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Scottish solicitors divided over new legal bill

In today's The Scotsman, Joint Senior Partner Douglas Connell comments on the Legal Services (Scotland) Bill and the move towards Alternative Business Structures (ABS).

In Christopher Mackie's article in The Scotsman, Douglas Connell comments:

“There is a serious polarisation of views that seems to have developed between those that oppose any reform on the one hand and those that don’t.”

“I remember a similar polarisation 20 years ago when it was suggested that – shock, horror – solicitors might be allowed to advertise. On the one hand you have people who oppose any form of change and on the other you have those who want third-party ownership."

"We find ourselves occupying the middle ground. We strongly favour solicitor controlled firms regulated by the Law Society of Scotland. What we think is unfair and out of date is the restriction that only solicitors can be partners in such a firm. I think it is a serious inhibitor to the growth of professional services businesses.”

Christopher Mackie argues that a proposal based on Turcan Connell's suggested model may be a viable solution on which both sides can forge a compromise.

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