The Legal Brief - 8th March 2023

Following 18 months of campaigning from in-house lawyer Emma Lilley and bar course graduate James Joseph, The Law Society have announced plans to trial regional admission ceremonies. Until now, the admission ceremony, which?Joseph describes as being?a solicitor’s “graduation?and receipt of authority to practice by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority”?has?exclusively been held at their London headquarters.

Emma Lilley, who is based in Manchester,?launched the campaign?after she was unable to attend her own ceremony in?2018.?Lilley stated that the reason she was unable to attend was as a result of?“expensive train fares and accommodation, plus the ￡95 per person ticket”. Thus, the campaign, known as “Mission?Admissions”,?is advocating for change so that everyone has the chance to “celebrate their achievements, in-person, wherever they are based, without having to go to large expense to do so”.

Although The Law Society have at present only agreed to trial one ceremony?outside of London, this marks a huge step forward. In over 50 years of admissions ceremonies, this will be the first to not be held in London, despite data from Pirical finding that only 40% of lawyers in England and Wales work in London.

The location of the ceremony has not yet been?announced,?but Lilley?announced on her Instagram (@inhousepotter) that she will be continuing to fight for multiple regional ceremonies across England and Wales?and that this is just the beginning. Indeed, a Law Society spokesperson has?stated?that they are trying to find a way to achieve this?request?in “a way that is accessible, meets demand and is financially viable”.

This is a very exciting step in the right direction and is?crucial for increasing access to and diversity in the legal profession. Hopefully,?we will continue?to see additional locations being added?so more solicitors can celebrate their hard work and accomplishments.

Written by Imogen Ellis

For many consumers, the idea of a price drop in Tesla’s vehicles may seem like a good thing, that makes the brand more accessible and may seem to make people more likely to purchase one of the luxury EVs. This, however, may not necessarily be the case.

Tesla have announced a price drop in two of their leading models of Electric Vehicle, with the Performance version of the Model S coming down by 4%, and the Model Y coming down by a staggering 9%. This is the fifth round of price cuts since the beginning of this year, and Tesla are hoping that this will help to drive demand, and subsequently sales, of the vehicles worldwide.

There are a few people this may not sit so well with, however, with some existing customers (particularly those who have recently purchased one of the aforementioned models) becoming foreseeably angry with this move. The reduction in base price of these models will have accelerated, and amplified, the depreciation of vehicles currently on the road. If you have recently purchased a $100k car, and a few weeks later the list price of that vehicle became $91k, it is easy to see why you may not be the happiest consumer.

Also, shareholders may not be too thrilled at this perceived cheapening of the luxury brand, as price drops are now bringing Teslas more in line with other EVs price-wise. Much as this opens the door for many consumers, it may also dissuade consumers who desire a luxury / high ticket price purchase.

Whilst there will undoubtably be some unrest with certain demographics about these repeated price drops, the continued high demand for Teslas may outweigh any negatives, and with the lower prices, and accessibility to purchase being there for higher levels of consumers, this move may not be a catastrophic as it could be for other manufacturers.

Written by Duncan Balcon

Most readers will have noticed the rise in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the increasing amount of space stories covering the technology are taking up in the headlines.

Leading Law Firm, DLA Piper, have decided to get in on the action, and have acquired ten data scientists from a rival firm, to help advice the company, and their clients, on the use of AI, and to build proprietary AI tools and products to help its lawyers.

It makes total sense that a Law Firms should be at the cutting edge of the development of this technology as, with any new technology, the legal implications of the development/ use of AI will provide plenty of slip/trip hazards for any company involved. There will be more and more regulations and restrictions as AI becomes more prevalent, so DLA Piper have positioned themselves well to stay ahead of the curve, and the right side of the Law. It is foreseeable that any technology developed in house could then be sold on to other Law/ Accountancy firm, who would no doubt also benefit from the products. For the Data Scientists, this also provides a sense of job security, as they will no doubt have offers from rival firms to produce similar / better tools for their use.

The other reason Law Firms are best placed to benefit from the current AI boom as, in its current form, AI is best used for more “clinical” tasks (by which I mean any task that has a right/ wrong answer) and less equipped to deal with any task that needs a more human touch. Drafting contracts and legal documents would seem to be a perfect application for this technology in its current form.

This could prove to be a very well timed move from DLA Piper, and it would not be surprising at all to see other Law Firms following suit.

Written by Duncan Balcon

This week from Legally Speaking Podcast Host, Robert Hanna :

?? MEMES FOR LAWYER? YOU READ IT RIGHT!

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Say hello to “Bill Moore”, the creator of?Non-Equity Partner?and corporate meme-dealer.?

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With over 164k followers on?Instagram, he's been recognised by?The American Lawyer?as a bona fide memelord.?

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?? I thoroughly enjoyed chatting?Bill, to discover how he produces amazing content ideas and gaining his perspective on the power of online community!?

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In addition to learning more about our latest?Legally Speaking Podcast ???powered by?Clio - Cloud-Based Legal Technology?episode; we shout out AMAZING previous guests; highlighting their achievements and what they are getting up to for the legal & wider communities:

???Jake Schogger?– for the?Commercial Law Academy?free webinar in collaboration with All About Law, covering everything you need to know about careers in commercial law

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???Aliza Shatzman?– for her work with?The Legal Accountability Project?and ways you can help law students pursue careers they love in safe workplaces?

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???Gordon Chung?- for successfully qualifying as a Corporate M&A Associate?with the?Baker McKenzie?in London

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???Frank Ramos?- for his invitation to the legal community to swing by his new (impressive) office starting from March 21st?

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???Emma Menzies?– for joining us in extending a HUGE congratulations as Emma gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the end of last year

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???Ania Rontaler?– for being asked to judge the legal category in the?WeAreTheCity?Rising Star Awards

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???Dana Denis-Smith?– for The Returner Springboard programme which starts back in just 2 weeks

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???Jodie Hill?- for speaking at Clio's Innovate Legal Speakers in Manchester this month along with?Sarah Murphy,?Rachel Tombs?&?Alex Holt

*** INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY ***

We celebrate our interviews with high-performing working mothers including?Mandeep Kaur Virdee,?Alice Stephenson,?Katie Alexiou,?Olga V. Mack?&?Jayne Backett?

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*** OTHER NEWS ***

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Don't lose your passion for the legal profession, get your hands on?Cindy Watson's Practicing With Purpose: Winning in Law & Life. Yours truly also contributed to the book :)?

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Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my exciting Dubai trip ??

*** SAVE THE DATE ***

?? Monday 13th March at 1pm UK Time - 1.20pm UK Time

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?? Myself &?Henry Nelson-Case?will be hosting another?Legally Speaking Club,?LinkedIn for Creators?Audio Event - discussing lots of tips and tricks relating to short form video to help you get started!

*** READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE? ***

???KC Partners?shares the hottest legal VACANCIES across a wide range of legal practice areas plus a 2023 salary guide!

Enjoy it ALL folks! ??

Banking Lawyers?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 0 - 7?PQE (London, Manchester, Leeds )

Capital Markets Associate?- Top US Law Firm?- 2 - 4??PQE (London)

Commercial Life Sciences Associate?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 3 - 7?PQE (London)

Competition Associate?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 2+ PQE (London)

Crypto Lawyers?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 2+?PQE (London )

Disputes Associate?- Top US Law Firm?- 4 - 5?PQE (London )

Finance Associate?- Top US Law Firm?- 3 - 4?PQE (London)

Financial Regulatory Associate?- Top US Law Firm?- 3 - 5?PQE (London)

ICE Dispute Associate?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 3 - 7?PQE (London )

IP Litigation Associate?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 2+ PQE (London)

IP/IT/Commercial and Data Protection Associate?- Top US Law Firm?- 4 - 5 PQE (London)

M&A Associate?- Top US Law Firm?- 2 - 4 PQE (London)

Powers/Networks Associate / Senior Associate?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 5+ PQE (London )

Real Estate Associate?- Top 10 UK International Law Firm?- 0-2?PQE (London )

For further information, or to get your questions answered, please send a message to?Robert Hanna.

If you cannot see a job suitable for you, but are interested to hear about more jobs at KC Partners, please send your CV to?[email protected]?to be considered.

At KC Partners we are committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunities across organisations and we welcome applications from suitable candidates regardless of race or racial group, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity.