The Flex Legal blog

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

Struggling with 'do more with less'? Discover how Agile GCs are engineering CFO-trusted savings by plugging budget leaks and transforming fixed costs into flexible capacity with Flex Legal's practical playbook.

The narrative framing Generative AI in the legal world as a zero-sum game - AI advancement versus job preservation - misses the true transformation. Rather than an extinction-level event for legal careers, we're seeing a radical rewriting of the legal job description. Law firms must move past the fear of replacement and actively champion a strategy of human-AI collaboration, focusing on adaptive learning and dynamic workforce planning to thrive.

As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts face growing resistance, Flex Legal remains committed to supporting social mobility in the legal profession. Through inclusive hiring, mentorship, and the Flex Trainee programme, we're helping to create equal opportunities for aspiring lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds. Discover how your legal team can get involved.

Managing a multi-generational legal workforce is key to law firm success. Discover strategies to attract, retain, and support diverse legal talent.

Navigating the high-volume demands of litigation requires more than just a robust legal strategy – it demands a carefully structured resourcing model that balances efficiency, quality, and scalability. As specialists in flexible legal support, we’ve seen how the right resourcing approach can make or break a firm’s success. Here are some actionable tips for volume claims law firms to optimise their workforce.

Resourcing strategy is a top priority for law firms. It varies based on your firm's goals and focuses on delivering client work efficiently. Read on to learn more.

In recent years, public inquiries have become a cornerstone of the UK's legal landscape. But what exactly are they, why do they matter, and do they actually lead to meaningful change? In this blog, we aim to answer these questions, shedding light on how public inquiries work, their impact, and how legal professionals can engage with this type of work.

This definitive guide for litigation teams and senior litigators alike features actionable guidance, based on wisdom imparted from two seasoned group litigators; Ibukun Alabi and Elina Landsman, that will constructively better your practice and improve client service levels.

Inclusion is everything. Studies have repeatedly shown that higher workplace inclusion directly contributes to increased productivity, wellbeing, and staff retention. Flex Legal are proud of the reputation we have built in this space, and now want to share our insights with the wider legal industry.

In the legal workplace, inclusion is everything. Greater inclusion directly results in increased productivity, wellbeing, and staff retention. Our new report outlines practical steps to make your legal workplace more inclusive and effective.

Legal ops is the latest buzz word on every lawyers' lips, but what does it actually mean? And why is it so important? We were lucky enough to recently be joined by Beejal Patel, Legal Systems Manager at Diageo, at our latest Junior Lawyer Lunch. Take a read of this blog summary to learn all about the rise in legal ops!

In our latest Commercial News Round-Up, our resident commercial king Jacob Darcy runs through the latest commercial news from across the legal industry. He covers the looming recession, the surge in the dollar, JD's sale of Footasylum and the effect of inflation on the bond market.

Flex Legal, in association with the O Shaped Lawyer, are excited to release the findings of our Future Lawyers Survey. Conducted with 418 next-gen lawyers, this report records how they feel about the legal industry, and what change they want to see. Read the full report here.

Modern Slavery - it's everywhere and probably closer than you think. Everyone in the legal community understands the importance of human rights - but do we know about human rights abuses happening right under our noses?

How can you tell if a company is truly environmentally and socially responsible from the outside? We addressed this in our latest Virtual Lunch, with Victoria Ferguson, GC at MMC Ventures, and Sung-Hyui Park, Senior Associate at Bates Wells.

Ever wondered about the benefits of interim paralegals and lawyers? This article breaks down 5 huge perks of bolstering your in-house legal team with flexible legal professionals from Flex Legal. Have a read, and maybe cast your mind's eye to a world where flexible legal resourcing solves all of your problems!

What is a legal technologist? What do they do? How can you become one? We asked the Manchester Legal Hackers group your questions, so read what they had to say!

Got questions about the SQE? Look no further! There can be a lot to unpack about the SQE, how it fits into existing frameworks, and QWE, so we've covered the main points in this post.

Following the end of the transition period, Data Protection in the UK will change significantly. Whilst a lot of the details remain unknown, there are still important steps legal teams and businesses should take to prepare. In this post, we break down how you can brace for the rapidly changing tide of data.

A few weeks ago, we were delighted to welcome Ehsan Haque and Daniel Morgan as guest speakers at our Virtual GC Session in collaboration with LexisNexis and Radius Law. Ehsan is the Global Head of Legal and Compliance at Hamilton Capital, and Daniel is Managing Partner at Haines Watts. The topic for the call surrounded the second wave of COVID-19 and its potential impacts on businesses.

This is the first of a three part series examining legal technology and how junior lawyers are driving innovation. Harry spoke to three of The Legal Technologists’s top 10 most innovative junior lawyers to ask them about their journey, experiences and advice they would give.

We were pleased to welcome an excellent panel of speakers to join last week’s GC call in collaboration with LexisNexis and Crafty Counsel, including Dinesh Jadav, Director of Legal Operations at Royal Mail; Manu Kanwar, Co-founder of LexSolutions; and Madeleine Graham, Head of Product Design at LexisNexis. The discussion continued to build on the theme of legal innovation within the in-house community, with the panel sharing excellent insights from their own experiences.

Radius Law’s Sandra Martins shared important insights on the arrangements, risks and legalities of home working that legal teams should consider as we begin to come out of the other side of the pandemic.

In this week’s Covid-19 Virtual Session in partnership with Radius Law and LexisNexis UK we heard from Matthew Redding, GC at Six Degrees, on cybersecurity.

Quite rightly discussions about our fragile planet and environment are at the forefront of social policy. As individuals, companies and governments cotton on to the overwhelming severity of the situation, Harry sat down with Fiona Nicholls, Gowling’s Head of Environment, to discuss their Planet + initiative.

The Big Four are the largest accounting and professional services firms in the world, namely, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.

A few months ago we sat down with Johanna and Caulyn to talk about the then upcoming SQE pilot. In this interview we find out a bit more about their experience on the pilot and what we can expect in the future.

Put simply, legal technology refers to the use of software to help provide legal services. Legal technology has been instrumental in the emergence of startups seeking to disrupt the traditional aspects of the profession.

“Cryptocurrency” describes the digital system (“crypto”) where transactions within a system of money (“currency”) are recorded on an open and distributed ledger, called the “blockchain”. Unlike fiat currencies[1], the ledger used is not backed up by banks, any physical asset, or credit of any government or business.

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

In today's fast-paced legal landscape, matters are increasingly specialized, requiring precise combinations of domain expertise, language skills, and platform fluency—often at a moment's notice. The traditional model forces firms to choose between pulling senior partners off high-value strategy to cover execution, or saying "no" to winnable work, both of which erode profit margins and client trust. Flex Legal's new playbook introduces a strategic solution: a lawyer-managed, on-demand delivery layer that provides matter-ready specialists in approximately 24 hours. This variable capacity model allows firms to safely and compliantly plug rare expertise into live matters, ensuring that partners stay focused on judgement while execution is handled by the right grade of professional, ultimately enabling firms to "say yes" more often without breaking the leverage pyramid.

Discover how UK law firms can improve lawyer utilisation, boost retention, and future-proof their resourcing strategies. Based on insights from over 90 legal professionals, this report from Flex Legal and The Lawyer explores the challenges of traditional models and offers practical solutions for sustainable legal team success.

During The Lawyers’ 2025 Legal Transformation Summit, our Head of Strategic Partnerships, James Lewindon, and Client Account Executive, Ronnie Emanuel, hosted two insightful roundtable discussions on Aligning Workforce Transformation Strategies, with valuable takeaways for both in-house and private practice. Take a read of our quick recap here.

Discover how junior lawyers can develop leadership skills, take initiative, and build credibility with expert insights from Flex Legal and Sewells.

When planning to bring new talent into an organisation, most employers consider salary as the main expense involved in recruitment. However, direct hiring comes with a range of hidden costs that, if overlooked, can have a significant impact on a company’s budget and resources. Understanding these costs can help businesses make informed hiring decisions and even consider alternative solutions like Flex Legal.

In today’s dynamic legal landscape, flexibility and adaptability are no longer just buzzwords—they are essential for success. Legal teams are constantly grappling with the challenge of balancing workloads, meeting client demands, and staying ahead of emerging trends. One of the most innovative and effective ways some law firms are meeting these challenges is by tapping into their alumni network. Read on to find out more.

Discover how inclusive hiring, mentorship, and training can transform the legal profession. Our latest report explores strategies to break down barriers, boost diversity, and drive innovation. Learn how top firms are fostering social mobility. Download the report now and build a more equitable, high-performing legal team.

This report casts a light on some best practice rules for working with litigation funders. With direct input from the investment team at Therium, a leading global litigation finance firm, we present inside knowledge on how to work effectively with funders.

The importance of properly resourcing litigation projects cannot be overstated. The challenge confronting litigators, therefore, is how to juggle the two conflicting priorities of quality vs cost. In this report, we explore how interim resourcing solves both problems.

At Flex Legal, we absolutely love bringing communities of legal professionals together. Our Junior Lawyer Lunches are a great example of this, and this year we’re proud to have had over 1,000 attendees throughout our events. For anyone looking for a quick recap, here’s a rundown of all our sessions throughout 2022!

Thinking about making the move to interim? Or simply on the lookout for a new challenge? At Flex Legal, we have hundreds of interim opportunities with top legal teams all across the UK. To help you decide if going interim is the right move for you, we've pulled together this handy summary of our latest roles and skills in demand!

Legal hackathons are growing in popularity, and more and more legal groups are exploring the problem-solving middleground between law and technology. We wanted to know more about "legal hackathons" so put your questions to the Manchester Legal Hackers. Read what they had to say!

Welcome to our first ever weekly commercial news roundup. Designed for busy aspiring or qualified lawyers who want to quickly get up to speed with all the latest commercial headlines, without having to search far and wide across a myriad of sources!

The legal industry is at its best when it reflects the people it serves. This is why law firms are being pressured to attract more diverse legal professionals, and the SQE will hopefully help solve that problem. But can the SQE meaningfully affect diversity in the industry? Find out here.

The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) came into effect on 1 September 2021, with the first round of SQE 1 exams commencing in November 2021. This blog article highlights the SRA’s transitional arrangements and 12 city law firms’ approaches to the SQE.

The legal sector has an opportunity to be on the right side of history in helping keep a liveable planet for all.  When it comes to delivering climate action, the most important part of the sector are in-house lawyers, due to their direct interface with their organisation; a trusted advisor who can act as a moral compass.

Managing your mental health is often an afterthought in the legal industry, but it's something that affects us all. On World Health Day, we invited LawCare champion Gemma Farina to tell us about mental health and wellbeing in law. Read what she had to say here.

The SQE is here, and it means big changes to the solicitor qualification process. We've broken down the main points about the SQE, Qualifying Work Experience, and the Professional Development Record. Learn all about them here!

A few weeks ago, Flex Legal was thrilled to conduct our monthly Virtual GC Session in collaboration with LexisNexis and Radius Law. Speakers at this event included Iain Larkins and Sandra Martins of Radius Law, who discussed business preparations for the rapidly approaching end of the UK’s Brexit transition period.

This is the second of a three part series examining legal technology and how junior lawyers are driving innovation. Harry spoke to three of The Legal Technologists’s top 10 most innovative junior lawyers to ask them about their journey, experiences and advice they would give.

On our latest GC call we were delighted to welcome Will Long, Client Partnership Director at Alacrity, who shared some valuable insights into how general counsel can get more value out of their external law firms. For Will, three key areas must be considered when trying to drive valuable relationships between the two: controlling costs; transparency; and evolving relationships through data.

The legal industry has been shifting significantly in recent years, with the role of in-house legal teams at the heart of the change. Although GCs have been discussing how to add value as a legal function for a number of years, articulating this idea in practical terms is difficult. In order to understand and examine the concept of ‘value’ and ‘value-adding behaviours’ of in-house lawyers, LexisNexis UK carried out a deep-dive survey with senior GCs across a range of sectors and organisations.

In this week’s Covid-19 Virtual Session in partnership with Radius Law and LexisNexis UK we heard from F-LEX’s own Co-Founder Mary Bonsor on agile working and driving efficiency within your organisation.

With the outbreak of Coronavirus spreading at a rather alarming rate, the world’s economy is starting to feel the effects as governments take action, impacting on global supply chains and other commercial relationships. Stocks have fallen continuously, in what has been the worst week of trading since the 2008 crisis. However, from a legal perspective it has seen a rise in the use of an oft forgotten but at present vital boilerplate clause, the force majeure.

Earlier this month, F-LEX held a thought-provoking panel discussion in Manchester, chaired by our Head of Northern Hub, Eimear McCann. 50 of us, a range of legal enthusiasts and techies, gathered to demystify the future of the law. The evening proved to be a real crowd pleaser, provoking some interesting questions from the audience and some healthy debate.

On 25th May 2019 it will be one year since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. As consumers, we all saw an increase in emails about updates in privacy policy in the run up to the GDPR. But what other changes have been taking place over the past year?

The SQE is going to have a profound effect on law firms, for Flexers and, most importantly, law students. Two Flexers have been chosen to be part of the SRA’s Pilot Scheme. We sat down and asked Caulyn Bong (CB) and Johanna Lipponen (JL) a few questions about the SQE and the Pilot scheme.

As 2018 began to wind down and at F-LEX we looked ahead to the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) London Institute in January 2019, F-LEX co-founder and CEO, Mary Bonsor, met Sarah Barrett-Vane, Legal Operations specialist and Consultant from SBV Consulting to discuss all things Legal Operations, how the legal market is changing and what lawyers of the future can do to ensure they move with the change.

Blockchain is the driving force in digital disruption and is the technology behind bitcoin and other virtual currencies, however there is still much confusion behind it. This article aims to debunk the misconceptions around blockchain and provide a holistic view over it.

Discover how AI is transforming legal teams in 2026. This playbook explores engineering value, safety, and talent in the age of automated law, addressing challenges from ethics and junior training to ROI and recruitment with innovative solutions.

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

Discover what the future holds for General Counsel in our latest Flex Legal report. Based on insights from 180+ legal professionals, this free report explores the essential skills GCs need, from AI literacy to strategic leadership, to thrive in a fast-changing legal landscape.

The rapid evolution of AI has sparked vibrant discussions across industries, and the legal sector is no exception. In this blog, we explore how AI is reshaping the legal landscape, unveiling new opportunities for innovation whilst also presenting unique challenges.

The PCP car finance mis-selling scandal could surpass PPI, with potential claims reaching £30 billion. A recent Court of Appeal ruling found that undisclosed commissions were unlawful, impacting millions of drivers. Flex Legal can provide interim legal professionals to help firms manage the surge in claims.

Flex Legal’s Future Lawyers Report 2024/25 explores the aspirations, concerns, and expectations of the next generation of lawyers. In collaboration with industry leaders, this annual report highlights key trends, challenges, and opportunities to drive positive change in the legal profession. Discover what future lawyers really think and how employers can support them.

In recent years, the way people work within the legal sector has undergone a major transformation. Whether it’s the systems used, or how firms structure their talent acquisition strategy, it’s clear that the traditional legal industry has evolved and adapted to thrive in the modern age. But what is the difference between an FTC and interim contract? And how do you choose the right option for you? Take a read to find out more.

As in-house teams across the legal world steadily adopt the SQE, many are left unsure of how their organisation can get involved. To this end, our free report covers the full spectrum of SQE knowledge – from the basic facts of the new framework, all the way to advanced insight on the current implementation challenges.

The legal industry is changing. A new generation of legal professionals are sweeping into the corridors of law firms and the seats of in-house legal teams. But who is this new generation? How are they engaging with the expected norms of the legal world? How does the generational divide impact their approach to work?

In our latest Commercial News Round-Up, our squad of commercial gurus, James, Aman and Lizzie, run through the latest news from across the legal industry. They cover CMA blocking the Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard, ESG and disclosure, and the increasing prevalence of AI.

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic was a huge catalyst for change. Two years later and hybrid working has become an established part of the ‘new normal’. In our latest virtual lunch event, we explored how junior lawyers can best navigate this new way of working. Take a read for our top takeaways.

For our latest Junior Lawyer Lunch, we were joined by ESG experts, Simone Davidson, Head of LexisPSL Environment, and Simon Colvin, Partner at Weightmans. Here's a summary of their valuable insight into why ESG should be important to junior lawyers and how you can make a real difference.

In our latest Commercial News Round-Up, our resident commercial king Jacob Darcy runs through the latest commercial news from across the legal industry. He covers the private equity surge, the battle for McColls, "stagflation", and the recent rise in interest rates!

With 'blame culture', unreasonable pressure and impossible deadlines being seen across the legal industry, change is needed now more than ever. But what changes need to be made? For the latest instalment of our Junior Lawyer Lunches we tried to answer this very question.

The legal industry finds itself in the midst of a huge upheaval. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that remote working in law works, and the "Great Resignation" has seen legal professionals leaving their firms in search of better life / work conditions. As we rebuild, we must ask if this new hybrid model is here to stay? Read this longform article to find the answer to this burning question.

We've been allowed a super exclusive sneak peak into the findings from the LexisNexis legal tech report. Click here to read the big insights into how the use of legal technology has changed over the course of the COVID pandemic!

Right now, the legal world is on the cusp of an enormous technological shift towards automation and machinery. In this long-form article, we assess what this means for the future of the legal industry, and whether lawyers are about to be replaced by quicker, smarter Artificial Intelligence.

We often hear our clients looking for the perfect trifecta of quality, cost, and value - the mythical 5 year PQE solicitor. We think this is the wrong metric, and know you can get better results for your budget by asking the simple questions we describe here.

Modern Slavery is a more prevalent problem than we in the UK legal industry might initially think. There are more slaves in the world today than there have ever been. This post explores why this problem is so prevalent, and what we can do about it.

In this third and final part of the series, we sit down with Alex Wooley, 4 year PQE qualified solicitor at Farrer & Co, to understand his thoughts and ambitions on Legal Tech.

Kristina Ravic, Head of Client Services at F-LEX, spoke with Chirs Kelly, Legal Counsel at Bloomberg, about his career and advice for Junior Lawyers.

An accomplished leader of legal teams, Joanne has a wealth of experience spanning city firms, start-ups, charities and global companies, and a passion for inclusion and mental health. Sophie Gould, Head of Learning and Development at F-LEX, asks Joanne to share her wisdom and advice. In part one of this interview Joanne explains how she gives junior lawyers a voice to discuss risks and problems.

Remote working is here to stay. This means that Project Managers and Team Leaders need to adapt their management styles. Fortunately for readers, F-LEX’s Co-Founder and CTO, James Moore, has been managing remote teams for 15 years and knows exactly what works…and what doesn’t.

These unprecedented times have thrown up challenge after challenge. With the government starting to ease restrictions, for many law firms the next challenge is how to get the office prepped for the return of their staff. I was able to catch up with Nigel Coates, Deputy Senior Partner at Russell-Cooke to get his thoughts of life in lockdown and the steps that his firm are taking to prepare the office for life after lockdown.

Kristina Ravic, our Client Services Manager at F-LEX, spoke with Susan Whitla at BCLP about her career, the challenges currently facing law firms, and the trends influencing legal innovation.

This month we were able to sit down with Chris White Founder of the UK’s leading legal diversity platform, Aspiring Solicitors to tackle the topic of Diversity. In a month where we have celebrated difference and inclusivity we wanted to explore a topic that is hot on the lips of every law firm in town! We asked Chris some quick fire questions on the topic.

In this article Hannah takes a look at “an interesting story in the news”. One for that horrible commercial awareness question. Enjoy!

I am Julie Brannan and I’m the Director of training and Education at the SRA and I am the person who is leading the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

Across all industries, technology has challenged the status quo and the legal industry is no exception. The question is how? The unprecedented pace at which technology is evolving makes this general question difficult to answer in absolute truth.