Law360 Interviews Mark Dawkins for Q&A on Industry Changes

Law360 has published the article “8 Questions For Akin Gump’s UK Disputes Head Mark Dawkins.” Dawkins, a partner in Akin Gump’s litigation practice, spoke about some of the “pandemic-inspired technological jumps that could be here to stay [and] what has kept him interested in litigation work.”

Dawkins began by observing that while he has been struck by how slowly most things have changed over the past 10 years, “the volume of disclosure required now is crazy, partly because the world is getting ever more complicated and therefore the means by which disputes are resolved have to keep pace with that.” The COVID-19 pandemic, having led to remote court hearings, is the most “recent and current” change he has seen. While they have worked “pretty well,” he also admitted that being able to dial into a hearing shortly before it starts “is great.”

Over the course of his career, Dawkins said he has found that the most important skills for a lawyer to possess are being inquisitive and curious, particularly if one is a litigator. He also said he enjoys “being stretched” and having new challenges ahead of him.

In addition, Dawkins spoke of his move to Akin Gump six years ago (click here to read more), highlighting the growth of the London litigation practice since that time and the London disputes team’s strengths in areas including financial litigation, energy disputes and civil fraud.