Responding to changing client needs and fostering innovation in professional services by Sponsor Barclays

As the year draws to a close it seemed like a good time to reflect on some of the issues discussed at our Professional Services Conference at the end of last year – topics that continue to preoccupy all the professions.   Responding to the shift in client demands   There’s no doubt the environment in which professional services firms operate is rapidly evolving.   John Cleland, Managing Director of law firm Pinsent Masons, told our conference he believes change isn’t just linked to market-disrupting technology, but also the changing demands of clients.   This shift in clients’ expectations – towards technology-enabled, more responsive serv...

Who owns this thing, anyway? by Trevor Hellawell

new AML Regulations and the pursuit of the beneficial owner.   Introduction   The new Money Laundering & Terrorist Finance (Amendment) Regulations 2019 which came into force on 10 January have modified a number of aspects of the 2017 AML Regulations, with which we have been complying for some time. However, many firms’ procedures hark back to the earlier days of the 2007 Regulations and have not been modified or updated much over recent years.   This article seeks to set out what the new Regulations in fact require, and the steps we should be taking in relevant cases.   The Policy   It has been true for some time that the ultimate aim of all...

Best practice at the end of the retainer

If you look at a typical file, it is often hard to tell whether the retainer has come to an end. Instead of a definitive full stop, there are dribs and drabs of activity, with ever longer gaps between each, making it more like some garbled morse code.  This article takes a look at best practice in this important but sometimes neglected area.   Human nature being what it is, it is invariably more interesting getting your teeth into new instructions than dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s on files that are almost finished.  It can be very tempting to put them to one side: on the floor, on the windowsill, or beside your chair. But n...

Sustainability Conference - 21 October 2026

DASLS Sustainability Conference  Date:  Wednesday 21st October 2026 Time:  9:45am - 3:00pm Venue:  Michelmores, Pynes Hill, Exeter   Programme:   9.45 am – 10.15 am Professor Bob Lee   10.15 am – 10.45 am Ecologi Reduce, Restore,  10.45 am - 11.00 am COFFEE/TEA   11.00 am – 11.30 am Sally Redman, Landmark From Data Challenges to Employee Engagement: Building A Net Zero Journey 11.30 am – 12.30 pm Fraser Browning, Kurb Carbon Adding value through sustainability and ESG agendas 12.30 pm – 1.00 pm LUNCH   1.00  pm - 1...

Stepping Up

Stepping Up Tony Steiner   Francesca Hobbs   It might not seem like a radical or new initiative to produce a printed newsletter but for those who would find it easier to catch up with DASLS news and what we have to offer in a print format, that is what we have done. We hope you like it. The email version will continue to be circulated to subscribing members and the articles contained here will be reproduced on DASLS website. This is part of our ongoing commitment to improve our PR and marketing. You may opt out of either service if you wish. In March the DASLS Committee agreed to a new marketing plan that will be driven from DASLS office. I have alrea...

Happy new Year from Aston Court

Thank you to everyone who responded to the stakeholder survey that I circulated before Christmas in preparation for the DASLS strategic review. Congratulations to Deborah Baker, Toller Beattie who won the prize draw of a case of wine.   The review working party meet in February and so it is not too late to give us feedback about DASLS, what we do and how we do it. The survey is still available for returns (email me for a link) or you may wish to simply drop me a line with any thoughts you have.   Have you ever considered becoming more involved with DASLS? Our Sub-Committees are the lifeblood of what we do and they always welcome new members. They offer a g...