BRM Trainee Solicitor and Yorkshire Legal Awards judge Holly Wardle Shares Legal Industry Insights
We’re delighted to share that our Corporate Trainee Solicitor, Holly Wardle, has been selected as a judge for this year’s highly anticipated Yorkshire Legal Awards.
To mark her achievement, Holly shares her insights into significant trends currently shaping the legal industry, how they might influence future legal practices, and the potential impact of upcoming regulations and legal developments.
Holly also discusses what impressed her during the judging process as well as reflecting on her career at BRM.
What are the most significant trends you’re currently seeing within the legal industry?
One of the most significant trends seen in the legal industry was the move towards flexible working during the Covid-19 pandemic. Flexible working had many benefits during this period and enabled fee earners to continue serving their clients during what was a challenging time for the world.
In more recent years following the pandemic, firms are bringing in new policies to get people ‘back into the office’ for the majority of the time to take advantage of the established benefits of office working, such as training, collaboration and teamwork. In my experience it is clear that being in the office and interacting with others has been the foundation of my training and enhanced my legal development.
It is great to work for a firm taking steps to invest in the working environment for all staff. Only last year BRM undertook a 3000ft expansion of our Sheffield Office, and a quarter million-pound re-fit of our Chesterfield Office.
Another trend we are seeing is the increasing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the profession. AI is being used by firms to streamline processes which saves fee earner time and client money.
Whilst judging the Yorkshire Legal Awards, I was impressed by how many entrants are leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and deliver value to their clients.
I also noticed the general push from firms to engage in charity work. Whilst firms have historically sponsored charity events and had charity partnerships, many entrants are now providing staff with paid time to volunteer for local charities.
This is a very positive change and enables fee earners the time to support charities important to them. It is also likely to increase morale within those firms. It was great to see many of the senior management teams across firms getting involved in such initiatives and leading by example.
How do you think these trends will shape the future of legal practice?
Flexible working is already shaping the future of legal practice for the better. It can be seen in firms across Yorkshire that flexible working is an essential tool to enable lawyers to balance both the established advantage of office and team working with the personal benefit of working from home when the need arises.
Whether AI can safely reduce the work given to lawyers is a question that currently cannot be answered.
In 2021 The Law Society reported how the introduction of AI could result in a reduction in jobs for lawyers, however, they also report it can be seen as an opportunity for growth.
There are inherent risks involved with a reliance on AI which was demonstrated in the American case of Steven Schwartz where ChatGPT produced a document containing fake case law. Evidently, at this stage, it would be inappropriate for lawyers to rely on AI as its processes are not without risks or mistakes.
At BRM, we take pride in our commitment to supporting local charities and giving back to our community. It’s inspiring to see our team members actively participating in various charitable initiatives, including skydives, marathons, park runs, and abseils.
It’s great to be part of a growing team that shows such a commitment to giving back to the community.
Are there any new regulations or legal developments you think may have the most impact in the coming year?
In my seat in BRM’s Dispute Resolution team, I noticed that the new fixed recoverable costs regime which came in in October 2023 will have a significant impact on how cases are litigated in England and Wales.
The regime is intended to provide parties with greater certainty of the costs involved with their case and their liability to the other side in the event they are unsuccessful.
The introduction of the ‘Intermediate Track’ is also changing how cases are being litigated. The Intermediate Track is targeted at claims with a value of up to £100,000 which do not require allocation to the multi-track. The new Complexity Bands can assist with better case management at an earlier stage which can save considerable time and expense.
From May 2024, there is now a compulsory mediation scheme for all new small claims issued in Money Claims Online. Mediation has historically been strongly encouraged by the Courts but over recent years there has been a slow move from recommendations to mandatory measures.
BRM is heavily focused on getting the best result for their clients, whether that be a Court victory or an out of Court settlement and I have been trained to advise clients on a variety of solutions to their legal issues.
Could you give some general comments about the trends you’re seeing in the categories that you judged?
I was so impressed by all the categories of entrants I was selected to judge.
I was impressed by many of the smaller firms in the area who showed a real commitment to growth and investment in their staff.
It was also good to read how senior team members at firms were taking time out of their busy days to supervise junior staff, enabling them to develop and build stronger relationships across the teams.
Some of the client feedback received by the entrants was truly excellent, and it is great to be part of a region so dedicated to providing the best service to clients.
How would you describe your time at BRM?
Reflecting on my past year as a Trainee at BRM I would say it has been incredibly rewarding. It began with a work experience placement at the firm and then I continued work as a paralegal after my undergraduate university studies had ended.
During my time as a paralegal with BRM, I was undertaking the Legal Practice Course part-time as well as my role as Events Representative for the Sheffield Junior Lawyers Division. Balancing these numerous responsibilities was tough, however, I was lucky to work for such a supportive firm, who were fully behind me during my studies.
I am so thankful to all of my supervisors at BRM for the time they have dedicated to my training and development, both personally and professionally.
It was truly an honour to be selected to judge the Yorkshire Legal Awards. It reminded me of the hard work and dedication I have shown in my career which enabled me to be chosen for such an amazing opportunity.
The winners of the Yorkshire Legal Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on 10 October 2024.
