Something for nothing

Most people like a bargain and become even more excited about free stuff. However, in the current financial climate there's not much of it about in professional circles. I've heard many tales of law firms cutting back on their marketing and entertainment budgets. Employees are being asked to justify their expense claims on the basis that some tangible work, and thus money, may flow into the firm as a result of the brandished receipts.

My team hosted a (free) breakfast meeting earlier this week about the all-new Legal Ombudsman, which launches tomorrow. We invited the complaints handling and managing partners from numerous local firms who all expressed grave concerns about the ombudsman's imminent arrival. They are mainly worried about the increased limit on the awards which can be made against firms '“ which has doubled from £15,000 under the now defunct Legal Complaints Service to £30,000 plus interest '“ and that after the first two complaints against a firm each year, which will be handled for free, there is to be a not insignificant fee of £400 per complaint which is payable upfront by the firm. The general consensus was that the majority of complaints in fact settle for less than £400, and that the firm can at least retain some control over the outcome if they manage it in house. There was certainly an air of suspicion and resistance regarding the new regime, and we will have to see how it all pans out.

Hit and miss

I have had two recent surprises involving free events. One was my invitation to a Law Society gathering hosted at the Manchester office of a large law firm, and former employer of mine, during the Labour Party conference. The evening was planned to demonstrate the diversity and strength of Manchester's large legal community and encourage inter-profession socialising with politicians '“ the only two I heard speak had previously been lawyers so I'm not entirely sure they counted.

There was a notable absence of champagne, which I'd read was banned from last year's Conservative conference as its quaffing is deemed unethical/unphotogenic in the tabloids in times of economic crisis. The other screamingly obvious missing link was the Millibands (at the time the suspense regarding whether David would deign to work for his little bruv or not was continuing).

Jack Straw had been due to address us but pulled out so that dubious honour fell to Sadiq Khan, whose website informs me that he works hard for Balham and numerous other bits of London. He came across well, keeping his speech short and even winning a few laughs from his tough lawyer-saturated audience. I felt there was something of a faux pas at the end though as he thanked the host firm for their support of Labour, a party from whose values I'm sure many of the partners there are far removed. I imagine their office loan was more of a favour to the Law Society and a generous gesture to their fellow professionals than an indication of their political affiliation, but that small hiccup aside the evening went well.

My other no-cost delight came in the form of an opportunity to step up the pre-Christmas health kick. My firm's landlords organised for a Starbucks to magically appear under our office recently (I believe it is Manchester's fourteenth!) and now they've gone one better by arranging free weekly aerobics classes. There will also be yoga classes and at-desk massages for a competitive price. My oft-cited 'limited opportunity to exercise between work and young children' excuse is rapidly wearing thinner.

Autumn blues

October has for me two themes. There is stress in the insurance world regarding the en masse solicitors' professional indemnity renewal on 1 October, and panic in the legal world as the end of the CPD year approaches and we all realise we've been so busy fee earning we haven't put in sufficient training hours, so start dashing about looking for the most relevant accredited courses to attend before the 31 October deadline.

There is again, however, an emphasis on freebies and the importance of knowledge sharing within firms. I agree it is a waste of resource to appoint external training providers when we have a wealth of experience right here which can be shared through internal seminars.

Last month was fairly dramatic in terms of my caseload's behaviour. I was asked to draft witness statements and generally babysit one matter for a partner in my London team while he was on holiday. I was about to embark on the mammoth task of reading voluminous disclosure files when the other side made an out of the blue request for settlement discussions between our respective barristers. One day of negotiations later and it was all over, with a good result for our client.

A less pleasant brush with the unexpected saw me receive two letters respectively threatening proceedings and making an offer on a case where limitation is due to expire this month and the claimant has been completely silent for almost a year. Groan. Why must they always leave it so late in the day?

I'll finish on that note, before I completely wind up all of the claimants' solicitors out there. I wish everyone luck with simultaneously hitting their half year end and CPD targets. I'll see you on the other side.