Steven Clarke

How successful is Lawfront? Reading through The Legal 500 UK 2026 rankings, I found myself asking: what impact have we had on the market for regional legal services in England? The answer surprised me. The Data Across our six member firms—Brachers, Farleys, Fisher Jones Greenwood, Nelsons, Slater Heelis, and Trethowans—we've secured 81 Legal 500 rankings in regional England (excluding London). Based on my reading, that's greater breadth than any legal services business in England for regional law! For context: - 14 Tier 1 rankings - 29 Tier 2 rankings - 53% of all rankings in the top two tiers Coverage spans South East (35 rankings), North West (20), East Midlands (19), and South West (14) What Legal 500 Rankings Don't Tell You Here's what matters as much as the numbers: these rankings reflect six firms that still operate as Brachers, Farleys, Fisher Jones Greenwood, Nelsons, Slater Heelis, and Trethowans. Local partnerships intact. Regional identities preserved. Client relationships maintained. What changed: shared technology infrastructure (Project Drive, Katchr, ShareDo), operational standards, knowledge management, and the ability to recruit at platform scale rather than as individual 150-200 lawyer regional firms. Rankings measure recognition. They don't measure client satisfaction, profitability, lawyer retention, or operational efficiency. They're one signal among many. A Challenge to the Market I'm genuinely curious: has anyone achieved higher combined Legal 500 recognition in regional England outside London? If you're operating a similar model and you've scored higher, I'd like to know about it. What Constitutes Success? This is the real question. Is success measured by: - Total rankings breadth? - Tier 1 concentration? - Revenue growth? - Lawyer satisfaction scores? - Client retention rates? - Something else entirely? I'd argue it's all of these. For Lawfront, success means proving that regional firms can perform at national level without sacrificing local identity or client relationships. The Legal 500 results suggest we're moving in the right direction. Your Perspective? If you're operating in regional legal services—as a firm leader, managing partner, or platform operator—what metrics matter most to you? And if you've achieved stronger Legal 500 performance than our 81 combined rankings in regional England, I'm genuinely interested in hearing about it. The market needs more transparency on what works, not just who ranks where. https://lnkd.in/emzNXEp9

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Could AI be building a new glass ceiling in law? And are we sleepwalking into it? This week on the Legally Speaking Podcast ™️, proudly sponsored by Clio, I spoke with someone who’s been shaping the future of legal services long before AI dominated the headlines. Priya Lele is a global thought leader in legal innovation, legal tech and DEI. Over the last two decades, she’s led major transformation initiatives across the UK, Australia and beyond—holding leadership roles at EY, BCLP and HSF, and advising FTSE100 and Fortune 50 legal teams along the way. She’s also the Co-Founder and Chair of She Breaks the Law—a global community of over 4,000 women across 50+ countries committed to reimagining legal leadership and breaking down barriers. Here’s what we explored: 🔴 Human-centred design still beats hype: Priya shares why tech only works when it reflects how lawyers actually work—and why most transformation fails without this. 🔴 The gender gap in GenAI is real: Her No Woman Left Behind report (co-authored with Linklaters and Dana Denis-Smith OBE) reveals why women are falling behind in AI adoption—and what the profession must do about it. 🔴 Innovation isn’t universal: It varies by mindset, not just region. Culture, buy-in, and storytelling determine whether change sticks. 🔴 Leadership needs a new formula: EQ (emotional intelligence) + AQ (adaptability quotient) = the future of legal leadership. 🗣️ And two powerful lines that cut through: “If she can do it, so can I.” “AI literacy could become another hidden barrier to career progression—unless we act now.” If you're building legal tech, leading teams, or just figuring out how to future-proof your legal career—this episode is a must. Tune in now and hear how Priya is designing a more inclusive and innovative legal profession—one decision, one conversation, one community at a time. 🎥 Available on Spotify, Apple, YouTube and all major platforms. 🏆 UK's #1 Law Podcast #LegallySpeakingPodcast #LegalTech #WomenInLaw #SheBreaksTheLaw #LegalLeadership

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There's a huge discrepancy in General Counsel salaries, which often frustrates people. But in reality, there's a reason for this, and I think it's because there are three levels to being a GC. Level one is to provide top quality legal advice. You tell the business what they need to know, providing legal insights. That's good stuff, and necessary for a business, but in reality a significant amount of your time is managing external counsel. Level two adds in strategic input - what's good for the business' goals, offering actionable risk insights, and bridging that gap between legal and the commercial side of the business. But level three is something else entirely, they do two key things: 1) they sense problems early and prevent them from happening. It's not about saying 'we've looked at the facts and here's our solution to this'. It's about saying 'don't worry, we already knew this might happen, we prepared our legal and business tactics to mitigate this 2 years ago, and we've already fixed it'. 2) they're psychologists. They translate complex challenges into clear, manageable information, but the key is that their communication is outstanding. They know how to manage the CEO's ego, how to work with sales to keep their energy high during a collapsing transaction, how to understand the CFO's financial motivations whilst still explaining that something isn't long-term the right move. They guide leadership and colleagues without threatening their autonomy and freedom to make commercial decisions. The CEO still feels in control, the business stays focused on profits, and legal risk is handled long before it becomes a commercial distraction. Want to keep your budgets low? That's ok, you'll get good lawyers and good strategists. But when you pay top-dollar, you get someone who can take bad news and make it a highlight of your day, meaning you continue to be able to focus on the things that matter to you.

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Introducing Mishcon de Reya's latest guide, providing a concise overview of the key competition law principles under UK law relevant to start-ups and growing companies. Download your copy for practical guidance to help new businesses operate legally and ethically while fostering innovation and growth, from Gwen Ballin-Reeler and Chanelle Cattin: https://lnkd.in/gZQay-35

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