Six councils to pool legal teams
Author: Local Government Chronicle - Oct 8, 2009
A group of London councils are pooling their legal resources in a move which they claim will save millions.
The councils, Camden, Harrow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hillingdon and Hounslow LBCs and Kensington & Chelsea RBC, say the move will eventually save £1.4m a year.
The group, under the banner of the London Boroughs’ Legal Alliance (LBLA), hope to generate savings by setting up a panel of preferred lawyers, sharing advice, cutting the number of locums and joint procurement of other legal resources, such as online knowledge and case management systems.
The 16 law firms appointed as preferred suppliers will sign up for three years but the agreement does not preclude member councils going to other legal suppliers.
Harrow director of legal & governance services, Hugh Peart, said: "Local authorities face hundreds of different legal issues every year, ranging from appeals over parking tickets to highly complex land deals.
"We need the best advice available in often specialised fields, but equally we have a duty to get the best value we can for council tax payers.
"I am confident the London Boroughs’ Legal Alliance will do just that, and I think it will prove an innovation that other town halls across the country will want to copy."
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