LPM Magazine

LPM Frontiers is pleased to provide our law firm leader readers with a vivid, data-led picture of how this market has moved on each year: big drivers ploughing through the intensely competitive, often thorny landscape, the trickiest business challenges encountered on the ground — from cost, to client acquisition, to compliance — and clear views about how solutions are helping (although occasionally also, ironically, hampering) efforts along possible paths to meet them.

In today’s digital age, the threat of cyber attacks looms large over every industry, and law firms are no exception. With sensitive client data, confidential case filesand reputational integrity at stake, the legal sector is a prime target for cybercriminals. To help firms better understand and prepare for the complexities of a cyber incident, Gallagher recently hosted an immersive workshop that placed participants in the eye of the storm.

In this edition: Leaders from FBC Mandby Bowdler, Goughs Solicitors, Lawfront Group and Obelisk Support speak to LPM editorial assistant Halimah Nisa about how far the SME legal sector has come on the journey to gender equality, and offer key advice on how firms can build an inclusive and supportive workplace culture that nurtures gender equality.

Half of UK consumers believe that AI should be used in legal services — suggesting that if firms don’t adopt the technology, they risk falling short of their clients’ expectations. A survey of UK consumers found that 36% believe it could replace a solicitor for routine matters such as will writing, though only 14% go as far as to say it could be used for most legal issues. The survey uncovered generational differences, with younger age groups more likely to expect firms to use AI.

Cybersecurity is now an operational discipline centred on resilience and response as much as prevention. Firms that treat security as an integrated, continuously monitored operating model will still face incidents, but they will be far better positioned to protect client trust and maintain momentum when lessprepared peers are forced to pause. In 2026, cybersecurity is clearly a boardlevel issue for UK law firms rather than a purely technical concern.

Today’s modern age of increasingly complex family structures, a greater reliance on receiving inheritance, an increase in the value of assets owned, and an increased awareness of will disputes are all factors contributing to an increase in disputes over inheritance. The National Will Register’s will search continues to successfully assist various stakeholders within the wills and probate industry.

The current softening within the professional indemnity (PI) market continues at quite a pace. Such rate decreases mean we are rapidly approaching the rating adequacy levels of 2017 when PI was very much under the spotlight for its poor performance — a time when we experienced a significant but short-lived hardening of the market. However, while firms continue to see rate and premium reductions, it is hoped that these market conditions can be maintained in the long term.

For modern law firms and in-house legal teams, the question around cloud adoption is no longer if they should do it, but how. Traditional on-premises servers struggle to meet confidentiality, compliance and hybrid working needs. The strategic choice is between public cloud and private cloud. Each supports risk, governance and growth differently, but small and mid-sized practices find public cloud, especially Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, fits legal workflows and client obligations best.

Modern law firms are now significant investors in technology. If there was any doubt, Miller’s 2025 benchmarking report quashes it, evidencing that IT spend frequently exceeds professional indemnity insurance (PII) spend, particularly in larger firms. The adoption of new technologies has transformed legal practice, and this trend is only accelerating with the uptake of genAI tools. This shift has inevitably led to an increasing reliance on technology solutions.

As law firms think more seriously about neurodiversity in the workplace, attention is increasingly turning to where support has the greatest long-term impact. BARBRI sat down with Rachel Boyle, talent development manager at BCLP, to discuss why early careers are such a critical point for neurodivergent lawyers — and how firms of any size can create environments where people are able to thrive.