Laura Slater – författare

An examination of written and other responses to conflict in a variety of forms and genres, from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century.War and violence took many forms in medieval and early modern Europe, from political and territorial conflict to judicial and social spectacle; from religious persecution and crusade to self-mortification and martyrdom; from comedic brutality to civil and domestic aggression. Various cultural frameworks conditioned both the acceptance of these forms of violence, and the protest that they met with: the elusive concept of chivalry, Christianity and just wartheory, political ambition and the machinery of propaganda, literary genres and the expectations they generated and challenged.The essays here, from the disciplines of history, art history and literature, explore how violence and conflict were documented, depicted, narrated and debated during this period. They consider manuals created for and addressed directly to kings and aristocratic patrons; romances whose affective treatments of violence invitedprofoundly empathetic, even troublingly pleasurable, responses; diaries and "autobiographies" compiled on the field and redacted for publication and self-promotion. The ethics and aesthetics of representation, as much as the violence being represented, emerge as a profound and constant theme for writers and artists grappling with this most fundamental and difficult topic of human experience.JOANNA BELLIS is the Fitzjames Research Fellow in Oldand Middle English at Merton College, Oxford; LAURA SLATER holds a Postdoctoral Fellowship from The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London.Contributors: Anne Baden-Daintree, Anne Curry, David Grummitt, Richard W. Kaeuper, Andrew Lynch, Christina Normore, Laura Slater, Sara V. Torres, Matthew Woodcock,

An exploration of how power and political society were imagined, represented and reflected on in medieval English artImages and imagery played a major role in medieval political thought and culture, but their influence has rarely been explored. This book provides a full assessment of the subject. Starting with an examination of the writings of late twelfth-century courtier-clerics, and their new vision of English political life as a heightened religious drama, it argues that visual images were key to the development and expression of medieval English political ideas andarguments. It discusses the vivid pictorial metaphors used in contemporary political treatises, and highlights their interaction with public decorative schemas in English great churches, private devotional imagery, seal iconography, illustrations of English history and a range of other visual sources. Meanwhile, through an exploration of events such as the Thomas Becket conflict, the making of Magna Carta, the Barons' War and the deposition of Edward II, it provides new perspectives on the political role of art, especially in reshaping basic assumptions and expectations about government and political society in medieval England.LAURA SLATER is a Fulford Junior ResearchFellow at Somerville College, University of Oxford.

This report is designed as a practical guide to help you and your firm get to grips with process improvement techniques, and to understand their core benefits and practical applications in a legal environment.With contributions from leading law firms, consultants, and internationally renowned experts on legal process improvement and project management, this report:Provides in-depth, strategic, and tactical guidance on the application of process improvement in law firms;Outlines the different approaches firms are taking, and includes case studies highlighting what the results have been for those who have already adopted process improvement techniques;Includes practical guidance on implementing process improvement - from gaining buy-in through to process mapping and devising different strategies; andExplains the relationship between legal process improvement and related disciplines and key methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma, project management, and KM.

In these highly competitive times, there is little room for firms that are content to remain as they've always been. Global competition, commoditisation, legal outsourcing and pressure from clients to cut costs have created a sense of urgency within law firms to better understand their own businesses. This has implications for the way law firms view and use their resources, expertise and human capital. A commitment to innovation opens doors for law firms to better align themselves with client needs and encourages the development of new tools and service offerings to assist with on-going business needs. But what does innovation really mean in a law firm context? In what ways can an undeniably traditional industry demonstrate innovation? How do individual law firms show what innovation means to them? Law Firm Innovation: Insights and Practice not only answers these questions, but provides an overview of innovation options and practices in a changing legal marketplace. This guide offers practical advice for firms that are looking to become more innovative in the way they work, and it provides first-hand examples of innovation in practice within the legal industry. This guide will enable you to: Gain insight into innovation in the legal market from experts and practitioners from around the world. Review several practical frameworks, designed to help law firms introduce innovation as a core business activity. Learn from case studies on some of the most innovative legal service providers and the ground-breaking approaches already being taken. You can use these to benchmark your innovative approaches. Hear from these authors: Richard Hinwood, Strategy and Governance Director Executive (Withers LLP) John Knox, Managing Director, Asia (AdventBalance) Mark Gould, Founder (Mark Gould Consulting) Adam Billing, Partner (Moller PSF Group Cambridge), Founder (Treehouse) Abigail Hunt, Associate (Moller PSF Group Cambridge), Senior Associate (Treehouse) Markus Hartung, Director (Bucerius Center on the Legal Profession, Hamburg) Arne Ga rtner, Research Assistant (Bucerius Center on the Legal Profession, Hamburg) Michael Bradley, Managing Partner (Marque Lawyers) Darryl Cooke, Founder (gunnercooke) Karl Chapman, Chief Executive (Riverview Law)

Could you benefit from expert guidance on how to stay competitive and streamlined in a legal marketplace that is increasingly competitive? Law firms are finding it harder to adapt quickly to a legal landscape that is constantly evolving. That's why it's imperative for law firm leaders to recognise and respond to this change in order to stay competitive. While the economy has improved, key challenges from the recession remain. Clients are more demanding, reducing cost is as important as it ever was, and firms realise that operational efficiency is crucial to gaining small but important margins. In this market, those small margins can be game-changers for large and small firm alike. This new and updated edition of The Lawyer's Guide to Strategic Practice Management equips law firm leaders with the very latest guidance and market knowledge on how to improve and refine current management strategies in order to thrive and compete in today's legal marketplace. From the latest developments in technology and AI, how to improve your firm's coverage on LinkedIn to increasing motivation to act on cross-selling opportunities, this guide is an amalgamation of guidance from the most talked-about thought leaders in the legal sphere. The second edition contains 7 new chapters covering strategy; market and client development; people and talent management; finance and pricing and optimisation and technology. Key features of this updated guide 33 chapters covering six key areas of law firm management Contains valuable material such as diagnostic questionnaires, how-to guides, case studies and action-planning worksheets Hear from a range of thought leaders and experts in the law firm management sphere including: Viv Williams (CEO of 360 Legal Group) Patrick J. McKenna (strategist and advisor to premier law firms) Chrissie Lightfoot (CEO of EntrepreneurLawyer Ltd) Geoff Coughlin (co-founder of Emphasis on Skills Ltd) Order your copy of this guide to: Review revenue and profit models, profitability strategies and law firm profit drivers Examine the various alternatives to the traditional billing hour Measure and manage the performance of your lawyers Find market niches and develop individual business development strategies Learn about the adoption of client listening programmes Use big data for billing and cost and forecasting analysis Build the business case for legal project management Improve client and staff communication, connectivity and collaboration strategies Inform your management strategy with the very latest market insights and find solutions to your management challenge. Order your copy of this updated guide.

Broken into a series of direct and insightful articles from a broad range of legal and financial experts in the private client sphere, the guide outlines the most important legislative and case law developments and considers their practical impact. Articles also address some of some tricky and related areas that private client solicitors should know about, such as investment strategies, farming law, and litigation.

How can knowledge management (KM) help your firm exceed your clients' expectations and differentiate you from your closest competitors? This guide written by senior figures in legal KM in the US and UK will show how you can achieve this and more, drawing upon case studies from some of the most innovative firms using KM to their advantage. KM is helping law firms adapt to an evolving legal landscape. Increasingly, firms like yours are seeing knowledge management and its potential as an "organisational capability" for leveraging the firm's experience, data and intellectual capital as a strategic resource. Many firms have a KM function in place. But has this function evolved to become a key business unit recognised by the rest of the firm, focused on achieving business outcomes measurable goals important to a firm's overall success? Perhaps you're finding it challenging persuading your fee earners to spare billable time to embed knowledge into your firm's systems, to the overall benefit of your firm. Or perhaps you're having trouble proving ROI on certain initiatives. Whatever the KM challenge you're facing, Law Firm KM: Driving Practice Innovation and Redefining Service Delivery will help you solve key challenges and ensure you can take advantage of opportunities that arise after using KM as a strategic tool. Written by some of the best minds in legal and business consulting, this guide is split into two sections: *Part One examines how KM professionals can support law firm and in-house needs, while considering some of the challenges they face. *Part Two is made up of practical guidance in the form of case studies from UK and US law firms who are trailblazing in legal KM and who have integrated vital KM principles into their overall firm strategy. In today's evolving competitive market, firms must be looking to not only please their clients, but to find ways that go beyond the level of service they expect. More and more firms are turning to KM to help them do this. Are you? Why buy this guide? *Read case studies from firms who are actively integrating KM principles into their firm strategy with success, so you can understand how this is done in practice *Gain insight on how to use KM to inform new service models and pricing structure, innovation and efficiency to please your clients and exceed their expectations of your firm *Discover how to measure the success of KM strategy to prove ROI and make it easy for your firm to invest in future KM initiatives *Learn how to embed KM within your firm's culture to ensure stress-free adoption and adaptation. Hear from firms trailblazing in the KM space including: *Littler Mendelson *BLM *Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz *Samuel Phillips Law Firm You'll love this guide if you're a... *Knowledge management officer *Information officer *Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) *Managing partner *C-suite professional, looking for new strategic inspiration *Head of Department/Practice Group *Partner