‘No day in a law firm is the same as the day before’

MARK HOMAN

ACTIVITY Despite it being a more challenging year for law firms, we have maintained levels of growth. Commercial property activity was recently reported to have been at its lowest level since 2013 and so there are less sizeable office deals. However, other areas of property like energy-related work, for example, have remained busy, and one such notable transaction kept our energy team very busy.

Mergers and Acquisitions have had another busy year. We have acted for NPP Packaging Systems for over a decade, advising them on several strategic acquisitions. In the last six months, we have advised on two acquisitions, one which had a cross-border element and the other that required CCPC approval. We have seen an uptick in dispute resolution and insolvency. We have also seen an uptick in employment and data related queries, which can be linked to rationalisation by some employers.

OPERATIONS No day in a law firm is the same as the day before. The operational issues are the same ones facing most businesses - ensuring that the practice is well run financially and operationally, helping create a good work environment for our people, and above all ensuring our clients are receiving the very best levels of service. We have always had a policy of continuous investment in the business, and that remains the case right across our offering, with new hires across most of our departments and investment in our office infrastructure, including IT.

OUTLOOK I think there is a sense of cautious optimism. However, the cost of doing business is a recurring theme that concerns the business community.

Some sectors like hospitality have been affected more than others, and there is a feeling that government policy could do more for the SME sector. From a transactions perspective, it is hoped that the predicted cut in interest rates will promote increased activity in the market place.