Scottish Big Four Leaving Scotland?
Imagine if Linklaters, A&O, CC and Freshfields decided to collectively leave London for New York…
Well it’s not quite on that scale but for Scotland’s legal community it’s not far off.
In the last week or two Scotland’s law firms have had a serious falling out over legal services deregulation in the form of the Legal Services (Scotland) Bill. The particular gripe being the alternative business structures that will become available. In favour of reform, the country’s so-called ‘big four’ firms – Dundas & Wilson, McGrigors, Maclay Murray & Spens and Shepherd & Wedderburn. Against – the majority of smaller firms.
Things have now got so bad that the Lawyer reports: Scottish big four to defect to England over ABS row
Dundas & Wilson, Maclay Murray & Spens, McGrigors and Shepherd & Wedderburn (S&W) are considering having their lawyers register with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) rather than the Scottish Law Society [(SLS)] in reaction to the Scottish Law Agents Society’s (SLAS) attempt to ban the Âintroduction of ABSs.
Granted, it wouldn’t amount to a full on physical exit but try and picture the look on Alex Salmond’s face if they actually went ahead and left the SLS for the SRA.
