- Nominations are now open for MLS Officers for 2023/4
- Improving gender equlity in succession planning
- Vacancy: Director of Legal Services, Deputy City Solicitor, Manchester City Council
- MLS Fantasty Football League
- Exclusive Member offer from Manchester Hall
- ICYMI – The Manchester Pride Brunch
- Menopause Coffee Morning
- Preparing for Legal Directories Season: Exclusive Webinar
- Dates for the diary
- September Messenger
- MLS Court Reports Journal Issue 12
- New research report: Time is Money
The Annual General Meeting of the Manchester Law Society is taking place on Tuesday, 5th December 2023 at which the Officers and Council of the Society will be elected.
If you would like to nominate yourself for the positions of Deputy Vice President, Joint Honorary Secretaries or Honorary Treasurer of the Society for 2024 please click here for more information.
We have been contacted by Gabi Round, PhD Researcher and Lecturer in Marketing at Leeds Beckett University, who is currently conducting research for her PhD around the ways in which succession planning in Northern Professional Service SMEs can be improved for greater gender equality.
Gabi is looking for respondents for a 10-15 minute survey for those who work in a professional service organisation with less than 250 employees (SME).
When the research is complete Gabi will share her findings with us as we try to make the professional services career opportunities more gender equal. The survey link is here.
Do you have an anniversary or birthday to celebrate? A late night planned in town? Or just need to get in the good books with someone?
Then don’t miss this month’s offer from our friends at Manchester Hall: book a room for any night in September for £99 bed and breakfast.
Manchester Hall has 8 luxurious bedrooms, each named after a Manchester icon, and all decorated beautifully – a brilliant space to relax. Having stayed there myself I highly recommend it!
Please note this offer is subject to availability. So don’t delay – get your room booked before they run out!
To take advantage of this offer you need to quote “MLS99” in the promotional code on the website booking form. Book your room here!
Date: 5 October 2023 Time: 10:30 to 11:30 Location:Online via Teams Cost to attend:Free but you must book your place
Please join us for our first menopause coffee morning.
Taking place during International Menopause Month 2023, under Chatham House Rules, this will be a safe and supportive space where we can share our experiences and insights about menopause.
The coffee morning will be hosted by MLS Chief Executive Fran Eccles-Bech and by Lisa Wright, a member of the International Menopause Society, Newson Health Menopause Society and founder of Menopause the Wright Way.
LexRex Communications invites you to Prepare for Legal Directories Season with our legal directories experts.
Join us on Thursday 21st September 1pm - 2pmas we helpyou to start your preparations for the Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 submissions season with our experts. We'll cover how you can get ahead of the competition and get more out of your submissions and rankings process by planning your legal directories approach early and effectively.
Gain insights into planning for the 2023 & 2024 launch dates, legal directories strategy, what to do if you weren't ranked as expected and what's new and what's changing this year with Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.
The event will feature a live Q&A and chance to ask your questions.
Insights from law firms on navigating client money management challenges
In the ever-evolving UK legal landscape, law firms are confronting significant challenges when it comes to managing client monies in-house. Traditionally, law firms have maintained client accounts, but there is now a noticeable shift towards exploring alternative options.
To shed light on this transformative trend, we generated new data on the current state of the market by surveying legal professionals from top 100 law firms in the UK.
We have captured a snapshot of attitudes towards in-house management of client funds and highlighted the alternative solutions available to law firms seeking greater efficiency and client satisfaction.
A quick summary of what you can find in the report:
Methods of client money management We explore the methods employed by UK law firms for handling transaction payments on behalf of their clients. As a big reveal, we uncovered that nearly three quarters (74%) of firms surveyed are outsourcing management of client funds for transactional matters.
Challenges faced by law professionals One of the report's central findings is on the main obstacles that law professionals come up against when dealing with client funds and facilitating payments. The top three featured international and cross-border payments, confidentiality and data security and insurance policies and limitations. Identifying and addressing these hurdles is crucial for law firms aiming to optimise their internal processes and improve productivity.
Inefficiencies from time-intensive processes When it comes to managing transactional payments, law firms are spending a substantial amount of unbillable time on administrative tasks. From our survey, we found that the most time-intensive process was due diligence (KYC/KYB) checks, followed by managing banking partners and regulatory reporting. These are a substantial drain on a law firm’s resource and revenue potential.
Our research report offers a comprehensive exploration of the shifting dynamics in client money management within law firms. It provides invaluable insights into the challenges faced by legal professionals, the strategies employed to navigate the complexities of deal payments, and highlights the opportunity for law firms to work with payment partners to simplify the process and gain greater efficiencies.
Stay ahead of the curve by staying informed about the changing landscape of client money management in the legal industry. Download your copy of the report here.
