The proposed shake-up in the criminal legal system in England and Wales could result in more than 800 law firms going out of business, a report by consultants for the Law Society has predicted.
Analysts LECG said the government should set a “phased and realistic” timetable for planned reforms to legal aid and ensure that fee levels were viable.
The report said a minimum of about 800 smaller firms would need to merge into larger firms under the changes.
References: Financial Times 27/09/06 page 6, The Times 27/09/06 page 16
