Legal Sector Resilience

Are lawyers looking for more than money when it comes to their legal career? Yes, but there's always another reason people move. Law firms in Wales are adding a variety of benefit packages into the mix to attract and retain the best talent. Emma Waddingham, Editor of Legal News Wales and host, sat down with Ryan Price and Rachel Phillips from TSR Legal to hear more and see if there's more to legal recruitment than the pay grade. 

We promise this episode will offer valuable insights, from competitive benefits like enhanced maternity/paternity leave and career progression opportunities to the growing importance of personal well-being initiatives. Ryan and Rachel share their expert perspectives on why financial compensation, while critical, is no longer the sole factor driving career decisions in the legal industry in Wales.

Listen as we explore the fierce competition in Wales, where local law firms are upping their game to match the attractive packages offered by international counterparts. We discuss the innovative strategies these firms employ, such as promoting work-life balance, mental health support, and equitable benefits for all staff levels. This episode reveals the reality smaller firms face in competing with these high standards and how they can still stand out amidst the shifting expectations of legal professionals.

Our conversation takes a deep dive into the evolving recruitment dynamics, highlighting the importance of mutual evaluation during the hiring process. Discover how the shift towards conversational interviews and transparency in salary discussions is reshaping the landscape. We'll also touch on the implications of AI on junior roles and the cultural adjustments firms must make post-COVID-19. Whether you're a law firm looking to attract top talent or a legal professional navigating your career, this episode is packed with practical advice and real-world examples. Don't miss it! 

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

Discover how the Wales office of The Law Society of England and Wales is paving the way for a future-ready legal sector in Wales with Jonathan Davies, Head of Wales. 

Jonathan talks to our host, Emma Waddingham, editor of Legal News Wales, about the ambitious "Reimagining Justice in Wales 2030" initiative, and shares behind-the-scenes details about the extensive policy work and member engagement strategies shaping the future of legal practices in Wales. Learn about the significance of the newly refurbished Cardiff office, and its growing team who are working hard to connect with solicitors in Wales, understand their needs and create valuable engagement opportunities. 

Jonathan also offers a candid look at the Welsh Government's push for justice devolution and the challenges it presents. We discuss everything from the crucial need for improved data collection across the sector to the sporadic use of technology in legal practices. 

Whether you are a member of the Law Society or simply interested in the evolving legal landscape in Wales, this episode promises valuable insights and forward-thinking strategies, and a sneak peak of what’s to follow in the Autumn of 2024.

For more details on the Law Society Admissions Ceremony in Cardiff on the 12th July 2024, and to book your place, click here. 

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

Conveyancing is known for being a fast-paced, customer-focused area of law, which relies on experience and a whole-team effort. Over the past few years, headlines have focused on wellbeing issues and the impact of new processes and technology for residential property lawyers but what is the reality of a career in Conveyancing in Wales today? In this episode, Emma Waddingham, Editor of Legal News Wales is joined by Hannah Williams and Harry Watson-James from TSR Legal Recruitment to hear what's happening in the Conveyancing market in Wales, the abundance of health and welfare benefits on offer, the many opportunities available in Wales, and more.

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

In this Conveyancing Week 2024 podcast special, we sat down with  Rob Hosier of inCase (and 'recovering conveyancer') to hear how conveyancers are fairing, what conveyancing practices are doing well, the realities of tech adoption, and whether there's more to be done to support this pressured area of legal services.

Emma Waddingham, Editor of Legal News Wales asked Rob about the state of play for conveyancers right now, their aspirations, use of technology, what to ask suppliers, and what conveyancing firms and teams can do now to help their business, their clients, and the wider industry.

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

In this episode, we speak to Dan Kayne, Founder of O Shaped, and Laura Hughes and Tim Edds, Partners at Browne Jacobson about the value lawyers and in-house lawyers can offer organisations beyond legal advice - how this works in practice, the freedoms that need to be given to offer problem solving solutions and the benefits to clients and employers as well as the legal sector itself.  

Join us for a fireside chat with O Shaped and one of the first law firms to fully embrace its principles - and the impact that has had on Browne Jacobson, and importantly, on it's clients.

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

Join Legal News Wales and accounting and tax specialists from Azets, as we ask how law firms faired financially in 2023, and what they're preparing for in the 2024 - from tax changes to succession planning, join our Editor Emma Waddingham, who sits with David Holden and Iain Sanderson from Azets Cardiff office for this short round up podcast. An ideal listen for business owners and financial directors in the legal sector.

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

Karen Jones, Director of TSR Legal Recruitment, joins Emma Waddingham, host and Editor of Legal News Wales, for a fireside chat about the legal recruitment market in Wales at the end of 2023 - an exclusive and candid roundup of what employers and candidates have learned about post-pandemic working realities, how the legal sector recruitment landscape has changed in the past six months and the impact this may have on hiring approaches as we head into 2024. 

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

In our first podcast with our Community Partner, Azets, our host Emma and her guests Katherine Broadhurst and David Holden, share their first-hand knowledge of the operational and financial challenges that law firms in Wales face – and what lies ahead.  In this whistle stop tour of some of the key trends and issues currently affecting legal practices, we also explore the corporate transaction market in Wales and our guests from Azets share their own experience of consolidation and what the legal sector can learn from other industries.

Azets works with legal firms on a daily basis on matters impacting their own financial performance and position and those of their clients, supporting all to achieve their desired outcomes. They also collaborate with lawyers on both sides of corporate transactions, succession planning and consolidation.  

For more information on the Azets team in Wales, click here.

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

This episode is ideal for residential conveyancers as we speak to the founders of Welsh-born ntitle - the multi-award winning title investigation specialists.

Nicola Davies and Nicola Ashley launched ntitle in 2020, to simplify the title investigation process, to support conveyancers and empower them to do more for their clients, without the added strain of time-consuming title investigation work - often undertaken on evenings and weekends. Our Editor, Emma Waddingham, is joined by the founders to discuss what adds value to the work of conveyancing teams - from practitioner wellbeing to client care - and what's next for ntitle, the only UK company to offer a specialist, legal process outsource service in title investigation. 

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.

This episode of the Legal Sector Resilience podcast is with PEXA and it's ideal for property lawyers in Wales. It's one we’ve been looking forward to hosting to explore how PEXA aims to transform the remortgaging and home buying process in Wales and England and specifically its support for law firms and lenders in Wales. With James and Heather from PEXA, I explore what the solution offers to professionals and consumers, and how PEXA addresses the many challenges conveyancers face and help them empower clients via the consumer experience.

There are around 420 law firms in Wales, 80% of which are small to medium sized firms, with nearly all of those offering residential property services to consumers. It’s a valuable sector to the Welsh Government for many obvious reasons and so it makes sense for us to help identify the solutions aimed to bolster conveyancing professionals, to help them compete locally and nationally.
 
PEXA is the latest community partner to join Legal News Wales and we are delighted to share contact details with law firms looking to engage and explore opportunities made by being the first in the queue to speak to the PEXA UK team.  For more information, visit pexauk.co.uk  or contact the team via [email protected].

For more information and signposting, visit the insights section on legalnewswales.com and use the 'Legal Sector Resilience Podcast' filter.