Law firms working in the energy hub say that some client operations there have been hit by cost-cutting and lay-off strategies in which they have cut their lawyer numbers. This has meant that non-lawyers have had to take over on lawsuits and other matters being handled with external legal advisers.

Questions on discovery

Jenny Thornton, head of Clyde & Co in Perth, says that the people taking over may not have a full understanding of why a particular matter was started, for instance, or why there is a strategy to settle. The legal knowledge of those taking on the management of the case may also be limited, she says: 'You’re also losing someone who understands the legal process and … why you have to brief counsel, and why you have to do discovery, and what discovery means.' Source: Lawyers Weekly