A brave new model for bar practice?

28/04/2010

In response to the recession and cuts to legal aid, the Bar Council of England and Wales has published what it calls "a possible model for barristers to work together and with other professionals by means of a procurement company". This model has been given the "somewhat unglamorous yet descriptive title: ProcureCo". The new business model includes: partnerships; the capacity to conduct litigation (for example, in relation to the collection of evidence, the preparation of witness statements, the conduct of correspondence); and by removing restrictions on sharing premises.�

This follows rule changes made by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), which gave barristers and sets of chambers "increased flexibility in bidding for work in new and existing areas of practice".

**28 April 2010 **