This year has seen cloud computing have a major impact in many different areas and the legal sector is just one place where it has the potential to cause a sea change in the way that business is conducted and costs are cut.

One of the biggest reasons for companies involved in the legal sector to make the leap to the cloud is improved security and efficiency for data storage and the streamlining of email systems which can occur without increasing the IT budget.

Cost cutting
By taking these services out of the office and relying on a third party provider to handle them, the time and money usually spent on updating and maintaining systems in-house can be allocated to more fruitful matters. Some estimate that IT experts working in legal environments spend almost three quarters of their time preserving servers and making sure systems run smoothly, but with cloud computing, you can outsource these concerns and costs and allow employees to put their efforts into growing the organisation.

Of course, the sensitivity of the information handled by the legal sector can make firms cagey about handing over the reins of responsibility to an external source and keeping private emails on distant server clusters can understandably cause concerns over security. However, many companies are helping to mitigate fears by taking an incremental approach to cloud adoption, which is something many industry experts support.

Backup
Investing in a cloud platform as a backup for your on-site data and email systems has several obvious benefits. The first is that you can ensure business continuity should something fail internally, because you will be able to switch to harnessing the cloud until the problem is rectified. Secondly, you will have a dedicated backup of vital information stored away from your premises, making disaster recovery all the easier and permanent data loss through hardware faults a thing of the past.

Uninterrupted service from cloud providers has additional benefits for the legal sector. Because most platforms operate in a web based environment, it is possible to gain access to files, emails and programs through any Internet ready device. This makes remote working far simpler to achieve and can greatly increase the flexibility of your practice.

Some cloud experts cite the recession as a driving force behind cloud migration in the legal sector as it has helped supporters to convince those who are sceptical about the confidentiality of using such services to take the leap based on the potential savings. One company made savings of over £700,000 annually as a result of switching to a cloud provider for its email, according to Computer Weekly. Figures like this are difficult to argue against and enterprising legal businesses are paving the way for a wider roll-out of cloud computing services across the UK and the developed world.

Of course, cost cutting should not be the only reason to migrate to the cloud and there is always work going on in order to secure cloud computing against manipulation from malicious influences. Security is never assured even when using on-site technology and data loss can occur when laptops or memory sticks are lost or stolen, indicating that no system is perfect and the cloud is an improvement.

Photo by Kevin Dooley

More than 15 years have passed since the trial where OJ Simpson was found not guilty, but the battle to prove his innocence in the eyes of the public has continued to haunt him. The Telegraph has reported an interesting development in this matter.

A lawyer for O.J. Simpson says in a new document that evidence of Simpson's innocence was held back in the 1995 trial in which Simpson was acquitted in the murder of his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles. F. Lee Bailey wrote the 20,000-word document in 2007 as a proposal for a book that never materialised. He decided recently to publish it, and it first appeared Sunday on his website and that of the Portland Press Herald newspaper.

In the document, Mr Bailey tells of four people who could have bolstered Simpson's case but never testified. Simpson was found not guilty in the trial, but Bailey says it's important to prove him innocent in the court of public opinion.

Bailey says the document got more than 20,000 hits the first day it was online.

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New laws relating to pre-nuptial agreements could encourage couples to marry because they would be assured that in the event of a divorce they would retain their property. This opinion was expressed by the Law Commission and reported by the London Evening Standard.

Lawyers are reporting a surge in the number of people seeking pre-nups. The Evening Standard disclosed last week that ministers now believe legislation is needed. Today the commission - the Government's advisory body on legal reform - launched a consultation on the changes.

The most likely option is for people to be able to strike deals allowing them to keep, in the event of a divorce, property or other assets they owned prior to marriage. Agreements could also allow a person to retain assets they inherit after marrying.

Any deal which fails to take account of the needs of children, or leaves one spouse reliant on benefits, would not be acceptable. Professor Elizabeth Cooke, the Law Commissioner, said bringing in pre-nups needed to be "handled with care" - but they could encourage some people, deterred by the risk to their property, to marry.

"We have heard anecdotal evidence that there are people who are put off at the moment," she added.

Marian Lynch, matrimonial partner at City law firm Pitmans, said "two or three people a week" were now inquiring about pre-nups. "I think it will encourage marriage because people feel a lot safer and a lot happier," she added. Those seeking a deal included people entering second marriages, and parents who had given large sums to their children for purposes such as house deposits.

Detailed proposals will follow the consultation. It comes after the Sup-reme Court ruling in the case of German heiress Katrin Radmacher. The court decided a pre-nup with ex-husband Nicolas Granatino should be honoured. His divorce settlement was cut from £5 million to £1 million.

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Paralegal jobs are required across a number of organisations and have duties that can vary a great amount depending on where the job is held. However, generally speaking the term is used to describe legal assistant jobs where legal work is carried out without actually being a qualified lawyer. See the following legal job description if you are interested in paralegal jobs. Paralegals can be employed in various types of organisation, including: •    Law firms •    Public sector organisations •    Business •    Industry Although there is not a particular requirement in terms of qualifications or experience, entry to this type of work can be helped along with certain training. This can be obtained from places such as the Institute of Paralegals. This profession is growing though, and this could mean that it will become much more regulated in the future. Legal assistant jobs like this can entail a range of work from both ends of the spectrum, including: •    Administration •    Arranging meetings, phone work •    Drafting and proofreading •    Taking notes in court •    Letter writing •    Managing case files •    Legal research tasks •    Liaising with clients •    Taking statements from witnesses

Legal assistant jobs come in a number of different forms and can require certain training depending on the role. This legal job description will outline the types of work that can be found to assist legal professionals and what the jobs involve. If you are thinking about finding paralegal jobs, see the following legal job description for more information about this sort of work. Legal Assistant Jobs This type of work can also be name paralegal jobs and is in place to provide support for lawyers. Those in legal assistant jobs cannot give legal advice to clients, nor can they sign legal documents or represent someone in court. Often, legal assistants see clients before solicitors do. Their role is to interview the client and any witnesses first so that important information can be passed onto the solicitor regarding the case. Paralegal jobs often require a variety of different duties to be carried out within a firm. Solicitors could ask assistants to draft contracts or other types of legal documents before being handed over to clients. Barristers use assistants to carry out appropriate research to support a case, as well as giving general support throughout a court case. Legal Job Description – The Work According to the particular field of law, paralegal jobs require different types of knowledge. More general legal knowledge is often needed, however certain firms specialise in specific fields, which means a more focussed knowledge is sought. The work can vary greatly from firm to firm, but if the candidate has legal experience or knowledge in a certain area that is more appropriate to the company, they will be chosen over someone with more general experience. For instance, a candidate with knowledge in family law will be involved in matters regarding adoption, divorce and custody. Qualities and Skills for Legal Assistant Jobs Anyone considering applying for legal support jobs should have the following qualities: •    Exceptional writing and research skills •    Attention to detail •    Customer service skills •    Knowledge/qualifications of the law practised •    Computer literacy •    Good admin and general secretarial skills/experience Along with the legal knowledge and qualifications, paralegal jobs will require a candidate to have some secretarial and administration experience, good legal research skills and excellent writing skills.

A law clerk is a very important job within the legal profession and consequently, law clerk jobs are applied for by substantial amounts of people. The most prominent role fulfilled by those with law clerk jobs is to research the laws and the facts surrounding a case and to brief the judge on any causes of action that should be taken. Those who successfully land law clerk jobs are often recent graduates who performed at the top of their class through training. A law clerk may also be required to brief any lawyers in the same manner as the judge. Law Clerk Job Description Law clerk jobs are generally temporary, lasting for a year or so, after which the individual becomes very coveted by elite law firms because of the nature of the role and the high ability required to be selected. Successfully landing a law clerk job often opens many doors to quick progression through the legal profession. The main duties for those holding law clerk jobs include:

• Researching legal documents to investigate the facts in order to brief the judge of any courses of action in a court case.
• To prepare and maintain any necessary documentation and to carry out any necessary correspondence.
• Review any necessary documents relevant to specific court actions including file pleadings, petitions and other documents and if necessary present these to the opposing counsel.
• To ensure the delivery and transports of any subpoenas to witnesses and parties.
• Arrange transport and accommodation, if required, for any jurors or witnesses.
• Communicate and arbitrate any disputes between parties.

Those seeking law clerk jobs should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as excellent organisational and clerical skills. Candidates require an excellent level of oral and written English comprehension as well as excellent levels of speech clarity and recognition. Persuasiveness, social perceptiveness, problem solving and decision making are qualities that all of those looking for law clerk jobs should possess. The average salary for law clerk jobs is between £20,000 and £35,000 per year.

Employment Law is a very complex and complicated issue that many businesses require legal advice and occasionally representation for. Consequently, there are lots of employment law jobs that exist to help both businesses and individuals with regards to employment law. This guide outlines what to expect from employment law jobs. Employment Law Jobs General Info Those who have employment law jobs, especially lawyers will carry out similar duties to those working in other law specialities. This will include:

• Meeting with and advising clients on any issues related to employment law.
• Drafting contracts and other legal documents,
• Researching case law to ensure the accuracy of any advice given and supervising any implementation of agreements.
• Acting on behalf of clients and representing them in court.
• Supervising and advising junior legal professionals
• Continued meetings with clients to ensure that a case progresses as desired and to finalise any documentation.
• Keeping up to date with any changes in employment law by continued reading of law journals and reports.

The nature of employment law means that there are quite a lot of discrimination cases in the UK, all requiring expert representation from people who specialise in employment law. Depending on experience, the position held and the company worked for, those with employment law jobs can expect a salary of anything between £30,000 and £100,000 per year, if not more.

To successfully land a legal executive job, candidates must have at least five years experience working under the supervision of a solicitor. This could be in legal practice or in the legal department of a company. Legal executives are fully qualified lawyers who specialise in a particular area of the law. These specialist areas include: conveyancing, civil and criminal litigation, family law and probate. Those with legal executive jobs have their own client files and work independently; their legal fees are paid directly to them which is the crucial difference between a legal executive and other legal support staff. The General Duties in a Legal Executive Job Generally, those with legal executive jobs will do things such as:

• Meeting with clients
• Explaining and advising complex legal matters to clients
• Negotiating and corresponding both with and on behalf of clients
• Interviewing and advising any clients or witnesses
• Drawing up any legal documents including summonses and writs
• Preparing legal documents for property, family law issues, wills, probate and litigation work
• Calculating and explaining inheritance tax and wills to any beneficiaries
• Attending court to represent clients and to assist barristers and solicitors with cases
• Assigning and supervising work for junior staff
• Other admin and clerical work

Legal Executive Jobs - Salaries The salaries for legal executive jobs can vary depending on experience level, position held and in what company however. Those with legal executive jobs can be expected to earn anything between £30,000 and £80,000 per year, if not more.

Trainee legal secretarial jobs are there to give administrative and secretarial assistance to those working within the legal profession. There is a wide range of office management and admin tasks that legal secretary jobs could entail. Depending on the organisation, junior legal secretary jobs may need you to have direct contact with clients and have specialist roles.

Junior legal secretary jobs responsibilities include:

• Dealing with office post and answering phone calls
• Typing letters, reports, legal documents/paperwork
• Proofreading documents and letters
• Keeping records and accounts
• Transcribing and taking dictation
• The organisation of travel, appointments and other functions
• Going to court, meetings with clients and police stations to take notes.

A lot of the time there are no specific minimum qualifications required to become a trainee legal secretary. This job can be an entry level, junior position. However, GCSEs are a plus. As this role depends on excellent admin and typing skills, demonstration of exceptional written and verbal English will go a long way. For those that have no experience in this profession, it is worth having at least a year’s office experience on your CV. This will undoubtedly assist you in become successful in junior legal secretary jobs applications. The knowledge of main office software, as well as general office and admin decorum are valued for this position. Trainee legal secretary jobs salaries start at around £13,000. Through progress within a firm, this will go up considerably. Many find that additional training whilst on the job can further their careers in the legal profession too. Legal secretary jobs can be found all over the country in many different firms and offices. Demand is high as the role is extremely important within the legal profession.

Legal support jobs require you to be trained with the right law education in order to provide support for lawyers. A person in a legal assistant job cannot give clients legal advice, sign legal documentation, or represent anyone in court. Along with the legal knowledge and qualifications, legal assistant jobs will require a candidate to have some secretarial and administration experience, good legal research skills and excellent writing skills.

Somebody in a legal assistant job would be expected to carry out a number of different tasks within a firm. Supervising lawyers may ask a legal assistant to draft contracts as well as some other legal documents before they are given to the lawyer and their client. Legal research will also be carried out in order to support a client’s case and generally assist the barrister in a courtroom situation. Before clients see a lawyer, legal assistant work may entail interviewing them and any witnesses that may be involved. This kind of work is effective for a case as it provides a solicitor with all the necessary initial information needed to build a case. Depending on the specific field of law, legal support jobs will probably seek more general legal knowledge from candidates. However, if a candidate does have relevant experience in a particular field, legal assistant work would be given to that person to save on training on the job. Firms will exploit particular strengths in candidates and so their work may vary. An example of this is if a potential legal assistant has experience or particular knowledge in family law. This candidate will be used for his/her know-how of adoption, divorce, custody and prenuptial agreement document writing. Anyone considering applying for legal support jobs should have the following qualities:

• Exceptional writing and research skills
• Attention to detail
• Customer service skills
• Knowledge/qualifications of the law practised
• Computer literacy
• Good admin and general secretarial skills/experience