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Working across international jurisdictions? Read below to understand our tips for creating efficiencies and getting to the answers faster.

Most lawyers would agree that 2020 hasn’t quite transpired in the way that many of us expected. Alongside the usual demands of the profession, and running a business, the pandemic has shifted the dial for lawyers in new ways altogether.

Companies are now focussed on more immediate term issues, such as business costs, whether they will attract new business and what the overall practice area impact of Covid-19 will be.

In the in-house market, there is an increasing pressure to act not just as legal advisers, but as leaders, who shape their organisations – an aspect which Covid-19 has now expedited with some force.

To help you manage your ever-increasing workload, we have come up with some hints and tips based on our work with lawyers and legal teams.

The skills debate: What does the data say?

In a recent ÀÏ˾»úÎçÒ¹¸£Àû study, we surveyed 355 law firm leaders, 68% of which said they felt that willingness to outsource non legal work was an important attribute for creating ‘great law firms’.

Half of the leaders also said they were extremely challenged by the recruitment and retention of staff – a potentially high-risk area for the business if managed incorrectly. Most Partners (87%) also said they were actively hiring externally for drafting skills.

[Are medium-sized firms the change-makers in legal? ÀÏ˾»úÎçÒ¹¸£Àû UK, July 2020]

Many leaders, industry-wide, are therefore still grappling with the complex interplay between resourcing and skills among firms and legal teams.

Dividing your resources wisely

Where outsourcing and recruitment prove unsustainable or expensive, there could be some value in looking at your current resources and how legal workflows are divided up.

The good news is that technology companies invest heavily in hiring trained practice area PSLs to do some of the extra groundwork for you. Technology adoption helps lawyers complete client queries faster, spend more time focusing on the client issues directly, and the legal problem itself.

Investing in the correct software application can create efficiencies in your caseload. With one click, you can immediately access toolkits, checklists, smart precedents and practice notes relevant to your case. The benefit of technology is that it bridges the gap between knowing the important legislation and understanding what practically needs to be done once you’ve located it.

³¢±ð³æ¾±²õ®±Ê³§³¢, for example, can give you instant clarification on points of law, give practical guidance, provide links to primary sources and send daily alerts to you on key developments in your practice area.

If you can increase productivity and accuracy by cutting out some of the legwork, you can bolster the depth and breadth of your research and ultimately spend more time in front of your clients. 

‘Layering’ your research approach

While it is important to ground your argument in authoritative primary sources, research doesn’t always need to be time consuming.

There will be cases that require time and detail, and those that can be completed quickly without too much research upfront.

³¢±ð³æ¾±²õ®±Ê³§³¢ allows you to work more efficiently through your tasks by effectively ‘layering’ your research approach, depending on your query or case. It allows you to quickly read summaries, and practice notes or, you can also read the full detail of the black letter law if it’s required. ³¢±ð³æ¾±²õ®±Ê³§³¢ facilitates both the detailed, and quick access scenario.   

Product deep-dive: Getting the Deal Through

If you’re a busy in-house or corporate lawyer, this approach to research can also be applied when working across legal jurisdictions.

Trusted brand. ÀÏ˾»úÎçÒ¹¸£Àû have partnered with trusted brand to provide Getting the Deal Through guides as part of our ³¢±ð³æ¾±²õ®±Ê³§³¢ content. The research platform is well-established and is already used by thousands of law firms, universities, regulators and corporate counsel at multinational organisations.

Get a head start on a case which it touches on several different jurisdictions. You can use the guidance notes to compare the differences and quickly work out what needs to be actioned. Each note is written by an expert in the subject area, in every significant jurisdiction, therefore you can be certain that you’re acting on the best advice possible.

Written in a simple Q&A format to make the information clear and accessible, covering topics such as: Anti-corruption regulation, Anti-month laundering, Corporate Governance, Private Equity and M&A.

See a full list and request a free trial here.