First Law

What is misconduct?

As the new Legal Ombudsman takes over complaint handling from the Legal Complaints Service, Anthony Armitage explores what lessons can be learned about the enforcement of professional conduct rules and how this interacts with successful tendering The impact of market ...

When should in-house lawyers consult external counsel?

By Lucy Trevelyan The in-house lawyer is the ultimate jack of all trades. Naturally required to know their company’s core business inside out, they are also expected to be instant experts on diverse legal fields depending on their company’s needs: ...

East of England authorities plan counsel fee database in savings drive

A consortium of local authorities in the east of England is to set up a database of practice and fee information for counsel in a bid to secure significant savings on their outlay on barristers. The database being put together ...

South West Wales consortium pursues tenders for law firms and barristers

The South West Wales Legal Consortium has this month launched a tender for law firms, and is working on plans for a tender for barristers' chambers in September. The aim is to have framework agreements in place by the end ...

South West Wales Legal Consortium

The South West Wales Legal Consortium seeks expressions of interest from firms of solicitors with knowledge of Welsh legislation or who are prepared to obtain such knowledge for appointment to a framework agreement for the provision of legal services. The ...

North-west authorities reveal successful bids in multi-million pound procurement

The North West Legal Consortium today unveiled the results of its multi-million pound tender for legal services, the first time in local government that barristers and solicitors have both been chosen in the same procurement exercise. A total of 31 ...

Appointment of Legal Assessors 2010

The General Medical Council (GMC) is looking to increase its pool of legal assessors to advise its Investigation Committee, Fitness to Practise Panel and Interim Orders Panel on questions of law arising in the proceedings before them and to advise ...

North West authorities to set up database of adviser information

A group of North West local authorities is going to set up an online database to provide information on pricing and contacts for the firms and chambers they instruct jointly. Twenty two entities, including Liverpool City Council, are in the ...

North West authorities create joint legal panel

By Luke McLeod Roberts Twenty two councils, police and transport authorities have clubbed together to draw up a four year panel of firms and chambers. The North West consortium, which includes Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Police Authority, will ...

22 Council Consortium - first joint procurement of barristers and solicitors

In the autumn of 2006 four local authorities engaged First Law to assist in forming a consortium to purchase external legal services; By March 2009, joined by two further authorites, work to the value of 3.5m pounds had been placed ...