A new business structure being officially commenced on Tuesday will allow for a “one stop shop” for the delivery of legal services here.
For the first time in Ireland, solicitors are permitted to form partnerships with barristers to deliver legal services and barristers may form legal service partnerships with other barristers. Before this, only solicitors could form partnerships with other solicitors.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee described the commencement of the new legal partnerships regulations as “a welcome development in our ongoing efforts to modernise and diversify the offerings of the Irish legal services sector”.
Legal partnerships allow for the further growth of the legal services sector and an increase in the range of professional opportunities for legal practitioners, she said.
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“Importantly, this new business model also offers the potential for a more flexible and cost-efficient service for clients, reducing the stress for those who need to seek legal advice, expertise or representation.”
The partnerships are “another step towards our goal of making access to justice, cheaper, faster and more efficient”, Ms McEntee said.
A survey of 213 senior legal practitioners carried out for the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) by Ipsos B&A, found six in 10 in favour of the new business structure, with one in five indicating their law firm would likely become a solicitor-barrister partnership in the next five years.
Increased liability protection and enhanced collaboration between solicitors and barristers were the two main reasons for holding a positive view of solicitor-barrister legal partnerships.
The introduction of legal partnerships was seen by 46 per cent as positive for the provision of legal services, while 39 per cent said it would be positive for consumers.
All areas of law were seen as potentially benefiting from the introduction of legal partnerships with litigation/dispute resolution (62 per cent) and environmental/planning law (61 per cent) considered the most likely to benefit.
Specialised services and greater levels of efficiency by combining skills were selected as the top two benefits of becoming a solicitor-barrister legal partnership.
LSRA chief executive Dr Brian Doherty said the partnerships “will help modernise the provision of legal services and yield benefits for both legal practitioners and clients alike”.
The ability for two or more barristers to operate in partnerships will promote wider employment opportunities and career development in that profession, in addition to the existing models of either self-employed sole traders or in employment, he said.
The LSRA’s recent research into the barriers facing early career solicitors and barristers showed a “strong appetite”, particularly among junior barristers, for alternative business models in which to practice, he said.
The operation and management of legal partnerships are governed by the Legal Services Regulation Act. At least one partner in a legal partnership must be a practising barrister on the roll of practising barristers. Solicitors holding valid practising certificates can form a legal partnership.
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