what specific advancements do
you expect to see in the industry?
David J: “The integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into
conveyancing is likely to dominate the tech agenda for the
next 2-3 years. In the first wave, by automating routine tasks
by GenAI, most firms should be able to enhance efficiency and
accuracy.
It is the second wave that is likely to be more interesting. A divide
will emerge between firms that have the resources and capabilities
to create their own instances of these so-called “large language
models”, such as GPT-4, operating across their own carefully
selected data, and those that lack the resources to do this.
A significant shift will occur when some firms manage to apply
generative AI to the contents of client files. This transition will
propel the creativity and responsiveness of AI into the sphere of
actual legal advice and client updates.
Despite the underwhelming performance of chatbots in legal
services and other sectors up to now, the rapid advancements
in generative AI make the prospect of a highly functional AIpowered
virtual legal assistant a very real possibility in the next
few years.
What this boils down to - and at Muve it is the core of our
strategy - is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to
augment the efficiency and effectiveness of automated processes
while ensuring human oversight for tasks that necessitate unique
human insights, decision-making, or empathy.”
Madhu: “When I first went into practice over 10 years ago,
conveyancing was exclusively paper based; everything was sent
by post, fax was common, and forms had to be manually filled
out. Technology has since made the sector almost unrecognisable.
Digital advancements in the last five years have been vast.
Almost everything is now done electronically. Automation and
digitisation have streamlined paperwork-heavy, manual processes,
in turn enhancing efficiency and reducing errors. For example,
electronic identity verification has replaced manual checks, which
has accelerated the process and reduced fraud risks. Customer
communications are sent electronically now, with documents
transferred via secure links, speeding up the process for all parties,
improving efficiency and trust in the industry.
The next generation of conveyancers won’t know any different to
the standard they entered the profession in. But many beginning
their careers today will be digital natives, and their expectations
of technology to strip out admin, improve efficiency, and bring
greater clarity will be higher from the outset. There are also many
firms competing for talent – talent that won’t want to work in
firms that aren’t set up with a ‘digital first’ mindset. The next
generation will still experience a fundamental shift throughout
their careers as technology continues to evolve and the industry
continues to collaborate to improve consumer outcomes, they are
just starting from a higher base.”
Robert: “The adoption of technology by conveyancers has
dramatically transformed their work from trying to deal with and
summarise a huge pile of paper into finding a way to ensure that
a potential blizzard of reports, replies and information is presented
in a clear and understandable way to clients. Stewart Title is always
talking to technology-based entrants into the conveyancing process
to see how we can ensure that our insurance policies can help to
smooth the home buying process. Our conversations show that
there so many new ideas and initiatives which will mean that the
conveyancing process will continue to evolve, and Stewart Title will
continue to play a role in this.”
Thomas: “Technology has become an integral part of our
lives, revolutionising various industries, and transforming the
way we work. The field of conveyancing is no exception. From
streamlining processes to enhancing efficiency and accuracy,
technology is expected to revolutionise the industry and provide
a more seamless experience for both conveyancers and clients.
Whether that materialises depends on the appetite and adoption
of the professionals within it. Conveyancers will need to embrace
advancements and adapt to the changing landscape to stay
competitive in the industry.
We have already witnessed a significant shift towards online platforms
and digital signatures enabling conveyancers to conduct transactions
remotely and reducing the need for as many physical meetings and
paperwork. One of the next key advancements expected is the
increased use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). With
the help of AI-powered software, routine tasks such as document
preparation, title searches, and contract reviews can be automated,
saving more time and reducing the risk of errors.
Blockchain technology, known for its decentralised and secure
nature, also holds immense potential in the conveyancing
industry. By utilising blockchain, property records can be stored
in a tamper-proof and transparent manner, eliminating the need
for intermediaries, and reducing the risk of fraud. This technology
can also enable faster and more efficient property transfers, as
all relevant information can be accessed in real-time. Sweden
has already experimented with blockchain-based property
transactions, showcasing the feasibility of this advancement.
Used correctly, Technology should also help to enhance
communication and collaboration among conveyancers, clients,
and other stakeholders involved in property transactions. It is not,
and never will be, a panacea however Cloud-based platforms and
project management tools will enable real-time updates, document
sharing, and seamless collaboration, which can only improve
efficiency and provide a more transparent and accessible experience
for clients. This must be a good thing for everyone; however, it
will still need the insight, opinions, and decisions of experienced
professionals and their ‘human touch’ to complete transactions.”
Paul Sams: “Whilst some try to shy away from, argue, and even
deny whether technology is a good thing, there is no doubt in my
mind that it makes life easier and provides real opportunities for
progress. Given that we now hold more computational power in our
hands than NASA had to land men on the moon, (I suspect it might
well be the people mentioned earlier that argue that one as well)
“The new generation of conveyancers
will drive the change the sector needs.”
I believe technology will continue to seep into our daily lives and
shape the way that we do business. Whether this is more interaction
with our clients and introducers via app-based technology, or using
more electronic signatures and authentication for documentation,
technology will continue to become more sophisticated and
interactive. How long before video calls are replaced with 3D
holographic images? Or clients can appear on site via technology
to inspect a boundary from the comfort of their own desk? The
technology is being perfected to allow for this and I think the wise
approach is to be ready and embracing when it arrives.”
Jo: “The demand for digital services and the convenience they can
offer has embedded itself into our daily lives, with everything now
easily accessible online. Consumers naturally expect the process of
moving house to be the same. The next generation of conveyancers
must continue to drive digital transformation in the legal sector.
With the continued expectation of an online service, boosting
customer satisfaction in the conveyancing field is partly achieved
by the speed of the transaction. The average time to complete
a property sale is now approaching 19-22 weeks, as delays
during the process often include manual paperwork, duplicated
processes, and a lack of clear communication.
Speeding up and streamlining the conveyancing process utilising
digital platforms such as case management solutions to automate
routine tasks such as document generation, communication,
notifications, and data entry will improve efficiency, reduce
errors, and continue to expand and develop to benefit future
conveyancers and their clients. Online consumer portals offer
transparency and the ability for the client to ‘self-serve’ thus
increasing satisfaction.
“The next generation will still experience a fundamental shift throughout
their careers as technology continues to evolve.”
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“The importance of upfront information in the
conveyancing process is greatly overstated.”
Initiatives such as the BASPI, a collaboration between trade and
representative bodies including legal, surveying, estate agency
and property management sectors have been developed to
provide a ‘single source of truth’ containing all the information
required about a property when it is put on the market for sale.
Using technology to collaborate like this offers new possibilities
for quicker property transactions and data that stakeholders will
be able to trust.
Blockchain technology is increasingly being used to revolutionise
the home buying process. This technology will create a futureproof
network for modern property transactions and has the
potential to introduce transparency, security, and efficiency.
The legal sector has historically been slow to adopt new
technologies, but perhaps the new generation of conveyancers
will drive the change the sector needs.”
Paul Saunders: “Technology has moved from the ‘back room’
to the forefront of conveyancing over the past decade. By this I
mean it has become the aspect of conveyancing that is discussed,
introduced, improved and implemented most often within
conveyancing operations to improve service whereas 10 years ago
it was largely ignored or seen as a necessary evil.
Ten years ago, many firms only had a basic case management
system that was not fit for purpose and was relegated to a
glorified filing cabinet. Now most conveyancers could not manage
their cases effectively without it.
Conveyancers who are customer and process focussed are
engaged with tech and are keenly watching and awaiting tech
solutions that will continue to improve the way in which they
provide their service.
10 years ago, we had the majority of conveyancers working on
a paper-based system with limited capability from their case
management systems.
Client portals where very rarely used and if they were they
were purely for rigid ‘milestone updates’ with no capability to
download or upload documents and no ability to communicate in
a meaningful way.
ID verification was taking hold, but it was pretty basic and nowhere
near the facilities we have today with many law firms still relying
solely upon sight of original forms of identification. The facilities
available now in relation to ID verification, source of funds and AML
far outweigh any offering that was available at that time.
There is still a long way to go and so many areas that can and will be
improved in this industry but with the introduction of the UK Digital
Identity Trust Framework to make it quicker and easier for people to
verify themselves using modern technology and the announcement
of the Open Property Data Association which has been borne out
of the Home Buying and Selling Group to revolutionise the property
industry through innovative and collaborative data initiatives. The
future continues to look bright here.”
As the real estate market evolves, what new challenges will
conveyancers face in the next generation, and how can they be
better prepared to address them?
David K: “There will be fresh challenges from how properties are
offered to market, how potential buyers engage with information
about that property, especially in relation to how cost-effective or
sustainable it will be - and the costs required to make them more
energy efficient is a good example here. But there will also be
greater influence from lenders on flows of money and oversight in
the transaction. Some of that may be triaging risk upfront as part
of the valuation and offer to clients - some may be in the transfer
and management of monies between parties.
Conveyancers should be focused on highlighting to client’s which
factors could have the greatest immediate and future bearing on their
property decisions. Climate change represents the single greatest
impact to property value and peace of mind in higher risk areas.
Conveyancers need to consider the short-term transition risks (like
energy efficiency) alongside longer term physical risks (like flooding
and subsidence) and then consider the forward sale position, as well
as the insurability and mortgage ability of property.”
Elizabeth: “Conveyancers need to understand how best to
communicate with a new generation of home buyers. The
prevalence of online marketplaces and instant messaging means
consumers increasingly expect easy access and near instant
communication with their estate agents and conveyancers.
This will permeate every interaction we have with a client in the
future. For example, buyers are already tired of sending any
kind of hardcopy documents via the post when they are already
accustomed to reading and editing documents on their mobile
and sending via WhatsApp or email.
David J: “Perhaps one of the most striking things of the last two
years is how resistant to change the classic estate agency model has
proven to be, seeing off challenger models such as Purple Bricks.
Apart from responding to Proptech innovations such as
Coadjute, which require agents and lawyers to collaborate on
new tech platforms, the key requirement for conveyancers is to
show that they understand the pressures on estate agents to
progress transactions quickly, and support this with a very strong
communication platform and tech.
Estate agency and conveyancing are highly fragmented sectors,
with over 25,000 UK estate agency businesses and over 4,000
conveyancing providers. In this situation, it is vital that law firms
that wish to obtain estate agent referrals can develop solutions
for a fragmented estate agency market, demonstrating swift case
progression.
The importance of upfront information in the conveyancing process
is greatly overstated. Yes, it helps but in reality, it is only one relatively
small aspect of what causes transactions to proceed slowly.”
Robert: “The greatest pressure on conveyancers is how to
balance their clients desire for a quick transaction with ensuring
that the client is properly advised and protected. To assist
conveyancers, Stewart Title has invested in making our online
ordering platform Stewart Solution (www.stewartsolution.com)
easy to use whilst not weakening the protection that a title policy
from a financially strong and reputable insurer gives.
Let’s take the onboarding process: a new client will need to go
through lengthy checks – including AML, proof of funds and
providing plenty of information about the house. Any younger
tech-savvy first-time buyer is bound to be frustrated if they’re
asked to provide hard-copy documentation via the post.
Technology can help lawyers save time and that “saved time’ can
be used to better understand each client’s individual requirements
and needs. We have made changes to Stewart Solution to make
the ordering process simpler and faster to help conveyancers.”
As many of these technological solutions already exist,
conveyancers can now take steps to future-proof their businesses
by assessing the optimal use of technology and save time for
themselves and their clients.”
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“I would encourage the next generation to seek advice from their
senior colleagues at every opportunity.”
Thomas: “With the rise of online platforms and digital disruptors
the real estate market will inevitably evolve, and conveyancers will
continue to face new challenges, as they always have done.
checks, secure law firm identity checks, and source of funds and
wealth checks, all securely capturing information whilst combating
fraud and keeping conveyancers up to date with ever-changing
compliance regulations.
Some areas worth considering are how they navigate the
changing regulatory landscape to remain compliant, alongside
updating IT infrastructure, security protocols, and staff training
to ensure cybersecurity and data protection. Addressing ethical
considerations around their use of automation, AI and other
emerging technologies will also be a challenge as conveyancers
will need to establish guidelines and codes of conduct on
transparency, fairness and accountability guiding their use of
technology to prioritise the best interests of their clients.
Driven by their experiences of other industries, clients’
expectations and demands are equally likely to evolve meaning
conveyancers will need to identify and adapt how, where and
when they offer to communicate with their clients so they can
compete with online platforms and differentiate themselves whilst
providing a seamless and personalised client experience. This may
involve leveraging technology to offer online portals for clients
to track the progress of their transactions, providing real-time
updates, and offering digital communication channels for easy
accessibility.”
Jo: “Conveyancing transactions are often pressurised, so
tightening risk management, compliance, and protection against
fraud is essential. A recent Which? report suggested that remote
working was contributing to the increase in conveyancing
fraud, as it is now common for home movers not to meet their
conveyancer face to face.
Conveyancers play a crucial role in implementing due diligence
processes and providing clear and timely communication with
clients to ensure successful property transactions. Conveyancers
can better serve their clients by retrieving upfront information
such as contact information, proof of identity and proof of funds,
and through embracing technology be armed with the tools to
obtain this vital information securely. Digital platforms offering
reliable functionality to support this area include biometric ID
With multiple technology tools available and future developments
and regulatory changes ahead, the next generation of
conveyancers will have fraud prevention and risk management
measures accessible to provide due diligence, transparency, and
collaboration.”
Rob: “As the real estate market evolves, next-gen conveyancers
will face challenges such as increased regulatory complexities,
globalisation of property transactions, and increased consumer
expectations for speed and transparency. To be better prepared,
conveyancers should invest in ongoing education and adopt
agile working practices that allow them to quickly adapt to new
regulations and technologies. They should also form strategic
alliances with international counterparts and invest in tech
solutions that offer real-time tracking and updates for clients.
The biggest challenge in the market is accepting that innovation
needs to happen and embracing it to provide a better service to
clients. Conveyancers and firms that do not look to innovate will
be lost in the black hole of conveyancing market contraction.”
Mike: “Whist its anticipated that the next generation will
be more tech savvy, technology will constantly evolve – and
quickly. There will need to be a continuous adaption of new
technologies and processes. At the same time cyber security
is and will remain one of the biggest threats and conveyancers
will remain a significant target for such attacks. There will be
a continual increase and sophistication in regulation of the
profession with ever greater demands being placed on lawyers.
Finally, client expectations will evolve, and it will become ever
more difficult to manage them. To prepare for these challenges
there needs to be a continual investment in education, training,
welfare and support. Culture of firms will become front and
centre as there will need to be continual investment in our
people to adapt. There needs to be a significant and continual
investment in our biggest assets – our people.”
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Fast accurate
mapping at no
extra charge?
Must be Geodesys.
By using Land Registry title numbers as well as postcodes,
our mapping system is pinpoint-accurate, making it
especially suited to large or complex sites and a must for
commercial properties.
Not only does it speed up and simplify the conveyancing
process for your clients every time, it also comes as standard
with Geodesys – just like our unparalleled customer service.
Geodesys. All you need to know.
The next generation of homebuyers will likely be more tech-savvy
and demanding. How can conveyancers stay relevant and meet the
expectations of this demographic?
Elizabeth: “The next generation of homebuyers want to be
communicated to in an effective way at a time that suits them
via the most efficient method – such as an app. By employing
technology with easy-to-understand progression features – such
as dashboards – conveyancers can provide clients with visibility
of their transaction and keep everyone informed to minimise
progress chasing.
However, not all technology is created equal. At the heart of
this efficiency drive is easy-to-use functionality. In reality, this
means that users should be able to readily upload information,
book appointments and verify documents – all at the click of a
button. For example, conveyancers are telling us that biometric
AML checks and facial recognition will be important for their
businesses; which is why this will form a significant part of the
Landmark offering.”
Madhu: “To cater to the next generation of homebuyers,
conveyancers will need to embrace new and innovative
technology to keep pace with evolving demands. One of the most
frequent questions homebuyers ask conveyancers is how long the
transaction will take. Given the many moving parts involved with
buying a home, that’s tricky to answer decisively.
However, this latest generation of homebuyers is used to a greater
degree of certainty in everyday life than their predecessors were.
Whether that’s using a smartphone map to see how long a journey
will take based on real time traffic conditions or tracking delivery
drivers to see not only their delivery slot, but exactly how many stops
away they are. Certainty has become a key part of this generation’s
lives and they’ll expect similar in the homebuying experience.
PEXA’s platform offers the degree of certainty this generation
values. With our remortgages, when a transaction is ready it will
complete in the next settlement slot we have with the Bank of
England, using our payment scheme PEXA Pay, so parties aren’t
anxiously checking to see if funds have cleared. We plan to bring
this same approach to sale and purchase transactions when we
expand our model in 2024. Keeping customers informed and up
to date will be crucial for conveyancers to stay relevant to the new
generation of tech-savvy homebuyers.”
Robert: “However good technology gets, purchasing a home is
always going to be a personal and emotive transaction. Clients
will want correspondence and reports to be provided in the most
efficient way but will still want to have a “real person” who can
relate to their individual and personal needs. By making our
services available in a safe and easy to use system, we hope we
can give conveyancers time to respond to this.”
Thomas: “The next generation of homebuyers expects
convenience, efficiency, and transparency in their transactions.
To stay relevant, build trust, and cater to such tech-savvy
homebuyers, conveyancers will need to embrace technology and
offer comprehensive online services and communication tools
such as online property searches, virtual property tours, instant
messaging or video conferencing, and real-time updates on the
progress of the conveyancing process. Conveyancers can also
utilise digital platforms for document management, electronic
signatures, and online portals to aid transparent communication.
By adopting these tools, conveyancers can streamline their
processes, reduce paperwork, and provide a more efficient and
convenient experience for their clients of the future.”
Paul Saunders: “Conveyancing firms can leverage data in many
ways to improve their services and enhance efficiency. Here are
some keyways in which data can be utilised:
1. Performance Analytics: By analysing data on their past
performance, conveyancing firms can gain insights into
areas where they can improve efficiency and reduce
bottlenecks. They can identify common challenges, track key
performance indicators (KPIs) such as turnaround times, and
make data-driven decisions to optimize their processes.
2. Process Optimisation: Data analysis can help identify
inefficiencies in the conveyancing process. By analysing the
time taken for each step, firms can identify bottlenecks and
streamline workflows.
3. Risk Assessment: Data can be used to assess and mitigate
risks associated with property transactions. By analysing
historical data on properties, firms can develop a firm
wide property risk assessment which enables them more
effectively to manage their risk going forward.
4. Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: By leveraging
data analytics tools, firms can monitor changes in lender
requirements, track compliance with regulatory standards,
and ensure adherence to industry best practices. This
helps mitigate legal risks and maintain a high level of
professionalism.
5. Client Communication and Engagement: Data can assist
conveyancing firms in understanding client communication
preferences, feedback, communication patterns, and
transaction history to facilitate a better service that meets
and exceeds their customer’s needs.
By harnessing the power of data, conveyancing firms can
make informed decisions, streamline processes, enhance risk
management, and provide better services to their clients.”
Call 0800 085 8050 Email customer.services@geodesys.com
www.geodesys.com
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“For some firms there will need to be a significant culture shift to
understand how Gen Y wants to consume legal services.”
It all starts
with eCOS
Effective client onboarding is critical
to starting strong relationships and
ensuring that you meet your KYC
and AML requirements.
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Digital ID
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eCOS is one simple platform that includes matter-specific client
questionnaires, digital ID and AML checks, and Source of Funds and
Wealth information gathering. It does all the hard work for you and gives
your clients one seamless experience.
More convenient onboarding, better information, improved compliance…
It all starts with eCOS.
David K: “It’s about the customer experience - being
transparent on process, sharper in communication and
providing a form of response when the client wants it. This is
more than just a snazzy app; it’s connecting all the elements
of the transaction together - this may be from a partner
platform that the firm uses. This is driven by managing
customer expectations - knowing which step they are on in the
process, clarity on the reason for any delay and which steps are
to follow.
As environmental concerns grow, especially within the younger
generations, how can conveyancers play a role in promoting
sustainable and eco-friendly property transactions?
Paul Sams: “Our resources are becoming scarcer. The fossil fuels
that powered the industrial revolution and the modern world
obsessed with electrical devices is beginning to realise that time
is running out on the luxury of coal/natural gas. As conveyancers
we need to accept the same and do our bit to help. For starters
most firms have realised the folly of having paper reliant systems
and certainly the most successful ones have learned that paper
lite, if not paperless, is the way forward. The consumption of
raw materials we all used to revel in during the course of a
conveyancing transaction appear to (and should) be a thing of
the past for most of us. Up until now, as a profession, perhaps
we have failed to pay enough attention to the EPC rating of the
properties we handle? Discussing it and highlighting its meaning
to buyers is something we could all start doing more of. For
example, if we look to the future of the car, not enough charging
points exist at present to allow the switch to electric vehicles,
so we as an industry could start to promote the benefits of a
property being fitted with them.”
Rob: “I believe a lot of this will be automatic from the adoption
of technology. Good firms are starting the journey to paperless
files and saving a tonne of printing and posting because of it.
However, consumer choice will also help add to the sustainability
of transactions. As consumers become more motivated to make
buying decisions based on sustainability and environmental
factors, the more the market will look to undertake such actions.
Although credit must be given to the industry, I remember when I
last had a caseload, the amount of paper was five times as much
as is on average used today for a transaction.
For some firms there will need to be a significant culture shift
to understand how Gen Y wants to consume legal services in a
similar way that they do with other major purchases like cars.
Tech disruptors are already appealing to this market by taking out
the car showroom and test drive. Law firms have to demonstrate
that they hold the cards on trust and oversight to stay relevant
and not end up being some algorithm that sits in the background
crunching data and falling back on an insurance policy if
something is missed or later costs the client money!”
It will also be interesting to see how much more importance gets
placed on environmental searches in the near future. Especially
with climate change an ever-increasing worry for society, will we
see searches incorporate data on expected temperature growth
for properties?
With the same comes other considerations from a legality
standpoint. We have seen in the last ten years Solar Panel leases
become a part of title checking a property. Will this include
ground-source heat pump rights or planning permissions for
domestic wind turbines. Understanding of vehicle charging points
is already a bit of a headache for some lawyers.”
Mike: “As environmental concerns gain momentum conveyancers
can play a pivotal role in promoting sustainable and eco-friendly
property transactions. Conveyancers can ensure that appropriate
environmental searches and relevant environmental information
is readily available to clients. This can include, by way of example
more information about energy efficiency, renewable energy
sources and eco-friendly construction materials. This will enable
consumers to make informed choices on their transactions.
Such an approach will result not only in greater awareness
but will encourage stakeholders to place a greater emphasis
in sustainability in property transactions and will contribute
significantly to a more eco-friendly property market ensuring that
its aligning with the values of the younger generation.”
Find out more:
sales@infotrack.co.uk
0207 186 8090
www.infotrack.co.uk
65

FORUM
The remote work trend is here to stay. How can conveyancers adapt
their workflows and communication to effectively collaborate with
clients and other stakeholders from various locations?
Elizabeth: “Case management systems can provide the absolute
visibility the client is craving. However, for these systems to deliver
their true potential, every stakeholder should be able to access
the same shared view of key information in order to understand
the status of the transaction.
In addition to high-quality technology, listening to clients always
provides a rich source of information. We need to provide buyers
and sellers with an easy way to provide feedback – being met with
an answerphone or not receiving a response for two days will only
cause frustration. Prompt communication from dedicated experts
that understand the highly emotive nature of buying or selling a
home is key.
For example, our OneSearch business answers the phone within
three rings, responds within a day and aims to bring all enquires to an
acceptable resolution within 48 hours. We’re immensely proud that
Searchflow, a Landmark Information Group business, has received a
customer satisfaction CSAT score of 100% for the past year.
By becoming more customer centric, companies are
acknowledging that we’re in the business of moving people to
their next home. We need to actively involve clients and provide
them with reassurance and informative updates throughout the
transactional process.”
David J: “The tide does seem to be turning on this, with many
firms beginning to wonder if remote working is impacting
productivity. I can foresee that many firms may start to move
away from this more forcefully over the coming months – as Covid
becomes a distant memory - especially in the context of a declining
market and then need for everyone to be at the top of their game.
Again, GenAI could optimize workflows, ensuring that document
sharing, and communication are much better than currently.
Regular virtual interactions, facilitated by GenAI-driven tools,
will ensure that client relationships remain strong, even in a
predominantly digital interaction landscape.”
“As environmental concerns gain
momentum conveyancers can play a
pivotal role in promoting sustainable and
eco-friendly property transactions.”
Robert: “Our Stewart Solution online ordering platform (www.
stewartsolution.com) can be easily accessed by conveyancers
wherever they are working and allows them to access over 150
different policies providing cover up to twenty million pounds
for both residential and commercial property purchases. We are
always looking at opportunities to work with Case Management
Systems and other property information providers to allow
conveyancers access to our policies in the most efficient way.”
Paul Sams: “Sadly, it appears to me that a lot of firms have failed
to realise this. With more and more firms offering consultancy
arrangements in their business, remote working must be made
available, but also carefully thought through. I believe any office
now serves two fundamental purposes for a business – tangible and
visible reassurance for clients, and a place that offers support and
the sharing of ideas for people who work there. Without acceptance
that things have changed since the pandemic, and a demand for
100% everyday attendance at the office, firms run a very real risk
of an exodus from an organisation (most likely to one that is more
forward-thinking). Some people want to work in an office every
day, which is great, but some don’t, and that can be equally great.
An ideal system caters for both with a paper-lite approach, effective
technology and a tried and trusted method of answering the phone
(the telephone is still a primary form of communication to move
matters on). Think through what you may only be able to do in the
office, and then find solutions to those issues so that the whole
process is seamless. Remote working cannot allow inefficiencies to
creep into a system that already takes too long in the eyes of most
participants in the process.”
“Flexibility and visibility are critical factors in
remote working, and being adaptable requires
embracing digital technology.”
67

FORUM
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David K: “It is possible to never meet a client. This doesn’t mean that
you should ask them to come to an office to verify things like identity
and source of funds and there are solutions in place that firms can
increasingly rely on to remove the need. So, it is perhaps less about
physical client interaction and more about team culture to drive
efficiencies and service and a sense of togetherness that can only
come from hybrid working, as opposed to fully remote organisations.
It’s possible never to meet other stakeholders, so building
effective and robust lines of communication between each other
and being consistent and transparent in how you interact is vital
for the common cause - the smooth exchange and completion.
Of course, we are great believers in our industry getting together
and collaborating and this means good face to face dialogue,
debate and networking to make things work better. The human
touch will never go out of date, no matter how tech evolves!”
Jo: “Flexibility and visibility are critical factors in remote working,
and being adaptable requires embracing digital technology to
communicate with clients, colleagues, and other stakeholders
effectively and securely.
With the Law Society reporting that 79% of law firms intend
to continue offering remote working, it is essential that firms
prioritise good IT infrastructure, cyber security and integrated
solutions. Successful remote collaboration in the conveyancing
sector can be achieved by adapting and embracing technology to
provide accessible and secure services to all parties involved in a
property transaction.
Reputable case management software providers can offer multiple
tools to tackle any remote working challenge. Redbrick Solutions
conveyancing case management software is available in a hosted
environment allowing users to access it from any location. It offers
functionality to sustain high levels of service and communication
throughout a property transaction with the ability to be away from
the office, including an online document portal to securely upload
documents about the matter for homebuyers to download and
review at their leisure, online questionnaires to digitally capture data
such as retrieving upfront information, 24/7 online case tracking
and agent tracking providing real-time details, and automatic SMS
and email updates to keep all parties up to date proactively. “
“In addition to high-quality
technology, listening to clients always
provides a rich source of information.”
Paul Saunders: “Technology has played a significant role in
easing the speed and workflow in the conveyancing industry,
helping in the journey to relieve pressure from conveyancers.
Technology has automated many routine tasks in conveyancing,
such as document generation, form filling, and data entry. This
reduces the time and effort required for repetitive administrative
work, allowing conveyancers to focus on more complex and
value-added tasks.
Conveyancing software and case management systems provide
standardised workflows and checklists that support conveyancers
through the transaction process ensuring that key dates are not
missed and helping conveyancers stay organised and efficient.
Digital document management systems allow conveyancers to store,
share, and access documents. This eliminates the need for physical
file management and enables quick retrieval of information, reducing
the time spent searching for and handling paperwork.
Technology enables real-time collaboration among different
parties involved in a transaction. Online portals, secure messaging
platforms, and video conferencing tools facilitate instant
communication, allowing conveyancers to collaborate with clients,
solicitors, lenders, and other stakeholders more efficiently.
Technology has made it easier for conveyancers to access
information relevant to a transaction. Online property databases,
land registry portals, and digital research tools provide quick access
to property information, planning documents, and legal precedents.
This reduces the time required for research and due diligence.
Technology allows conveyancing firms to integrate their systems
with external platforms and services. Integration with land registry
systems, search providers, financial institutions, and e-signature
platforms facilitates a more seamless data exchange, reduces
manual data entry, and speeds up the overall process.
80% reduction in
incoming calls & emails
By leveraging technology, conveyancing firms can automate tasks,
streamline workflows, facilitate communication and collaboration,
and access information more efficiently. These improvements are
helping to reduce manual work, increase productivity, and release
pressure from conveyancers in the industry.”
Up to 51% increase in
work capacity
Scan the QR Code to find out how we
can help, or for more information:
visit in-case.co.uk
69

FORUM
How can the next generation of conveyancers embrace continuous
learning and professional development to stay at the forefront of the
industry’s ever-changing landscape?
Mike: “The starting point of embracing professional development
is always the tried and tested– attending relevant courses,
webinars and ensuring that as a property professional you remain
competent and updated. However, that is just the starting
point. To thrive and to remain at the forefront will involve greater
collaboration and a genuine desire to be outward looking and
proactive. Networking with peers and industry stakeholders is
paramount to remaining relevant given the pace of change. Join
the relevant professional associations, attend industry events and
conferences and share successes and failures with your peers.
By adopting such an approach and building strong and positive
relationships with all stakeholders - even with your perceived
competitors - will ensure that you are well equipped for the future
and the evolving landscape.”
David K: “Many conveyancers will tell you that the job has
become too complex - too many demands placed on the same
sized shoulders, too much reliance on a firm’s PI and carrying too
much risk on behalf of others. And this is true in the sense that
there is more to verify on behalf of other stakeholders or through
legal association guidance or compliance. But there has always
been an extensive programme of CPD with multiple providers
whether organisations such as us or other generic trainers. This
has been a good feeder of content and learning for junior staff to
accelerate their learning, as well as senior and compliance team
members to understand how changes in requirements could affect
the firm’s risk exposure.
“While being tech-savvy, willing
to embrace change and leverage
digitisation to uplift processes can
assist the industry.”
Consuming content and gaining certification is changing. Traditional
face to face events has their place and, with a critical enough
mass, they become significant industry events that are important
networking and best practice sharing experiences. But the younger
generation are used to consuming content through video, reels and
short burst factoids - a format that the traditionally dry precedent
and case law approach may find anathema.
We are an increasing visual, trend-based society that gains
insight through rapid search and delivery. So, whether it is topical
news content about flooding or seeking modules of on-demand
training content, it needs to be accessible, concise and in plain
English. We all have increasingly shorter attention spans. The
answer is more imaginative online content, delivered through
always-on learning and development platforms, such as Legal
Eye’s Academy, with automated certification and an evidence trail
for department heads and COLPs.”
Elizabeth: “It is the role of suppliers and industry influencers
to stay current and offer interesting and engaging continuous
personal development courses and events to keep their
conveyancer customers fully up to date. The key to this is
providing regular and timely information on the industry shifts
in a manner that fits with the customer’s busy schedule. At
Searchflow, we’ve been producing free webinars on important
topics – such as proof of funds checks and publishing bite-sized
updates that conveyancers can be pick-up at their convenience
has also proved popular. For example, our 90 second videos,
on themes such as reducing the chance of fall-throughs and
the importance of upfront data, give a quick overview of the
pertinent points conveyancers need to remember.”
Madhu: “While being tech-savvy, willing to embrace change and
leverage digitisation to uplift processes can assist the industry, they
are no replacement for legal knowledge and experience. Knowledge
is required to advise clients on the complex aspects of their
transaction, and to act in their best interests. So, I would encourage
the next generation to seek advice from their senior colleagues at
every opportunity. Their knowledge is invaluable, and when that
generation retires, their expertise leaves with them.
71

FORUM
“The focus is changing to be about how we can improve
the softer skills of being a lawyer.”
There is a plethora of industry webinars available, many of them
with no charge attached, and attending them is a great way to
keep up to date with what is happening within the profession,
as well as the latest tech innovations. Going to events and
conferences also provide networking opportunities and enable
discussions about what’s working well for firms, and how
problems are being solved. In addition to in-person networking,
LinkedIn can be a useful tool to engage with other professionals
and to keep on top of the latest trends.
Seeking feedback from clients is a highly valuable exercise, to
understand what they feel could be improved in the service
they are receiving. Communicating that, and other suggestions
for innovation, confidently to senior colleagues will help to
ensure conveyancers remain relevant and at the forefront of the
industry’s ever-changing landscape.”
Robert: “Our Stewart Solution online ordering platform (www.
stewartsolution.com) can be easily accessed by conveyancers
wherever they are working and allows them to access over 150
different policies providing cover up to twenty million pounds
for both residential and commercial property purchases. We are
always looking at opportunities to work with Case Management
Systems and other property information providers to allow
conveyancers access to our policies in the most efficient way.”
Rob: “Conveyancing is bound to see unprecedented changes
in the coming years, both from technological advancements
and shifting consumer behaviours. For conveyancers to stay
at the forefront, a commitment to continuous learning and
professional development is crucial. This could be in the form of
regular training, attending industry seminars, or even informal
learning networks. Keeping abreast of the latest technology
tools and trends can also help conveyancers offer cutting-edge
solutions to their clients.
I also believe that the priorities as a conveyancer are changing.
The focus is changing to be about how we can improve the
softer skills of being a lawyer – how can we improve our
communication and support skills? How can we be more
caring and supportive of our clients? Technology will reduce
the amount of administration we undertake and might even
reduce some of the legal oversight we have. But it isn’t able
(at the moment) to be a human and build relationships with
our clients. Therefore, firms will push harder to differentiate
themselves based on the softer side of being a lawyer. Afterall
clients do not choose their conveyancer by asking them to
undertake a legal knowledge quiz. It is a given that we know
the law and how to apply it.”
“However good technology gets, purchasing a home is always
going to be a personal and emotive transaction.”
73

10 MINS WITH
Gordon
Chung
Q
What
Minutes With...
is your most memorable achievement
whilst working in your current role?
ARE YOU
READY TO GO
‘BACK TO
THE FUTURE’?
Bringing property professionals together
to reflect on another challenging year
and how we can be bravely move forward
together in the face of yet more uncertainty.
One time when I was a trainee solicitor, the senior associate
supervising me was away, and an urgent client matter
suddenly came up. I had to work one-to-one with the most
senior partner in the department to complete a filing for
the client in the next 8 hours. That was nerve-wrecking at
first, but the satisfaction I got at the end from getting the
job done was unforgettable. Sometimes in life, you need
moments like that to know how capable you can become.
Q
What
has been the most valuable piece of
advice you’ve ever been given?
“When you want something, all the universe conspires
in helping you to achieve it”. Simply put, when we want
something so badly, and do everything in our power to
achieve it, everything around us becomes better too. Go read
Paulo Coelho’s novel “The Alchemist” if you are doubting
yourself or struggling at the moment.
Q
What
has been the key positive or negative
impact of change in your area of the market?
Private equity firms have been playing an increasingly
important role in the M&A market, creating more private
equity-backed deals. Recently, we can also see that private
equity transactions have helped lift Asian mergers and
acquisitions activity. As a M&A lawyer, it is important to
understand global trends and economic conditions.
“Sometimes in life,
you need moments like
that to know how capable
you can become.”
If you were not in your current position, what
Q would you like to be doing?
I would likely be teaching as a professor. I remember
right before I graduated from my master’s degree, I had
actually applied for a PhD programme and got an offer.
But eventually, I realised that I really want to work in
private practice and get a taste of what it’s like to work as a
corporate lawyer at a global law firm. An as ENFP, I know I
would enjoy meaningful occupations like an educator, so it’s
always on my list of ideal jobs.
Q
What
three items would you put on display in
a museum of your life and why?
Cambridge Graduate Certificate – not because I want to
brag, but because that was the first time I studied abroad,
and it opened my eyes to lots of things. That experience
completely changed my life and career trajectory. My family
photo – without the support from my family, I wouldn’t have
become who I am today. I owe them my life. A bird tattoo (I
may get one someday?) – it represents freedom. I believe
this is the one thing I have always been chasing in my life and
professional career. I always want to do something different in
life; I have a social media presence and make YouTube videos
as a lawyer; and I work / live in different places – it all comes
down to the fact that I want freedom and flexibility in my life.
QWhat three guests would you invite to a
dinner party?
Jordan Peterson, Allen Iverson and Keanu Reeves.
Gordon Chung,
Corporate M&A Associate, Baker McKenzie
850 property professionals completed the report this year,
here are a few of their quotes:
“More automation -
to make the transaction
more streamlined.”
“An increase in the understanding of
the whole process (who does what
and why) by the home mover clients.”
DOWNLOAD THE
REPORT TODAY AT:
tmgroup.co.uk/back-to-the-future/
“More Upfront Information from
sellers - perhaps agents arranging
for standard forms to be completed.”
74

Changing the
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e. angela@amitylaw.co.uk
To download our FAQ fact base, visit
amitylaw.co.uk/lifestyle
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Amity Law Limited is regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (No 11110) for the provision of
conveyancing services and is registered in England and Wales under company number 5490029