Legal Week Independent Law Firms Forum 2011

We’re not out of the woods yet, but I imagine delegates at this year’s conference will be feeling a good deal more optimistic about the future than they were when we met a year ago. Even then – when the financial markets were in turmoil - I was impressed by the positive nature of the delegates’ outlook. They weren’t simply battening down the hatches and waiting for the recession to end. This confidence was reflected in the results of Legal Week’s annual survey of European firms, which we published last November. More than a third of the respondents said they expected the market share of independent law firms to grow in their jurisdictions, with just a fraction saying it would decrease. One thing is for certain: the trauma of the last 18 months or so may be fading, but it will leave a permanent impact on the way business is conducted. All law firms will need to adapt to this new environment. At this year’s Independent Law Firms Forum, we will focus on the measures firms need to be taking in order to ensure that they hit the ground running as we emerge from the global economic downturn.

I look forward to welcoming you to the forum in March and trust that you will once again find it to be an unrivalled meeting of peers from across Europe, sharing thought-leadership and best practice, combined with the opportunity to make contacts and network with firms across Europe and beyond.

John Malpas
Editor-in-chief & publisher, Legal Week