Law Society to back MDPs

Law Society to back MDPs

The Council of the Law Society is expected to give the all-clear for a form of multidisciplinary practices tomorrow (Thursday).

A report before the meeting outlines a model of mixed partnerships called ‘solicitors plus’.

Non-solicitors will be allowed to become partners of law firms, though the plan envisages that solicitors will control the all-in-one practices.

Digby Jones, the Director-General of the CBI and lawyer who joined KPMG in Birmingham, told solicitors at their conference last weekend to stop debating whether to allow mixed partnerships.

He said: ‘The world has moved on. Life has gone past this argument. It’s going to happen so move on and start looking at how you are going to regulate it.’

The move comes as solicitors face increasing competition not only from the big accountancy firms but potentially from supermarkets and chain stores.

In October, Arthur Andersen hit out against a Dutch ban on MDPs, and in July a working party for the Scottish Law Society concluded that MDPs would not be in the interests of clients.

At the same time members of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates voted against fee sharing partnersips.

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource