Norton Rose Fulbright duo joins Mayer Brown... UK courts losing out in disputes as Brexit approaches...
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A new unit of the New York Law School will launch this year with a focus on providing a pipeline of technology-enabled legal professionals.
The Business of Law Institute is in response to NYLS research showing strong demand for tech-savvy lawyers; 68% of law firm leaders reported that coursework in e-discovery/Technology Assisted Review would give employees or prospective employees a competitive advantage; this was followed by cybersecurity coursework (64%).
Almost two thirds of the corporate law department leaders polled said that the best way law schools can prepare their students to take advantage of changing market opportunities is to encourage them to learn about how technology is used beyond the law firm setting.
“It’s no secret that the legal marketplace is undergoing profound change,” said NYLS Dean and President Anthony W. Crowell. “While traditional legal education remains paramount, today’s law school graduates will gain a competitive advantage if they enter the job market ready to meet the technological and operational needs of their employers. Our market research, which draws on the insights of a deep well of industry leaders, strongly supports the creation of a Business of Law Institute.”
Law students in two different focus groups were most eager to learn about artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and privacy and were unanimously interested in attending technology learning labs.
Norton Rose Fulbright duo joins Mayer Brown
Two London-based partners are joining Mayer Brown’s litigation & dispute resolution practice from Norton Rose Fulbright.
Sam Eastwood joins in August and is widely recognized and ranked for his anti-bribery and regulatory compliance work.
Meanwhile Jason Hungerford has joined this week and represents corporations and financial institutions in government and internal investigations. His practice spans the US, Brazil, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia.
"These are exciting times for Sam and Jason to join the firm. I am particularly thrilled to have Jason on board. His arrival in our London office bolsters our economic sanctions, export control, compliance and investigations capabilities in Washington, Brussels and Asia. We look forward to introducing Jason to our clients, who will benefit greatly from his considerable experience," said Tamer Soliman, partner and global head of the firm’s Export Control & Sanctions practice.
UK courts losing out in disputes as Brexit approaches
More companies are changing disputes clauses in contracts to EU-based courts rather than the UK as Brexit gets closer.
A survey from Thomson Reuters Legal reveals that more than a third of respondents have shifted their preferences in the past two years and a further two fifths are considering doing so unless Brexit negotiations show significant progress.
The move could be costly for UK law firms.
“The fact that a third of businesses are revising dispute resolution clauses away from the English courts should be a concern for the UK’s legal profession. It is this initial selection in a contract that drives an entire industry of legal advice that supports transactional work, ongoing contract management and dispute resolution,” Jim Leason of Thomson Reuters told the Law Society Gazette.
